Anticlimactic

OK, so the eagerly anticipated Notorious Bettie Page isn't so good. This is through no fault of Gretchen Mol, who strives mightily to elevate the material. As someone who in snapshots and stills doesn't look much like Page, Mol employs facial expression and physical movement to channel the pinup icon. (It takes real knowledge to embody the titular naïf so convincingly.) Mol is most effective in re-creations of photo sessions and performances for silent reels. Particularly appealing are moments like those in the cheap little bondage films where, clad in elaborate lingerie and truly punishing heels, she shakes her finger at a naughty, often hog-tied captive. She seems less the dominatrix than a little girl scolding her doll. Unfortunately, such endearing aspects are almost lost in an uninspired story and script. The filmmakers don't do Ms. Mol or Ms. Page any favors by stranding actress and character in a tedious narrative that skips along the surface of what is presumably a more interesting life. The film version of Bettie is like the movie itself: they're not engaging when she's not posing. Especially finger-wagging.

Oh, did I mention that Mol's performance is fearless?

On to the next obsession . . . hmm . . .

No, I'm not ready yet for Snakes on a Plane.