Ugly Betty
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In Brief
An adaptation of the Colombian series Yo Soy Betty, La Fea - roughly translated as 'I'm Betty, The Ugly One', Ugly Betty sought to be the Prada of primetime comedy, but ended up dithering somewhere outside Primark.
last edit by
basko
23 Jun 2008
In Depth
It's difficult to see what shows like Ugly Betty add to the world, really. If we wanted another penetratingly satirical, shamelessly glossy foray into the fashion industry, we'd revisit The Devil Wears Prada. If the sight of America Ferrara as Betty was supposed to induce screams of horror at the grotesqueness of her physical form, then they should've cast someone genuinely ugly, rather than sticking the protagonist in a cardigan and whacking some braces on her teeth: then, perhaps, we'd throw things at 'The Monster.'
Nonetheless, Ferrara is a genuine find, and could be a supremely endearing actress if she comes to her senses and seeks a tautly-scripted drama pronto. Elsewhere, Vanessa Williams ticks all the Bitch-boxes as Wilhelmina, but the plots of murder, sex changes and immigration are so impossibly far-fetched that you wouldn't be surprised if Betty turns around, midway through next season, and concludes that the whole thing's been a dream.
To their credit, however, she's yet to be remade as a stunning, picturesque model, which must've taken a good deal of restraint on the writers' part.
Somewhat ironically, Ugly Betty's very existence seems as inorganic and artificial as the fashion world it mocks, which is perhaps part of some ingenious ploy to...? Nah, it's just not very good.
Nonetheless, Ferrara is a genuine find, and could be a supremely endearing actress if she comes to her senses and seeks a tautly-scripted drama pronto. Elsewhere, Vanessa Williams ticks all the Bitch-boxes as Wilhelmina, but the plots of murder, sex changes and immigration are so impossibly far-fetched that you wouldn't be surprised if Betty turns around, midway through next season, and concludes that the whole thing's been a dream.
To their credit, however, she's yet to be remade as a stunning, picturesque model, which must've taken a good deal of restraint on the writers' part.
Somewhat ironically, Ugly Betty's very existence seems as inorganic and artificial as the fashion world it mocks, which is perhaps part of some ingenious ploy to...? Nah, it's just not very good.
last edit by
basko
23 Jun 2008
Cast
Character
Actor
America Ferrera
Alan Dale
Ana Ortiz
Becki Newton
Ashley Jensen
Michael Urie
Mark Indelicato
Eric Mabius
Vanessa Williams
Rebecca Romjin
Christopher Gorham
Judith Light
Tony Plana
Sheila
Giovanni
last edit by
riddler
20 Sep 2007
