As Betty, Ren e Zellweger is sweet. The chase winds through the Southwest, crosscutting between Betty and the killers. Freeman begins to idealize Betty as his own media-created romantic fantasy, a wholesome Doris Day. When Betty gets to L.A., she meets Kinnear. In the movie s best sequence, he thinks she s a gifted actress wannabe trying to impress him, falls for her and gives her a starring role.
Reality catches up in some funny-sad scenes.
We discover the trite but beautiful truth about Betty as she endures improbable adventures. Despite her delusions, she remains the moral center amid all the dumbness and cruelty around her. She s smart and warm and deserves a happy ending. William Friedkin s 1973 film of the William Peter Blatty best-seller may not be the best demon movie ever made, but it s the one everybody remembers. It defined the satanic in movies and spawned decades of klutzy imitations.