Charlize? Great. Everything else? eh.

Rating: 6/10 (1 February 2004)

In this less than thrilling story about the killing spree of Aileen Carol Wuornos, director Patty Jenkins gives the audience just under two hours of standard film- making. Monster has no real energy. With the exception of the power of
Charlize Theron's portrayal of Aileen, the film is empty and tiresome. Christina Ricci's performance is o.k. but looks of delight and allure are so reminiscent of Wednesday Addams that she never really creates a solid conception of her
character for audiences that have enjoyed her work in the past.
Monster is one of those movies that you see for a performance by a brilliant rising star. Beyond that, the film seems true enough to the real story but wholly uninteresting. To complicate matters, the screenplay villifies and sympathizes with the plight of the two ladies. Normally the groundwork for a great film, it fails in monster simply because it doesn't build enough interest around the
supporting characters and the circumstances of the lives of Aileen and Selby.
See it once for Theron's performance then forget about it. Likely to be
remembered for Theron's first Statuette but that's it.