Betty

A mysterious woman (Cheryl Pollak) dressed all in black shows up in Palm Springs to rent a house, whereupon she is given a tour of the place by Udo Kier, with strict instructions not to answer the phone. The woman seems completely on edge all the time, so when the phones start ringing almost continuously, things get worse. Only we don't really sympathize, because her whininess is enervating rather than endearing. Shortly we discover that she's actually a famous film star hiding out from her curmudgeonly manager/therapist and her stressful career, and she wants to do something real with her life, which prompts her to pay the pool-cleaner (Stephen Gregory) a huge sum to train her in his profession. To his credit, writer-director Richard Murphy, in his first full-length feature following some TV work and short films, doesn't turn this odd couple scenario into the predictable screwball romance you expect, but unfortunately he doesn't give us much else in its place either. There's a funny turn from the ever-dependable Ron Perlman as an ointment salesman, and a standout scene in which Pollak fills her pool with Froot Loops for no apparent reason, then fishes them all out again (Froot Loops, like Ding Dongs, being inherently hilarious in almost any context).