MOVIE SUFFERS WHEN 'NURSE' COMES TO WORST.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

Neil LaBute's ``Nurse Betty'' might have been a little more engaging had it been made, say, 10 years ago. As it stands, the film feels all too familiar, its story and subplots having been done (and quite a bit better, I might add) by movies like ``The Truman Show'' and ``Pulp Fiction.'' Certainly there are some pleasant enough diversions here, but the movie's violent action and fantastical themes never gel in a satisfying way, particularly coming from the director who gave us such tart pleasures as ``In the Company of Men'' and ``Your Friends & Neighbors.''

``Nurse Betty'' marks the first time LaBute has directed a screenplay he didn't write. It also takes the misanthropic filmmaker away from the claustrophobic character studies that he has done so well and into a more conventional and larger-scaled story. Clearly this is a transitional film, and, given the movie's fitful pace, it's equally clear that LaBute is still feeling his way around the nuances of more complicated moviemaking.

The Betty of the movie's title is Betty Sizemore, a coffee shop waitress played by Renee Zellweger with all the scrunchy-faced, sweet vulnerability she can muster. Betty's life in Fair Oaks, Kan., is pretty pathetic. Her husband, Del (frequent LaBute collaborator Aaron Eckhart), is a dumb lout who's two-timing her with a co-worker at his used-car dealership. On her birthday, he doesn't give her a present, makes her cook dinner and clean the dishes, and even eats the cupcake Betty's waitress friends gave her.

The one pleasure Betty has in life is her soap opera, ``A Reason to Love.'' Betty's reason to watch: actor George McCord's (Greg Kinnear, smarmy again) portrayal of Dr. David Ravell, a handsome doctor who seems to embody everything Betty unconsciously longs for in her life.

Through a grisly turn in her life, Betty, the naive girl from Kansas (LaBute has her wearing a gingham dress at one point, just in case you're not clued in to the ``Oz'' connection) gets to meet her Prince Charming. The only problem is that Betty believes that Dr. David and his ``Reason to Love'' world actually exist. This comes as news to McCord, who initially thinks that Betty is just a wildly determined Method actress looking to win a part on his soap.

Meanwhile, two hit men, Charlie (Morgan Freeman) and Wesley (Chris Rock) pursue Betty to California, determined to find the Buick and the valuable stash of drugs hidden in its trunk. Along the way, Charlie (Freeman) becomes a bit of an obsessive himself, fixating on Betty as if she were the woman of his dreams instead of his latest (and last, he's retiring) target for murder.

``Nurse Betty'' is at its best when Betty, in her dementia, collides with the ``Reason to Love'' world. But even here, the situations seem a bit passe, the screenplay's observations about fame and obsession having been done with more meaning and insight in other films. LaBute's conviction that the human soul is essentially a vacant place remains intact, but the means of depicting life's emptiness has escaped him here.

Freeman delivers his most interesting performance in years, but again the screenplay (written by short story writer John C. Richards and James Flamberg) proves wanting. The profane dialogue between Charlie and his protege, Wesley, is typically inane and manages to accomplish the impossible - it neuters Chris Rock's tremendous comic appeal. It's ``Pulp Fiction's'' hit men six years - and countless imitations - down the road. Enough.

The facts

--The film: ``Nurse Betty'' (R; strong violence, pervasive language and a scene of sexuality).

--The stars: Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock, Greg Kinnear.

--Behind the scenes: Directed by Neil LaBute. Screenplay by John C. Richards and James Flamberg. Released by USA Films.

--Running time: One hour, 52 minutes.

--Playing: Citywide.

--Our rating: Two and one half stars

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Hired killer Charlie (Morgan Freeman) tries to talk some sense into Betty (Renee Zellweger) in ``Nurse Betty.''