Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

Blistering performances.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

If you're a fan of 80s movies & TV, you'll have a blast watching "The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag". Released in 1992, I consider this one of the last "80s movies" with an allstar cast (though sadly underrated today).For starters we've got the amazing Faye Grant (remember "V" & "The Greatest American Hero"?) in a role like you've never seen: a frustrated southern belle housewife who's just 1 Gucci away from being trailer park trash. She steals the show in every scene.Then there's William Forsythe (Al Capone in "The Untouchables" TV series, the bad guy in "Out for Justice", etc) who plays such a creepy villain you almost forget you're watching a comedy.It gets better... how about Meatloaf, yes, MEATLOAF in a cameo as "Larry".There's my personal fave, Cathy Moriarty ...or as I like to think of her, the closest thing to Lauren Bacall since Lauren Bacall... as the tough street walker who changes Betty Lou's life. Cathy has played almost every mobster wife in every mobster movie ever made. Absolutely perfect.There's the incomparable Julianne Moore (who's been in everything, but my fave would have to be her recent appearances on 30 Rock) as Betty Lou's nutty slutty sister.How about Alfre Woodard (Betty Applewhite on "Desperate Housewives") as the rookie lawyer who's "defending" Betty Lou against murder charges even though she got her attorney's license through the mail.And that brings us to Betty Lou herself, played by Penelope Ann Miller whom I'll always remember as Winnie, Pee-wee Herman's girlfriend in "Big Top Pee-Wee". She does such a great job as the repressed, oppressed & distressed housewife who decides to go on an adventure for the first time in her mousey life.The director, Allan Moyle, may not be as famous as Spielberg, but he's done some great comedies such as "Pump Up the Volume" and "New Waterford Girl" (two films I highly recommend).There are more actors I didn't recognize until I saw the credits: Catherine Keener (the hot chick in "Being John Malkovich"), Stanley Tucci ("Miami Vice" TV series), and did I mention MEATLOAF? The result of this great lineup is a film which was obviously a lot of fun to make, and it's certainly a lot of fun to watch. Even if you're not familiar with all these people I've mentioned, their colorful characterizations will be very memorable.The story itself is an interesting blend. It's a badass chick flick like "Thelma & Louise" crossed with a small town crime caper like "My Cousin Vinny" and a light thriller like "Get Shorty" wrapped up into one. The presentation, though at times intense, remains breezy throughout, and although there are several murders on screen, it doesn't get too disturbing. They don't make em like this anymore. Like I said earlier, don't miss the chance to see one of the last of the "80s" crime-comedy classics.

1st watched 6/1/2010 -- 3 out of 10(Dir-Allan Moyle): Silly drama/comedy with Penelope Ann Miller playing the title role of librarian Betty Lou from a small town in Missouri who finds a gun that just happened to be a murder weapon, and then lies -- saying she committed the murder to get attention. She's the quiet wife of a town cop who spends too much time at work and nobody else in the town takes her seriously, unfortunately. Once she lies though, she immediately gets the attention she wants and people listen to her and she enjoys this at first. A couple of thugs in jail then teach her the ways of being bad, which is supposed to be funny but isn't. She kind of becomes a female robin hood to the townsfolk, but eventually realizes she wants her husband back. She lost him because of all the lies, including an alleged affair. She then reveals the truth and the movie becomes a thriller with her having to save herself and her lawyer, played by Alfre Woodard(in a thankless role), from a local mobster. The main problem with this movie is that it didn't know what it wanted to be from the very beginning. If it would have picked something -- comedy, drama or thriller -- and tried to execute that -- it would have been much better. Instead we get a movie that didn't perform any of the elements very well and therefore the movie wasn't very enjoyable.

I beg to differ with the previous reviewer. On the contrary, this film does have a plot and is funny, with a rewarding ending. It is a light comedy, true. What I liked about it is that it is not just another cookie-cutter formula Hollywood movie. The plot is unique and believable, the writing is intelligent, the acting is adequate, the conclusion is appropriate to the plot. The two main characters, Betty Lou and Alex, grow and mature from their initial portrayal. It is not a major film, but it is rewarding in its own way, an enjoyable way to spend 89 minutes. Lots of fun.

I can't believe I watched this movie on television, with the capacity to turn it off at any moment, and yet didn't. This is a terrible 'comedy'. It takes a bizarre premise- downtrodden librarian confesses to a murder in order to get respect- meanders off into a half-baked plot about the Mafia, and fails to include any jokes whatsoever. It's also staffed by off-the-peg movie stereotypes: dowdy librarian who turns out to be beautiful, hooker with a heart of gold, sinister Mafia boss- they're all there for the thousandth time. It's a bad film. Not 'so bad it's good'. Just bad. Even the 'cute' dog is ugly.