Customer Reviews

Monster

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Wow....................

Charlize Theron is brilliant in this film with her portrayal of "serial killer" Aileen Wuornos. Theron not only manages to completely change her looks but her entire persona, she becomes Wuornos, capturing all of the mannerisms and deep bedded anger that Wuornos exhibited during her trial. Theron's acting is fantastic and through her performance many questions are raised, some that will stay with you for awhile.

Christina Ricci should not be ignored in her performance in this film either. She captures naïve innocence in her role as Wuornos's girlfriend. Ricci's emotions are raw and she holds her own against Theron's brilliance.

But this film is really more than just the acting; it is a statement about right and wrong and about the justice of our death penalty. I don't think anyone can walk away from this film and not feel that Wuornos might have deserved a different sentence. While I agree she was wrong to kill her victims I have to wonder what any normal woman might do under her circumstances. Rape is almost as brutal as death despite the lack of permanence. After seeing the life Wuornos had to live I became wracked with compassion for a woman with no place to turn. Was she right to kill? No! But at what point is a person a cold blooded murderer and at what point is she crushed by her circumstances. At some point blame needs to rest with the child abusers, rapists and sexual predators that helped to create Wuornos and others likely to come in her wake. This film will really cause you to reflect on where you stand on issues like this.

Monster as a whole seems slightly off balance - I can't quite put my finger on it, but something is off POV-wise. Theron, however, is AMAZING. Her voice, swagger, facial expressions all display the talent she was waiting to show us. It's her movie all the way and she will keep you glued to the screen. Ricci provides fine support - in a much less showy role.

Charlize Theron gives a five star+ performance as the executed serial killer Aileen Wuornos, the monster in "Monster." I would have rated the movie the same, except it is just too filled with pain, desperation and hopelessness for me to rank it that high. The script is not particularly strong. We only get a glimpse into the life and mind of this woman, and we never discover what made her kill. Many abused women hate men, but they don't become serial killers. There is also a lot of repetition, as Wuornos goes through her pattern of solicitation, violence and anguish over and over again. Without Ms. Theron's magnificent acting the film would be rather mediocre.

Director Patty Jenkins begins Wuornos' story in 1989-90, just before she was caught and imprisoned. She portrays Aileen more as a victim than as a victimizer. Through an initial monologue and various dialogues the viewer learns of Aileen's very troubled childhood in Michican. Her father, a convicted child-molester, committed suicide. Aileen was raped repeatedly by a family friend, and she began prostituting herself when she was thirteen. Her only job had been as a hooker. I think Ms. Theron portrays Aileen as a woman suffering from serious mental illness. Her moods swing from suicidal depression to euphoric overconfidence. She had delusional periods where she believed that all her dreams would come true and that she was invincible. She is a tough talking lady who drinks too much and barely holds her rage beneath the surface.

It is during this period that she meets Selby (Christina Ricci is superb in this role.), a shy, naive teen, in a bar. Selby is a lesbian who wants to come out of the closet against her family's wishes. She is a misfit, without friends. So is Aileen. At first the two are so thrilled that they like each other - that they are not alone anymore. Their desperate, mutual quest for affection culminates in this doomed relationship. To me the relationship is more about loneliness and emotional dependency than physical attraction. The honeymoon is short-lived, however. Selby had never been on her own before and for some reason, doesn't think to get a job. She expects Aileen to provide for them. She manipulates Aileen into continuing to work as a prostitute, even though she is aware of at least one murder. Jenkins suggests that as long as the money keeps coming in she will ask no questions. Wuornos tries to get work and go straight but has no job skills or experience. She winds up going back on the road as a prostitute again, and then, after a violent episode with a john, her rage takes over and the murders begin.

Charlize Theron does give an extraordinarily powerful performance as the serial killer. It is amazing how she was able to literally transform herself into a woman who looks exactly like the actual Aileen Wuornos, mannerisms and all. This transformation is not just make-up. She speaks like Wuornos, walks like her, with a masculine swagger, captures her intensity, and her eyes often hold a glint of madness.

