Monster

Plot synopsis:
Aileen Wuornos, an aging prostitute, meets Selby at a bar in Daytona Beach. Self-absorbed Selby likes Aileen almost immediately; she likes that 'Lee' wants to attend to her hand and foot and take care of her. At a roller rink, Aileen displays her ability to ascertain men's abnormal sexual proclivities at a glance. They have a passionate encounter skating together and quickly become committed to one another, then move into a motel together.Always needing money Aileen works the highways. A john drives her into the woods and beats her unconscious, then brutally sodomizes her awake. Facing certain murder, Aileen breaks free and kills the man with her own gun. Empowered, she decides to quit prostitution. Any money is partied away as Aileen tries to find legitimate work. This is not an easy task; she has no qualifications or experience, and has a very bad temper, which she often displays during job interviews. Selby demands money just to eat, but also wants a home and vacations. Aileen inevitably returns to her trade, though the worm has turned. Now she stalks the johns and kills them for their money and cars as she tries to justify her blood lust as a victim of rapists and murderers. Selby's eventual realization of the truth drives a wedge between the lovers.The lovers part and Aileen is arrested. She speaks to Selby one last time, while in prison. Selby reveals incriminating information over the telephone and she realizes Selby is with the police. To protect Selby, Aileen states she committed the murders alone. During Aileen's trial, Selby testifies against her, with Aileen's loving consent.Aileen Wuornos was convicted, sentenced to death and executed by the state of Florida.

