Monster

Monster

2003 "Based on a true story"
Monster
Monster

Monster

7.3 | 1h50m | R | en | Drama

An emotionally scarred highway drifter shoots a sadistic trick who rapes her, and ultimately becomes America's first female serial killer.

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7.3 | 1h50m | R | en | Drama , Crime | More Info
Released: December. 24,2003 | Released Producted By: Newmarket Films , Media 8 Entertainment Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

An emotionally scarred highway drifter shoots a sadistic trick who rapes her, and ultimately becomes America's first female serial killer.

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Cast

Charlize Theron , Christina Ricci , Bruce Dern

Director

Bret Kane

Producted By

Newmarket Films , Media 8 Entertainment

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Reviews

garthlotel Was blown away by Charlize in this movie, she is a truly magnificently talented actress who makes you forget there is a beautiful and glamorous South African model under there. You really believe she IS Wuornos and it's unbelievably good. The movie itself is also gripping and heart wrenching . Deserves all the praise that has been heaped upon it. If you can handle the violence and the tragic storyline, please do not miss this.
powermandan I was not even ten when this movie came out. But seeing promotional material was quite disturbing and I had a hunch that if I were to see that I wouldn't be able to handle it. My parents didn't even allow me either. Fast-forward years later to a time where I am an adult and nothing phases me, I decided to watch Monster because I never forgot the acclaim it received. I shouldn't say that nothing phases me, sometimes movies do depress me, but Monster is one of the few films that really packs a punch. Charlize Theron is the best in this, but I was also surprised at how much more the movie had to offer other than her embodiment.The only flaws I would like to point out are the lack of facts given to the backstory of infamous serial killer and protagonist of the film, Aileen Wuornos. Not much is said about her early criminal activity and violent behaviour prior to the movie's timeline, including a failed marriage that she had when she was 20. The movie treats Aileen as if the murder of her first john was when her reign of terror began. Well, that's Hollywood for you! Luckily the changes made aren't that bad and don't effect the overall experience much. Aileen Wuoronos was a woman from an abusive family who had a long criminal record, a very early pregnancy and severe abuse and mistreatment from everyone around her. She never experienced any love, and that takes a toll on her mental health and perception of the world around her. Charlize Theron transforms herself into Aileen in ways that must seem painful and plays her to a t. Her wide-eyes, trembling, and deep stares, and overwhelming emotion really make this such a hard character to play. But Theron does it and does it right. Wuornos moves to a town in Florida where she stumbles into a gay bar and meets unhappy lesbian, Selby. Christina Ricci always captivates the audience with her performances, with her role as Selby being added to the list. Although not as good as Theron, Ricci is still great. Apparently, Selby was not the real person involved with Aileen because of permission purposes. I don't think much difference would have been made if they used the real girl involved with Aileen.Aileen and Selby are the only good people that each other has known for quite some time. Selby is living with family friends who are not supportive of her sexuality. And I already stressed Aileen's loss of hope. Although Aileen is not a lesbian, it is the emotional comfort that she finds in Selby that leads to anything sexual. The first john that Aileen kills is the most disturbing part of the film. She is beaten, raped, and is about to be raped hard to certain death before she is able to make an escape and kill him in self- defence. She then quits prostitution and hunts for real jobs to support her and Selby. Her lack of qualifications, criminal record, and unprofessionalism cause her to fail the interviews and she returns to prostitution. She goes on to kill more johns and steal their money, some of the johns of whom aren't even violent. But she is reminded of before and is determined to provide. Complications with the johns arise and loyalty with Selby becomes tested, which leads Aileen's to life in behind bars before being executed in 2002.I have seen Youtube videos of the real Aileen and it is more than evident that she was mentally ill. Instead of jail, she should have been in an insane asylum. She is scary in some videos, but it's not her fault. She is the perfect example of somebody suffering from the Battered Woman Syndrome. And, I can't express enough just how amazing and convincing Charlize Theron is. But aside from her, everybody is mighty fine. And the writing was great too. It wasn't a picture full of just crying and yelling and rape. There's actual layers, and juice...themes. Some of these are primary components that lots of these depressing factual films lack. Monster is an amazing and compelling movie about acceptance and love. It may be a sad watch, but it is definitely worth it.
classicalsteve When film actresses Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci walk out on red carpets at international film and awards festivals, they often look like they stepped out of a shoot with vogue magazine, donning satin gowns costing $1000's. And yet in "Monster", about the notorious and mentally-ill Aileen Wuornos and her lesbian lover, Theron and Ricci don the clothes and outlook of lower-middle and even lower-class America. No longer are they the elite of Hollywood but two struggling lower-class nobodies, except, unlike her girlfriend, Wuornos is mentally ill, possibly schizophrenic, and she eventually becomes a serial killer.Charlize Theron, in a performance which is nearly unbelievable in her transformation from Hollywood starlet to Midwest hooker for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, plays Aileen Wuornos, an unstable prostitute who engages in a romantic fling with a young lesbian, Selby, played by Christina Ricci in an equally-compelling performance. (Wuornos' real lover's name was Tyria Moore.) Selby is a misunderstood and somewhat unloved young woman constantly residing with different family members who don't know what to do with her. For them, her lesbian predilections are anti-Christian. She meets Aileen Wuornos in a gay bar in Florida, and she's the first woman to respond to Selby's advances. Although Aileen is a prostitute and very high-strung, often flying into rages for little reason, she seems at first harmless. Shortly thereafter, Wuornos takes on a "client" who drives her to the woods and subdues her. Wuornos breaks free and ends the prostitute-client relationship--violently.At the same time, Aileen and Selby's relationship is on the upswing, and they decide to run away together, infuriating the younger woman's family who know how Aileen makes her living. Aileen decides to renounce prostitution, but can't find a legitimate job. They are running out of money, and Selby is disillusioned with the entire affair. Her lover then returns to prostitution but with a twist. She's not going to engage in any sexual acts, as she had before. She's going to use her clients in a different way.This is a very dark story about the underside of American life. Part of what makes it very disturbing is how real everything is. The dive bars, the cheap cars, and broken down houses are places often not portrayed on the large screen. None of the characters are particularly likable, except Selby (Ricci). Her parents are god-fearing but seem very heartless. And Theron as Wuorno is so unbelievably convincing you can't reconcile what she does in this film with her persona at social events. After production, Theron and Ricci returned back to the world of the Hollywood elite, but this story is forever etched in celluloid.
mperry35 I have seen numerous Aileen Wournos documentaries & interviews, so I am pretty familiar w her speech, quirks, mannerisms, and appearance. Charlize Theron absolutely embodies everything about Aillen Wournos. Her performance gives the viewer a genuine and accurate look into the life of Wournos. She shows that Aileen was very ordinary, who had just been kicked in the teeth time & time again by life. Those plethora of experiences ultimately turned a regular young woman into a very cynical, callused & unpredictable individual. One of the best performances by an actor/actress that I have ever seen...ever. Monster is in my Top 50 greatest movies list