The new Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde has been controversial from the start, but it raises the question of why Blonde is rated Nc-17. Blonde stars Ana de Armas as Monroe, the "blonde bombshell" who became a pop culture icon and sex symbol before her untimely death in 1962. Director Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) adapted the ambitious novel of the same name by author Joyce Carol Oates, which took several liberties with the life of Monroe. Netflix's Blonde has been the subject of controversy since it was announced, with the streamer shifting release dates early on due to the graphic content of the film after it was completed in 2019.

Netflix brought in a new editor to help "curb the excesses of the movie" and prepare it for release according to Dominik, which he says actually ended up making the film better. Oates' 2000 Marilyn...