The film is shot in a gritty style on the highway, streets, bars and motel rooms. The ambiance is pure sleaze, reflecting the true crime drama. Overall, the story is fascinating, as is the point of view. And, as I have said, the performances are simply excellent. Highly recommended!
JANA

I saw this movie with my mum know nothing but the fact it was about a lesbian who killed people. I was completely blown away by every aspect of the movie. First off i have to mention Charlize, her performance is unforgettable and heart breaking, you forget its just an actress and get sucked into an amazingly sad story of a woman like anyone else, who just had horrible things happen to her and crossed the line. You can see that even though Aileen did some horrible horrible things, she was still human, still a person just making a last attempt for love. Christina Ricci also did a great job as Selby, the phone call scene will stick with me for the rest of my life, it was almost physically painful to watch. The movie was very disturbing at times, and i had to fast foword through the rape scene, but it just pulls at your heart without making Aileen into any sort of hero. All the director does is show you as the viewer what happened, and what made her cross the line. Truely an amazing movie.

Monster is a sad tale of a woman with heartbreaking poor circumstances make wrong decisions after wrong decisions.

Chalize Theron is amazing in this movie. Unbelievable talent to portray an uneducated, gritty, prostitute. There is no sign of the lithe, elegant Theron, which makes the transformation all the more impressive.

Christina Ricci with her big expressive eyes portray the innocence of Selby, Aileen's lesbian girlfriend.

The movie is very disturbing and sad especially when you think prostitution like this happens everyday to women who probably have similar stories. There are no uplifting moments. No "win" at the end of the movie.

The take home message is trust your kids, love your kids, and ask yourself if the disagreement that you have is worth disowning your child and have the potential for their life to end really really bad.

This is no "Pretty Woman" tale of prostitution ending with a white knight saving the day. This is real, gritty, and depressing.

Oh yeah, and it's never good to kill people.

Charlize Theron is simply amazing in this engrossing, fact-based thriller. She is extremely convincing as serial killer Aileen Wuornos, giving a haunting and well-deserved Oscar-nominated performance. The otherwise gorgeous star transforms into the not so gorgeous killer and gives a very eerie and sympathetic performance. I was wowed.

Charlize Theron may rule the film, but the always wonderful Christina Ricci is very good as well, playing her love interest Selby. She brings an immature vulnerability and wide-eyed innocence to her character and pulls a real person out of what could be just a ball of insecurities.

This is not a movie that is easy to sit through; it is dark, ugly, and violent. An early scene in which Aileen is raped is almost traumatizing at best, it is so lacking in any form of humanity. In another scene, a too-far-gone Aileen comes across an elderly gentleman who is genuinely willing to help the woman, but that isn't something that Aileen is prepared to deal with if it comes from a man. His needless death is an eye-opening turning point to the film, when it really sinks in that this woman is hopelessly lost and can probably never be found.

Fair warning: this is a dark, harshly severe movie with no relief until the house lights come up, but if you can disconnect yourself from the onscreen horrors for a few moments, you'll see a story of humanity's worst nightmare: individuals cast aside with no ability to crawl out of the hole into which they've been thrown. There is certainly a message here that needs to be heard, and this movie is one that should be seen. I highly recommend it to those with an open mind, but it is definitely not for the squeamish. It is however one of the best of 2003 and includes NO DOUBT one of the best performances in modern cinema.

Lee (Charlize Theron) was terribly abused as a child and began prostituting at age 13 to support herself. She's completely alone until she meets Selby, a young lesbian. The two become inseparable but need money, so Lee does the only work she knows, but now she's using a gun.

This true story of a woman who killed seven men for their money and cars is extremely brutal and depressing. Theron is unrecognizable as the hardened killer and gives a heartbreaking and unforgettable performance. The film doesn't excuse her behavior, it explains it; the result is a movie that is shocking and yet brought tears to my eyes. This is a woman who had no one to help her, no place to go, and she survived day-to-day by taking what she needed. Christina Ricci is also very good playing Lee's naive and dependent girlfriend, Selby.

This frightening portrait of a lost soul has so much ugliness that I had to fast-forward past a few scenes. The acting is top-notch, however, and Theron rightly won the Oscar for Best Actress. A sad and unforgettable movie.

