Netflix users are claiming they had to turn off new Marilyn Monroe drama Blonde after just 20 minutes, saying it left them feeling 'disgusted.'
The highly anticipated film, based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, received a 14-minute standing ovation at Venice Film Festival earlier this month but, after tuning in, viewers at home are struggling to understand why.
Fans and critics alike have been complaining about Blonde ever since it dropped on Netflix, arguing that it has totally 'exploited' Marilyn Monroe and 'disrespected' her legacy.
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"I've never been so disgusted by a movie in my life", TikTok film reviewer @kailikesmovies told his followers.
"How this movie has passed through so many people and nobody thought to go 'this movie is disgusting and disrespectful to a real life human being that has died' is beyond me."
BLONDE DIRECTOR SAYS NETFLIX'S DRAMA IS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE YOU 'SHAKING'
Another horrified viewer, @crystalalana90, told her fellow TikTokers: "I am not joking with you when I say I want the name of every single person who had something to do with this film and getting this approved. I'm not even a Marilyn stan, but this was just wrong."
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While Netflix makes it clear in its official synopsis that this movie is a 'reimagining' of Marilyn Monroe's life, most viewers have agreed that the script might have taken these 'reimaginings' a bit too far.
Of course, the iconic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star certainly went through her share of personal tragedies, from parental abuse and sexual assault, to mental health difficulties and substance abuse. But the Hollywood legend's better moments, such as setting up her own production company, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress, and challenging big-time film executives over pay, struggle to make it into the almost three-hour film.
Over on Twitter, the reviews weren't any better.
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"#Blonde left me feeling absolutely nothing", tweeted one disappointed user. "A cheap & disgusting attempt at portraying the life of a vulnerable woman through Calvin Klein-commercial cinematography & an unusually paired score.
"I did enjoy Ana de Armas up to a certain point, but girl… that ending?"
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A second simply wrote: "I just started to watch Blonde and I’ve turned it off after 20 minutes, enough said."
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Another viewer who struggled to make it far into the film added: "Tried to watch @netflix Blonde. Couldn’t stomach more than about 20 minutes of the nearly 3 hours length. That 20 minutes was nothing but cruel and heartbreaking."
And a fourth complained: "#Blonde is a disgusting and exploitative portrayal of Marilyn Monroe. It’s impossible to admire the cinematography, score and editing when you have a terrible script. Ana de Armas does what she can with the material that she was [given]."
Blonde is available to stream on Netflix now.
Topics: TV And Film, Netflix
Ali Condon