The Real Blonde – Wednesday 4th June 2025

I first watched this film on BBC2, on a random Sunday night in the 90s. Man, those were the days.

Earlier in the day I was flicking through Taschen’s ‘Movies of the 90s’ (I’ve got their books for every decade from the 1950s onwards), and there’s definitely a case to be made for the 90s being the best decade for cinema, in terms of the variety and quality of films that were made, globally, during that time.

One of the main reasons for this was a boom in ‘Indie’ filmmaking. The technology and distribution was more affordable, and accessible than ever before, although still out of reach for the masses. Ironically, filmmaking is a million times more accessible today than it was back then, and yet films are probably worse than they’ve ever been (a discussion for another time!).

When it came to American cinema, there were movies that defied the usual genre labels; films that focused on disparate groups of people, which were dialogue/conversation heavy, attempting to recreate how ‘normal’ people talked, instead of only saying things that moved the plot forward.

The Real Blonde is a film that treads the line of that type of movie, whilst still having enough of a plot to satisfy mainstream tastes. I really liked it back in the 90s, and seeing it again for the first time in decades, I still like it!

The 90’s were full of movies that didn’t fit neatly into genre boxes, and this film is one of them, which is probably why it never really found its audience. It’s not a romcom, or a slice of life; it’s not even quirky enough to be called ‘quirky’. It’s just a film about a bunch of characters making their way in life and trying to survive show-business.

A film uniquely from the 90’s and definitely the type of film they simply don’t make anymore.

Also, how the hell did Max Caulfield not become a major star? He’s got that smarmy charm, as well as the good looks, to have been a brilliant villain! The cast is full of great actors, and all of them are great in this film.

If you fancy watching a quintessentially 90s movie about a rag tag bunch of adults trying to be adults, then look no further!
Ignore the low rating on IMDB; this film’s good!