Theron prevents the whole film from tanking completely

Rating: 6/10 (28 April 2005)

Patty Jenkins' account of Florida serial killer Aileen Wuornos features an Oscar-winning turn from Charlize Theron as the abused highway hooker who bumped off seven of her clients circa 1990 and was finally executed in 2002.
On the positive side, more than simple imitation, Theron's remarkable performance demonstrates a significant understanding of her subject  a raw, booze-fuelled mound of defiled femininity, rage and self-pity.
On the negative side, the film feels distinctly made-for-TV like and Christina Ricci's performance strikes me as unusually 'off'. Also, Aileen's childhood is rather rudely neglected (with the exception of Aileen talking about it very briefly in one scene in the movie)in favour for a by-numbers telling of her childhood at the start of the film.