If the purpose of a biopic is to tell an understandable, possibly relatable, version of a famous person’s life so you come away understanding that person better, then Blonde is an abject failure. But if you come to see a creative vision with quality acting that doesn’t adhere to what a person might call logic or rational storytelling, you might enjoy it. But there are a number of other ways to hate and love this very divisive flick. I, for one, really enjoyed it.

Blonde is more-or-less the life of Marilyn Monroe as performed by Ana de Armas. It provides a little backstory of her childhood, something something about her sick mother, something something about her career kind of, something something hand-waving about her relationships with men, and… I dunno… a theory on how and why she died? Arguably?

All these vagaries are here to tell an abstract, borderline surrealist and post-logic version of a life. If you don’t know who Marilyn is and why she was “important”, you’ve come to the wrong film. I know some of the truths, some of the rumors, and some of the movies so I was able to paste it together and enjoy it. But I also have no idea if the things I learned were true… or if they even happened in the fuzzy logic of the movie itself.

You could say this film is irrational and illogical and that it exploits the memory of Marilyn Monroe. You could even argue it exploits Ana de Armas (one hopes she was paid well). I think both could be true and Marilyn fans will likely be indignant… non-Marilyn fans will probably not care, and the ignorant will have to shrug their shoulders and remain ignorant.

But I think Ana de Armas does a great job. When I heard she was cast, I was quite skeptical. I know her as the feisty (very attractive) Latina with an amazing accent who sometimes hangs out with James Bond. But, for the most part, she sheds the accent and gives us a convincing version of Marilyn’s breathy persona. I’m not a huge fan of that artificial pin-up girl persona so I was actually disappointed we didn’t get more Armas. Until, you know, logic stepped in and reminded me it’s a good performance.

I was engaged in this movie’s version of telling a life in chaotic order and its beautiful cinematography and creative editing. I wasn’t a huge fan of breezing through important moments in film history, vague introductions of the men in her life, and why she’s “hanging out” with John F. Kennedy. Yeah I know some of the truths and some of the rumors, but as a narrative fictional retelling, it’s wanting.

But as a surreal dreamscape of a life fraying at the ends, it’s quite brilliant. So it’ll be up to the individual to decide if they are willing to go along with the artifice, vagaries, and likely fictions or if they will put their foot down and demand a more concrete overview of (or simply respect for) Marilyn Monroe’s life.

I, for one, was willing to go along for the ride (while mentally chastising them along the way). I think de Armas does a great job and I loved the filmmaking and the commitment to the non-linearity of the storytelling. It worked for me. Your results may vary.

Score: 86