The Brittany Murphy biopic aired over the weekend and was slammed by negative reviews, with lead star Amanda Fuller on the receiving end of some criticisms. The actress, who played the late "Clueless" star in the Lifetime Channel special, has spoken up about her portrayal and posted a tribute on her Instagram page.
A review of the Brittany Murphy biopic from Variety first pointed out the obvious mistake of casting 30-year-old Amanda Fuller to play the title role in "The Brittany Murphy Story": she had no remote physical resemblance to the late teen star.
Amanda Fuller, whose previous acting gigs included playing one of Tim Allen's daughters on "Last Man Standing", was also reportedly unable to exude the unique charm and quirkiness of Brittany Murphy.
Amanda Fuller explained to ABC News: "The producers told me 'This is not a look-alike piece.'"
The actress added: "Hopefully once people get into the story, they forget that I don't look exactly like Brittany, but follow the journey of the relationships."
Amanda Fuller also posted a Brittany Murphy tribute on her Instagram page, saying the team made the film "with nothing but love and respect for Britt".
The review from Variety also pointed out the unimpressive script throughout the Brittany Murphy biopic. According to the review, not only was the narration of her personal and showbiz life rushed, but a lot of the important points seemed very "filtered".
One example noted by the review was the late actress' co-dependent relationship with her mother, Sharon Murphy. The role, which was played by Sherilyn Fenn, was said to have been written in such a way that it would not make "an outright judgment" of the mother and daughter's controversial relationship, said Variety.
Another vaguely portrayed role in the Brittany Murphy biopic was that of Simon Monjack, the late actress' husband. Played by Eric Petersen, the TV drama showed him as a "controlling and opportunistic" husband. However, Variety pointed out that the biopic but was supposedly unable to address if he genuinely loved his troubled wife.
Variety also wrote about out the poor production value of the biopic. According to the review, several red carpet scenes seem to have been shot repeatedly on a single set. Reenactments from the movie set of "Clueless" also featured - according to the review - "atrocious" stand-ins for Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash.
Nonetheless, Amanda Fuller hopes though that people would see through the special. "The movie is more about trying to capture her essence that she had and shed light to that struggle she had as she went further into the business," she told ABC News.
"People fell in love with Brittany Murphy in the beginning as her authentic self: A crazy girl from Jersey with that quirky spirit and she never lost that spark," Amanda Fuller said.
