Main Cast: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Scott Wilson, Pruitt Taylor Vince
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 109 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Model-turned-actress Charlize Theron leaves her glamorous image behind for this gritty drama, in which she plays a disturbed prostitute who becomes a serial killer. Aileen Wuornos (Theron) was a woman who survived a brutal and abusive childhood in Michigan to become a thick-skinned but emotionally damaged adult. Homeless most of her life, Wuornos subsisted by working as a street prostitute; later, when she was in Florida, down to her last five dollars and pondering suicide, she stopped into a bar for a beer. There, Aileen met Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a woman in her early twenties who had been sent to live with relatives after her Christian parents became aware of her lesbian lifestyle. Selby is immediately attracted to Aileen, and while Aileen tells Selby she's never been in a lesbian relationship, she soon finds herself equally infatuated with her. Selby runs away from her family and moves into a cheap hotel with Aileen, who initially pays the bills by hooking. However, as their money runs low and Aileen finds herself unable to land a regular job, tensions mount between the two. One night, after a john attacks her, Aileen pulls a gun and kills the man. Although her first murder can be categorized as self-defense, Aileen's loathing for the men who pay her for sex becomes so extreme that she begins killing her customers regardless of their behavior. Meanwhile, Selby slowly becomes aware of the full extent of her lover's instability and the bloody consequences of her actions. Monster was inspired by the true story of Aileen Wuornos, whose life and death was chronicled in two documentaries by filmmaker Nick Broomfield, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer, and Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Perhaps Charlize Theron's awe-inspiring performance will be the thing that people remember most about Monster, but the film as a whole marks a surprisingly scrupulous and thought-provoking treatment of sensational subject matter from writer/director Patty Jenkins, making her feature debut. The film is good enough to be more than just a companion piece to filmmaker Nick Broomfield's outstanding documentaries on serial killer Aileen Wuornos, but a viewing of those documentaries validates both Jenkins' vision and Theron's amazingly accurate portrayal of the woman. Theron perfectly captures the way, for example, the sides of Wuornos' mouth turn downward in repose. Theron's turn is not a mere imitation, but captures the tormented spirit of the woman. The crux of the film is the unexpected romantic relationship that forms between Wuornos and Selby. Selby, a fictional stand-in for Wuornos' real-life paramour, Tyria Moore, is well played by (Christina Ricci). Monster has been unfairly criticized for romanticizing Wuornos' depravity, but the film simply shows us that these brutal actions were undertaken by a real live woman, driven to desperation by a lifetime of abuse and newfound financial pressures. The film portrays her actions in a way that makes them comprehensible, but not defensible. Ironically, Aileen's first opportunity to be loved is what effectively pushes her over the edge, until she gradually slips away into madness. As with Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, the underlying issue is class. The truth of precisely what Wuornos did and why may never be known, but Monster is an accomplished, absorbing, and assiduously moral film that feels like truth. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Lee Tergesen - Vincent Corey; Annie Corley - Donna Tentler; Bubba Baker - Cubby; Marc Macaulay - Will Grueser; Brett Rice - Charles; Marco St. John - Evan; Robb Chamberlain; Catherine Mangan - Justy
Credit
Orvis Rigsby - Art Director, Ferne Cassel - Casting, Brent Morris - Co-producer, Rhona Meyers - Costume Designer, David Allen Cluck - First Assistant Director, Patty Jenkins - Director, Guy Livneh - Second Unit Director, Arthur Coburn - Editor, Jane Kurson - Editor, Andreas Grosch - Executive Producer, Andreas Schmid - Executive Producer, Sammy Lee - Executive Producer, Stewart Hall - Executive Producer, Meagan Riley-Grant - Executive Producer, BT - Composer (Music Score), Howard Paar - Musical Direction/Supervision, Edward Mcavoy - Production Designer, Steven Bernstein - Cinematographer, Mark Damon - Producer, Donald Kushner - Producer, Brad Wyman - Producer, Charlize Theron - Producer, Clark Peterson - Producer, Shawn R. McFall - Set Designer, Peter Devlin - Sound/Sound Designer, Patty Jenkins - Screenwriter, Guy Livneh - Additional Cinematography, Stephen F. Campbell - Additional Cinematography, Toni G - Key Make-up
After moving to Florida, Aileen Wuornos (Theron), a prostitute, meets Selby Wall (Ricci) in a bar. Selby takes to Wuornos almost immediately, as she likes that Wuornos is very protective of her, even though she notices that the older woman is deeply disturbed. They have a small romantic encounter at a roller rink and quickly become committed to one another, and move into a motel.
After being raped and brutalized by a client (Lee Tergesen), Wuornos murders him and decides to quit prostitution. Eventually, it becomes difficult to pay the bills and Wuornos tries to find legitimate work, but finds it difficult because she has no real qualifications, is uncultured, and has a very bad temper. Desperate for money and resentful of the men who use her for sex, she commits several murders, each more brutal than the last, robbing her victims after killing them.
Wuornos is eventually arrested and speaks to Selby one last time while in jail. Selby reveals incriminating information over the telephone and Wuornos realizes Selby is with the police. To protect Selby, Wuornos states she committed the murders alone. During Wuornos' trial, Selby testifies against her. Wuornos is later convicted and sentenced to death.
An overwhelming majority of film critics praised Monster. Most gave especially high praise to Theron's performance as the protagonist and her boldness in taking the role of an unattractive, mentally ill[1] woman. For the role, Theron gained 30 pounds and wore prostheticteeth. Theron thanked Ricci during her Oscar acceptance speech.[citation needed]
Many critics called her performance (and her makeup in the film) a "transformation".[2] Film critic Roger Ebert wrote "What Charlize Theron achieves in Patty Jenkins' 'Monster' isn't a performance but an embodiment." The film won Theron the Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and the SAG Award.
Charlize Theron won the Academy Award on February 29, 2004, which would have been Wuornos' 48th birthday.
Wuornos herself gave director Patty Jenkins access to hundreds of letters she had written and received in order to gain insight into her life. Jenkins and Theron flew to Michigan to read the letters over the course of two days; the letters filled two rooms.[3]
One of the movie's filming locations was The Last Resort in Port Orange, Florida, the bar where Wuornos was arrested on January 9, 1991. Its owner, Al Bulling, made a brief appearance playing a bartender.[4]
Soundtrack
In 2004, BT released a soundtrack to the movie. The track listing is as follows:[5]
