“Nurse Betty” stars Renee Zellweger as Betty Sizemore, a Kansas City waitress with a special innocent glow. She is married to Del, a philanderous used-car salesman who is up to his neck in dirty dealings of which Betty is blissfully unaware. Betty’s only joy in life is Dr. David Ravell of the soap opera “A Reason to Love.” When Betty witnesses hitmen Charlie (Morgan Freeman) and Wesley (Chris Rock) kill Del gruesomely, she suffers a dissociative split and enters a fantasy world based on the soap opera. She hits the road with the hitmen not-too-close behind looking for 10 kilos of cocaine Betty doesn’t know are in her trunk. She meets the actor who plays Dr. Ravell, George McCord (Greg Kinnear) and without trying, convinces him that she is an artistically gifted actress and not a nut. GJ: This dark comedy is certainly more challenging than the usual road apples pouring into theaters in the fall. However, “Nurse Betty” still falls short in a couple of key areas that keep it from greatness. One of those things is Renee Zellweger. Her little cherubic red face, weepy eyes and squeaky voice are getting really old, really fast. It’s not acting if you look like that all the time. She has two modes in this film: happily unaware of what people are going on about and weepily unaware of what people are going on about. She has less depth than a plastic kiddie wading pool with a crack in it and how she ever got beyond community theater and porno is a mystery for the ages. I remember being impressed by her “air-headed slut” character in “Empire Records,” but several films later, we should all just admit that while she may or may not be pretending to be a slut, the airhead thing is NO ACT. KM: Zellweger was actually very good in this movie. Sure she may be falling into the realm of type-casting, but this role happens to be perfect for her. Though she has basically fallen off her rocker throughout the movie, you can’t help but root for her and hope she finds the soap character she is looking for. The depth of her character is very impressive. Early on we find out why she wouldn’t want to be involved with her life in the first place, which is because Del is such an ass to her. So it’s no wonder that she would dive into this world of fantasy. That is how her character deals with this type of stuff, and it takes a good actress to get that across. GJ: Greg Kinnear is another actor who has been getting far too much credit for doing the same thing time after time. He is the model for the typical movie star: good-looking, charming and sweet while exhibiting some basic acting competency, but all he is doing is being Greg Kinnear in role after role. KM: Kinnear really does a good job of portraying a typical Hollywood actor. He is really nice at times when it means helping his career, but when his temper flares, boy does it flare. A real movie critic is able to notice Kinnear’s talent, as he scarcely resembles any of his past characters. But if every actor was amazing, movies would suck because there wouldn’t be a standard to hold actors up to. GJ: Nice logic. Kyle could not possibly know what a “real movie critic” thinks as he has never seen one, especially in the mirror. The unmistakable bright spots in this film are the scenes with Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock as the hitmen looking for Betty. While Rock’s abilities as an actor may not be rivaling DeNiro just yet, the man himself has an intelligence and depth that are too easily dismissed because of his stand-up background. As Wesley, Rock is addicted to the same soap opera as his target, but his dedication is edgier and backed up with devious undertones. Morgan Freeman has been doing solid work since “The Electric Company,” and if this man ever cranks out a bad performance, it will mark the beginning of the end as predicted in the Bible. His Charlie is a dedicated professional willing to kill this woman even though he is smitten with her. In many ways, he is as deluded as Betty because his feelings are based on just as little contact with the object of admiration as Betty’s feelings. KM: Rock is great in “Nurse Betty.” Since the film lacks in the comedy area, almost everything out of Rock’s mouth is funny. But he is funny in such a way that it doesn’t stick out. The fact that he is a hitman helps him do a great job of constantly being on-edge, and his reactions and comments are just hilarious. Freeman isn’t bad, but he in no way lives up to some of his past roles. He’s getting pretty old and would fit better in one of this fall’s old-man movies, like “Space Cowboys” and “The Crew.” GJ: “Nurse Betty” tells an interesting story, but it is conveyed haphazardly at times. The set up is so long that by the time Betty gets to meet her intended, the film is nearly over and the denouement must take place in record time. KM: The story is weird yet refreshing in an industry that recycles way too much. It is easy to follow and keeps you tuned in. It is fairly entertaining but as far as calling this comedy, that’s stretching it a little. GJ: Overall, “Nurse Betty” is worth seeing for Rock and Freeman, but be warned: this comedy is not wall-to-wall laughs as the previews and commercials suggest, and it is not deep enough to be a truly satisfying dark comedy either. Greg Jerrett rated “Nurse Betty” three stars.

Kyle Moss rated “Nurse Betty” three and a half stars.