Metamorphosis of a Goddess

Rating: Null/10 (10 February 2004)

Charlize Theron has always struck me as Hollywood's new goddess, tall, blonde, regal, gorgeous, a shtar. Her beauty, alas, was working against her, pigeonholing her in glamour roles of secondary consequence, in most cases. Clearly, she decided to take matters into her own hands and play against type. It was a good career move, certainly. But after seeing her performance today, I'm convinced she chose Monster not only to further her career but to fulfill herself as an artist. I had thought she wanted to be the new Grace Kelly when all along it was to follow in the footsteps of Streep. Huzzah.
In Monster, Charlize looks like some kind of Joni Mitchell on Skid Row, all washed out and unkempt. She seems not to be playing Wournos so much as channeling her. I've seen that kind of body language in unhinged people before--ramrod spine, jutting jaw--and I accepted it totally. It's one of the things that makes the character so real and so frightening. Still, the screenplay does provide an arc to this character. At first, she just seems like an outcast, with an outcast's armored bearing, and her first murder is executed in self-defense. Then she just loses all semblance of humanity as she gets swept up in the pursuit of easy money and vendetta for a lifetime of abuse and exploitation by men.
(A subtheme in the movie has to do with cops. One cop, who once arrested her, forces her into a sexual act; one of the johns she kills is a retired cop. This all rings pretty true. The New York Times Magazine recently did a cover feature on prostitution slavery--girls and children abducted to this country, kept against their will, and forced to turn tricks for their keepers. They have nowhere to go. One was quoted as saying that cops and child psychologists have been their johns, so they trust no one. What is wrong with this country?)
I don't know what to make of Christina Ricci. I tend to think that she ruins almost every movie she's in, The Opposite of Sex and Ice Storm being exceptions. To me, she usually seems to just sit there like a blob and read her lines. This movie was no exception. They already had Charlize, they could have given the Ricci part to a gifted newcomer. Or had someone else play against type, like Julia Stiles or Anna Paquin. That bit of casting is my one gripe. I recommend this movie, for its dark honesty, it's seamless, nearly invisible direction, and for Charlize Theron's stunning work.