I watched the first 40 minutes of this and then quit. It was supposed to be a comedy, but it's just a story about a stupid woman who wants attention. I didn't laugh once in the 40 minutes, and the movie didn't seem to be going anywhere, and frankly I didn't give a rip about the main character because she is so bloody stupid. **Spoiler Warning** When she finds the gun in the river, she shouldn't have touched it because it might have still had fingerprints or other forensic evidence. But that's right. She decides to confess to a murder she didn't commit, just to get some attention. Do yourself a favor and skip this waste of time. Fortunately, I borrowed this from the public library so I wasn't out any money for admission or rental fees. Oh, and yes, I want the 40 minutes of my life back! 2 out of 10 is generous.

I get a big kick out of this film, partly because I know a librarian named Betty Lou! Needless to say she is nothing like the semi-stereotypical librarian of the movie...In the film, Betty Lou is a mousy librarian and frustrated wife. Although innocent, she allows herself to be implicated in a crime of passion in order to challenge her husband's (all too accurate) preconceptions. With the aid of a prostitute with a heart of gold and an ambitious freshman lawyer, Betty Lou transforms herself into an assertive and confidant woman. Unfortunately there are some unforeseen consequences that could cost her her life!Other reviewers have pointed out that this film is very uneven in tone. It isn't really a romantic comedy, more of a light thriller like "Get Shorty." The real problem is that the plot isn't clever enough for a thriller, the humor isn't sufficient for a comedy, and it certainly isn't dark enough for noir. However it has a naive symbolism I find appealing, and the actors appear to be having a good time with their roles. I'd call it stereotypical rather than sexist - I can easily imagine some women I've known going to such extremes for attention! I wouldn't go out of my way to look this one up. But if it's on the tube and there's nothing else to see give it a try!

A strange film, indeed. It doesn't lack its charms, but the film, as directed by Allan Moyle, goes nowhere because it seems to go in different directions. The film has a few laughs and the best way is to approach it without any preconceptions because it will reward the viewer.What the director is to be congratulated is because of the good performances from this cast. Penelope Ann Miller, playing the title role is an actress that is not seen often in the movies. She deserves better as she projects a nice sunny quality about everything she does. Alfre Woodard is a gifted performance whose appearances are always welcome. The curiosity here was Julianne Moore playing Elinor. Ms. Moore is shown at a disadvantage in the movie. Evidently she must have had a cosmetic transformation that worked for her in getting better roles than this silly role she is seen playing here.Mr. Moyle has a knack for directing. This film has good moments and it's worth a look.

SPOILERS THRGHOUOUT: Gun in Betty Lou's handbag is definitely one of the stranger movies I've seen. Contrary to many other views however, I don't think this was a bad movie, merely strange. It actually had an intriguing story but the way it went about the unraveling of it was a bit off.This movie was at times nourish, at other times almost a parody. It was quite odd in that parts of this movie were actually spooky and dramatic yet other times almost blatantly comical. It kept switching back and forth in tone, not just once or twice but a constant switching between the two atmospheres one moment genuinely suspenseful, and the next over the top comedic which at first was actually kind of refreshing in that it certainly was different but after awhile it stopped being refreshing and just became a bit odd. It was definitely better in the beginning then toward the end.I really think this movie would have been very very good had it just been mostly serious throughout and concentrated on the nourish elements instead of going a bit over the top with the comedic. The story just didn't wear comedy well, it wasn't suited for it. Yet there were certain things I liked. I liked the photography, the way this was filmed. I liked the rich array of interesting characters and even some of the comedy was good particularly Betty's scene in jail, when she first meets her cell mate. I also loved the musical score used, it went perfectly with the atmosphere of the movie (and was definitely not a comedic musical score at all.) Betty Loe's Handbag was one of the oddest movie's I've ever seen, so odd that it's even difficult to do a review. It's not as bad as many have said, I liked it at times, and it sure was different but it was definitely not for everybody and OK but not great though it maybe could have been. My vote is 6 of 10.