Betty

Not funny enough for comedy, not sharp enough for satire, and not compelling enough for drama, Betty stars Cheryl Pollak (who also produced) in the title role as a movie star so anxious to “find herself” that she walks off the set of her latest film and retreats to a rented house in Palm Springs, where she attempts to see how the other half lives by working variously as a pool cleaner, grocery deliverer and analgesic ointment pusher. Problem is, not a single note of this saga rings true. Betty's guilt over being a rich, pampered actress while the hoi polloi pursue lives of quiet desperation comes off as condescending, not sympathetic; the running gags (like the constant, infernal ringing of the telephones in her rental house) are labored and unfunny; the acting by all concerned is pretty atrocious, and Richard Murphy's writing and directing are somewhat less than compelling. But hey, if movies about whining, neurotic, insufferably motor-mouthed Hollywood types are your idea of a good time, then Betty is your gal. Otherwise, not recommended. (S. Graham)