Many words come to mind as I assess my experience: dark, brutal, and hellish - but not entirely. On the other end of the spectrum, Theron's performance can bring out compassion in the scenes where the Soul of the degenerated personality she plays shines through. This film has the power to break hearts as well as open them, depending on the viewer. Of course, to have compassion for her does not imply that her actions and crimes are justified - only that you can recognize the goodness in her - the part of her that is free and capable of loving. Some of the music is moving and heartwarming and, in my opinion, works superbly hand-in-hand with Theron's captivating performances as Aileen Wuornos.

A film by Patty Jenkins

Roger Ebert listed "Monster" as the best film of all of 2003. Charlize Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. For months before the Oscars the talk had been about how amazing Theron's performance was and how not only was it the best performance of the year, it was one of the best performances in years. This is a lot of high praise that raised my expectations on exactly what it was that I was going to see in "Monster".

"Monster" is based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos. Aileen lived as a prostitute in Florida and became a serial murderer, killing her prospective clients. As the film opens, Aileen is sitting under an overpass and is reflecting back on past events, specifically her meeting of Selby (Christina Ricci). After meeting Selby in a bar, Selby quickly becomes Aileen's best (and only) friend and also her lover. They are both very lonely and needy people. For the love of Selby, Aileen wants to clean up her life, quit hooking, and find a real job so she can support Selby. Unfortunately for Aileen, she is unable to find a job because she has no work experience, no resume, and a huge chip on her shoulder that prevents anyone in a position to help to even want to help her. Selby is demanding, telling Aileen that she needs to start hooking again because they don't have any money, she is hungry, and this is one thing that Aileen can do to support her.

When she is raped by one of her clients, Aileen finally snaps and kills him. She tells Selby that this was a one time thing, but after this first murder she starts killing and robbing her other clients. It is at this point where we start to see Aileen crack under the pressure of what her life has become. She feels that from day one she never stood a chance. She was sexually abused as a child and by age 13 was pregnant and a prostitute. This is her life and she has no opportunity to improve her life. Her experience trying to find a legitimate job is proof of this. "Monster" is the story of Aileen Wuornos and it is brutal and unflinching.

It is impossible to separate the performance of Charlize Theron from the rest of the movie. "Monster" is built on the raw power and pain of Theron's transformation into Aileen Wuornos. This transformation was both physical and emotional. Charlize Theron is a strikingly beautiful woman and early in her career the roles she became known for were little more than the beautiful wife/girlfriend/woman (Legend of Bagger Vance, The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules). "Monster" required a physical change in the appearance of Theron's face and the make-up helped change the beautiful Theron into the ugly Wuornos. The other part of the transformation is that Wuornos was a tormented, pained, and angry woman and this required Theron to not simply be a woman acting but rather to "become" Aileen Wuornos. She succeeds.

During the first half of the movie I could not figure out why Theron had won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She had become Aileen, but the performance was nothing terribly impressive for the first fifty minutes. But when Selby confronts Aileen to return to being a prostitute, that scene nailed it for me and brought Theron's performance to an entirely new level. The raw emotion Theron conveyed carried the movie. The performance became more emotional, angry, vulnerable, fearful, and edgy and at no point did I think that this was Theron acting. I saw Aileen Wuornos.

The movie itself, without Charlize Theron, did not feel to me that it was telling a story that could not have been told on a made for cable (because of the content) movie. But the movie is not so much about the plot and about the story, but rather about the performance and transformation of Charlize Theron into Aileen Wuornos. The performance makes the viewer capable of feeling pity for Aileen without excusing her actions. I don't feel that there is any question that Theron deserved the Oscar for "Monster".

-Joe Sherry

Charlize Theron plays a downtrodden prostitute who, after a frightening brush with death, starts fighting back against violent Johns. She quickly gets carried away with this new-found sense of power, and starts killing innocents and running from the law. This movie is a fascinating and chilling case study on the making of one of the very few female serial killers. The Oscar Charlize Theron won for this role was well-deserved.