No Such Thing

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No Such Thing ★★ 2001 (R)

This “Beauty and the Beast” fairytale for grownups doesn't always work but it's at least intriguing. Burke stars as an ill-tempered, drunken, ageless, nameless monster who has been terrorizing the remote areas of Iceland. When timid Beatrice (Polley) learns that her fiance, part of a news crew, has been slaughtered by the beast, she persuades her ratings-driven TV news show boss (Mirren) to send her to follow up on the story. Monster and Beatrice develop an unexpected rapport and she brings him back to New York where he's exploited, not unknowingly, as the lastest celeb. 103m/C VHS, DVD . US Sarah Polley, Robert John Burke, Helen Mirren, Julie Christie, Baltasar Kormakur; D: Hal Hartley; W: Hal Hartley; C: Michael Spiller; M: Hal Hartley.