Nurse Betty
USA Films | Release Date: September 8, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
11
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The superb screenplay won an award at Cannes this year for good reason. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
A wonderfully twisted comedy. Read full review
100
Rolling StonePeter Travers
As ever, Freeman delivers miracles; he's as good as it gets.
91
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
He (LaBute) pulls the farce and the violence and the fantasies together with a deft touch and a sweetness rare in American films -- especially his. Read full review
90
The New York TimesStephen Holden
It is easily the finest American comedy since David O. Russell's "Flirting With Disaster," another road movie that never ran out of poignantly funny surprises. Read full review
90
VarietyEmanuel Levy
Few actresses can convey the kind of honesty and humanity that Zellweger does here -- it's hard to imagine the film without her dominant, thoroughly credible performance. Read full review
90
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
This offbeat and unpredictable comedy-thriller throws so many curveballs, one right after another, that I doubt I've had more fun at an American movie this year. Read full review
90
Film.comErnest Hardy
There's a shrewd satiric method to LaBute's madness, and a payoff in comedic gold. Read full review
90
TimeRichard Schickel
All in all, Nurse Betty is a wonderful movie, unpredictably alive to the fact that the American citizenry is a lot stranger than we like to admit. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Betty moves into Coen Brothers territory, a land so unreal that horrific behavior wrings laughter from a disbelieving audience. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeJay Carr
It's lively, edgy, full of zigs and zags, juicy performances, and offbeat fun. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
The movie has a deliberately screw-loose feel. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
It's a nicely tart gulp of grown-up wit and cynicism -- with, for a change, a cherry on top. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverGregory Weinkauf
The resulting piece resonates upon the American condition, deliciously detailing the whimsy, violence, intolerance, and shallow fantasies that fuel this nation. Oh yeah, and it's funny. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
This delightful and compassionate romp achieves precisely that rare quality -- grace -- that sets Betty apart from the pack. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Nurse Betty is this year's "Being John Malkovich"-an utter original with a little something to say and a way of saying it that manages to be at once delightful and bilious. Read full review
75
New York PostJonathan Foreman
This oddly cheerful, decreasingly dark comedy actually works and can boast some of the most enjoyable performances of the year. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
A black comedy that features Renee Zellweger as the most adorable psychiatric-trauma victim ever. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
Groovy. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
One of those films where you don't know whether to laugh or cringe, and find yourself doing both. It's a challenge: How do we respond to this loaded material? Read full review
63
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
Observing Zellweger as she dispenses her brand of movie magic definitely is good for what ails you. Read full review
60
TNT RoughCutAndy Klein
Worth watching. Read full review
60
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Betty sustains her character, the movie fails to maintain its own. Read full review
60
SlateDavid Edelstein
A feminist sitcom tricked up with garish violence and garrulous hit men. Read full review
54
Mr. ShowbizKevin Maynard
Badly photographed, clumsily edited, and lacking any discernable cinematic style. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Zellweger is as charming as ever, and it's good to find LaBute working with a script by writers who don't fully share his crabbed, cramped view of human nature. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Uncomfortable hodgepodge of poignant fantasy, showbiz satire and crime thriller. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Its warped, disconnected sensibility makes for an oddly distant piece of work.
50
Austin ChronicleSarah Hepola
Its uneven comedy may leave moviegoers yearning for the confidently choreographed banter and moral sludge that marked LaBute's previous outings. Read full review
50
NewsweekDavid Ansen
There are inspired moments in this edgy, unstable comedy. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
It feels like three movies stitched together. Read full review
40
Film.comRobert Horton
This fantasy-tinged romance leaves a distinctly bitter aftertaste. Read full review
30
SalonCharles Taylor
LaBute is some kind of find: an auteur for people who don't like movies. Read full review
25
Baltimore SunAnn Hornaday
Aimless and unfocused. Read full review
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