The Real Blonde (1998)

To start off, this movie was not as bland as some have written. It's actually a fairly decent movie about relationships and how losing, or gaining, them affects our daily lives. The movie starts out with an elderly lady walking her dog which then gets stolen and she's crying out for her Buddy. The woman and her dog are a relationship, as throughout this movie we see her now and then watching TV (more relationships, if only fleeting) and it's obvious she is all alone and all she had was her dog. The main relationship in the movie is between Joe and Mary. They have been together for 6 years and are experiencing issues. The 2 actors worked well together and actually this was one of the better performances I have seen from both actors. I liked how Joe and Mary worked out their issues and knew when to back off. Then we have fringe relationships and shallow characters who only want one thing. In one case, the woman must be a real blonde (hence the title), and in the other, the character, played by Hannah, just wants sex. Another surprise was Denis Leary in the film and his character as the teacher of a self-defense and self-esteem class for women. All in all, everyone portrayed a character that was real and with plausible lives.

I have to admit being disappointed in this; having been exposed to some of Tom's good stuff, I expected more of the same.What blew it for me is that, although it is largely entertaining, it has about as much depth as your typical TV sitcom, and so it's pretty hard to regard it as anything but superficial fluff.Also, the whole thing plays like a huge New York in-joke, but a lot of it will be lost on people who can't identify with that megalopolis.That might explain why most of the rave reviews are by people from, guess what, New York.Anyway, it serves as a good example of the hazards of a brilliant Indie filmmaker venturing too close to the mainstream.

Independent films like these make me want to rip out my eyes because movies like this are bad for your eyes, ears, brain, and entire life for that matter. The Real Blonde is some artsy-fartsy deal that tries to get people to think with a hippy-minded worldview. Handpicked out of a hat, the cast members do not fit with each other, everything seems out of place and nothing makes much sense. I can't think of anyone to recommend this to besides left-wing liberals that want to be entertained without the interference of big name corporations telling the filmmakers what to do.

Set in the world of struggling actors and models, this is an intelligent comedy with just a hint of seriousness. It's well-written with good performances by its large, mostly younger cast. The humor is for adults, so if you're looking for big belly-laughs and gross-out situations, you'll be disappointed. The number of characters threatened to be a bit too many but that's not a major problem. I found 'The Real Blonde' funnier and more entertaining than lots of comedies that get far more publicity and have much more box-office success.