Marilyn Monroe biopic 'Blonde' gets first official trailer and fans have mixed reviews

Virgin Radio

29 Jul 2022, 08:58

The first official trailer for Blonde, a Marilyn Monroe biopic, has been released by Netflix with Ana De Armas playing the Hollywood star, but fans have mixed reviews.

Adapted from Joyce Carole Oates’ 2000 novel of the same name, the film charts the rise and fall of Monroe and has been described by Netflix as a “bold reimaging of the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons” and will “blur the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.”

The latest trailer was released yesterday (28 July) and shows De Armas as the blonde bombshell in dreamy scenes stepping out in front of adoring fans, contrasted with harsh black and white shots of her (often distressing) private life.

Blonde has been rated NC-17 for its graphic sexual content and will be the first of its kind to be released on Netflix, but it has sparked mixed reactions from viewers.

One of the biggest bug bears people had with the trailer was that Ana De Armas’ Spanish accent can be heard as she portrays Monroe, with one person writing: “Looks incredible but unfortunately her accent gets in the way. I know she worked really hard but it’s still very much there”.

Another said: “I'm not sure if I'll be able to get over the accent. I really love Ana as an actor. But playing Marilyn Monroe is a risk. I guess we'll see.”

However, a third tweeted: “If you watch the trailer a few times, you’ll see that Ana’s accent is not going to be an issue at all, especially compared to Lady Gaga’s Russian-Italian accent in House of Gucci. She looks incredible, and is probably the most convincing version of Marilyn on film to date.”

Another issue people have with the film in general is the way it drags up a lot of Monroe’s traumatic past and labels itself as a biopic, even though the book it is based on is fictional.

One user said: "Yeah. Always so nice when there is a light shed on her BUT this is fictive ….. and they should stay true to facts. They mix facts with fiction in this. Looking forward to seeing it though.”

Another said: “Marilyn Monroe’s life story is very traumatic & filled w so much mental anguish. Most ppl only see her as a sex symbol & that’s it (I used to) so I’m glad someone took the time to really share her story….hopefully correctly.”

Replying to that comment, a third user wrote: “It's unfortunately based off the fictionalized novel blonde. so it isn't really a biopic nor will be it fully accurate. They wanted to capture the "feeling" of what her life was like. just something to keep in mind when watching.”

While a fourth said: “How many times do they have to make movies on this woman's life? can't she rest in peace.”

Ana De Armas previously spoke about portraying a Latina version of Monroe and stated it is sometimes hard to get directors to even listen.

She explained: "So that's my hope, that I can show that we can do anything if we're given the time to prepare, and if we're given just the chance, just the chance," she added. "You can do any film — Blonde — you can do anything.

"The problem is that sometimes you don't even get to the room with the director to sit down and prove yourself."

De Armas continued: "It's definitely changing; it's getting better. But it's hard to know now, being in my position, because I know it's not the same for everybody.

Blonde is set to be released on 28 September 2022 on Netflix.