O What a Wonderully Done Monster! ***

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2006)

Charlize Theron well deserved her best actress Oscar for "Monster." The person who did her make-up should have received one as well.
Ms. Theron is marvelous as serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute who went on a killing spree.
Theron received remarkable support from Christina Ricci, who played a young girl seduced by Wuornos. Ricci's face shows her unhappiness and disturbance and ultimate betrayal of her lover.
The film does suffer from clichés such as Wuornos's attempt to justify the killings. Raped at age 8 by her father's friend, she would be subjected to abuse by the father as well. When she is found guilty of the killings and sentenced to death, Wuornos screams that you're killing a raped girl. Does this life history excuse her from what she did? Not even a psychiatrist would be able to justify this.