Tags: dark, depressing, murder, dramatic, violence, tragedy, romantic

Review:
The movie itself is one of the most gripping and emotional stories I've ever seen in a film, and, true or not, its right up there with the other great indies depicting the sorry lives of Middle-Americans, such as Boys Don't Cry and, ironically, Monster's Ball.
Before I saw the film, I saw Charlize on The Daily Show, talking to John Stewart about how Aileen Wuornos' story (and I'm paraphrasing) forces one to re-examine how we might label someone "evil" for doing horrible things.
I thought Charlize Theron's performance as Aileen was extraordinary, not simply in the scenes with the men (especially the "last john", when she has to shut herself off from the humanity of the man she is about to kill) and in generally suggesting an increasingly out of control personality, but in the scenes with Shelby (Christina Ricci), right up to her near-breakdown when she is putting Shelby on the bus.
Okay, seriously, i needed a bit of comedy before reviewing this dark, serious movie about murder and human nature."Monster", as most of you know, is the story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, physically ugly; abused as a child, living as a prostitute, falling in love with another woman, and killing men.
Charlize Theron certainly deserved her best actress Oscar, her performance in this movie was moving, thought-provoking, and truly believable, something I find lacking in many currently released movies.
For those who may not know, MONSTER is the true story of Aileen Wuornos, a Florida prostitute who was executed a couple of years ago for killing men that picked her up on the highway.
Despite the insight into Wuornos' humanity, we still knew she was beyond help.Christina Ricci also delivered a terrific performance as Shelby, and was a perfect complement to Charlize-as-Aileen's abrasiveness.This was the best film of 2003, IMO..
Monster is the true story of Aileen Carol Wuornos, a prostitute in Florida who murdered seven men in the late eighties and early nineties.Based on the title of the movie, and knowing somewhat of what the movie was about, I watched this film expecting a rather brutal depiction of the actions committed by a serial killer.
It's mainly a love story, with a very depressing theme to it.Aileen (played by Charlize Theron, who did an AMAZING job) meets a younger girl, Selby (played by Christina Ricci, also a fantastic performance), and the two eventually fall in love.
I'm assuming that her personal history was a factor - I believe her mother killed her violent father in self-defence - correct me if i'm wrong - so she perhaps knows something of the life of Aileen Wournos.If you haven't already I suggest that you see Nick Broomfields two documentaries on the same subject to see how perfectly Theron nailed Aileens aggressive yet vulnerable persona and for further background.It's an incredibly sad film as well and though the film doesn't spread it on too thick how Aileens loveless childhood created the "monster" you can't help but agree in this case that Aileen was created and not born "evil" and hopefully feel as i did immense sympathy for her and the trail of almost accidental death that for a few brief moments allowed Aileen to avenge the despicable treatment in her life but then led to her own betrayal by her girlfriend and ultimate demise.Once again - an astonishing display by Theron..
of the true story.As my final comment, i would just like to say that i thought CHARLIZE THERON, as well as CHRISTINA RICCI  were ABSOLUTLY BRILLIANT in the roles that they played, they were acted out excellently and full credit to those two ladies on a FANTASTIC ACTING JOB!!!!!.THIS IS A MUST SEE FILM FOR ANY ONE THAT ENJOYS THE MOVIES.
Based on the life of Aileen Wournos, Patty Jenkins and Charlize Theron have achieved not only a film of excellence and importance, but of a depth and darkness that takes your breath away.
Charlize Theron's brilliant, bravura performance, Christine Ricci's impressive supporting acting, Patty Jenkins's direction, and the structure and script, make Monster an impressive film.
Thelma and Louise were not portrayed as lesbians (although they still had to come to a sticky end because of their crimes), but since then there is a noticeable trend in Hollywood to recognise these lesbian themed movies by giving the leading actresses Oscars - Frances McDormand in Fargo, Hilary Swank in Boys Don't Cry, and now Charlize Theron in Monster.
The film world may pay lip-service to liberal tolerance of female homosexuality by recognising these actress performances, but the overall impression is that lesbians are not good people and I question that audiences will be encouraged to see lesbians as acceptable members of society, given the film examples in front of them.So, to me, this film was not so much a feminist polemic as a depressing, but gripping, story about alienation and isolation, told in a way which can't help but leave the viewer asking a lot of questions about a society which creates such 'monsters'.
This was not an easy movie to like but I was so enthralled at Charlize Theron's makeover and performance that it took center stage over the story.Theron's physical transformation from the incredibly beautiful woman she is to hard-and-rough looking serial killer Aileen Wournos was just amazing.
If you've seen Nick Broomfield's doc 'Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer' then you'll know how uncannily accurate Charlize Theron's performance is in Monster, as the alternately terrifying and sympathetic Aileen Wuornos.
As the plaudits showered upon Theron, I think Ricci was overlooked, as she also gives a terrific performance as the weak Selby, who is complicit in most of the crimes and thus just as much a Monster in many ways.Certainly the film takes liberties with the facts of the case, but so what?
The title suits the story very well -there are many possible interpretations, but I personally like to read it as the description of what Aileen Wuornos's life is: a monster.
The story is told by Aileen herself, in a very sarcastic and cynical tone, and she proves how adagios like "all you need is love and self-confidence" are just nice words, empty formulas with no real ground.The film offers a handful of good messages.
I find this one great achievement of the film, and one that makes a big difference between this film and many dramas that wallow in pity and justification of the character's deeds.Like many have said, both Charlize Theron's and Christina Ricci's performance are flawless.
Ricci is great too, and this should be even more of note since she isn't given a lot of space to develop the character of Selby, Aileen's lover.The film has its flaws, but it still is a rather impressive document, and one that certainly gives some food for thought..
I had trouble sleeping because the movie's scenes kept playing through my mind, and then I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep because I couldn't stop replaying the horrifically disturbing scenes of Aileen's life as a prostitute.I guess I'll comment briefly on Charlize Theron's performance--everybody else has.
Unfortunately the movie doesn't show Aileen's decline whilst in prison and I felt that there was an element missing from the story because of that.A lot has been written about Therone's performance but Christina Ricci is fantastic also..
Theron's character is based on a true life story (the subject of two separate film documentaries) - perhaps the emotional power lies in the sympathy the audience feels for her for quite a long time - a sort of, "if only something good could happen once in her miserable life, just one ray of light, surely she deserves a chance .
"And so I need to come clean, I need to tell the world that there is no self-defense in my cases." When picking up her Golden Globe for her performance, Theron thanked lots of people, but she never once mentioned the families of the murdered men."I don't think they cared about the victims' families," said Linda Yates.
Of course the film is carried by a massive performance from Theron who, looks, sounds and acts just like the Wuornos that I have seen on the documentaries.
This film is based on the true life story of highway prostitute turned serial-killer, Aileen Wuornos.
When I saw the Oscars I had only seen "Somethings Gotta Give" and not "Monsters" so I was like "How could Charlize win over Diane Keaton, one of the best actresses ever?" I didn´t think that a film about a prostitute killer could be so good and so touching that it would give the leading role an Oscar for best actress.
While watching this film I felt sorry for Aileen, who really wanted a good life for her and her new girlfriend, the only person in her whole life who liked her, thinking that maybe there was a plan for her too.
The story of Aileen Wuornos here is told here as more than just a serial killer film, it is instead a powerful film told with harrowing chills and tender humanity with Wuornos herself portrayed as more than just a monster without being glorified or over-humanised.An earth-shattering, career-best performance from Charlize Theron as Wuornos helps enormously, a performance that goes way beyond changing her appearance completely by gaining weight and using dental prosthetics to the point of being unrecognisable and is one of gentle compassion and frightening coldness.
Indeed, anyone who has seen the documentary films Nick Broomfield made about Aileen Wuornos during her time on Death Row will be struck by how precisely Charlize Theron has captured her voice, her physical presence, and quite a lot of her character, although she never quite manages to represent the full extent of Wournos' madness, which is perhaps slightly suppressed in order to allow the film to bear at least some resemblance to a more normal story.
i've seen this movie 2 months ago and it really touched me, i never thought i could feel sorry for a murderer and even cry for one but i did- i cried the very evening i saw the film, and the next day when i told my mum about it, and i still cry when i think about it - to me her life, and what she's been through and the ending have been so cruel and seemed to me so unjust, i saw her not as a criminal, as a monster - i saw her as a victim - being the victim of rapes in her childhood, the victim of poverty, the victim of reckless and ignorant minds, the victim of society, one of life's victims, and whenever i see cases like this one i wonder if our world has any chance left to salvation - i saw last night on discovery a documentary on another serial killer - he was called the night stalker - for that guy i didn't feel sorry - i would have beaten him to death myself if i could - he has been sentenced to death in the gas chamber - and since 1985 - i think - he is still waiting for his execution - he even has a fan club - incredible but true - what kind of sick stupid women would admire such a MONSTER - he is a monster-?
"Monster" comes at the story of notorious highway hooker and serial killer Aileen Carol Wuornos from a unique angle by developing a character who is so beat up by life, so failed by society, and so weakened by emotional pain that the only way she knows to sustain the shred of happiness she finds in an ill-wrought lesbian relationship is to seduce her victims by plying her trade and then killing them to get all of their money.
Theron's transformation into serial killer Aileen Wuornos is so complete and perfect that it will be impossible to discuss the all-time greatest acting jobs in the future without mentioning this one.
She's that good.The film is based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos, a lifelong hooker who killed seven of her patrons in the late 1980's.
She is not her usual sardonic, cynical self; her Selby is more innocent and naïve than the character she played in `Casper.'`Monster' is a frightening movie, but it is also filled with intensely dark moments of comedy as Wuornos struggles to relate to people like a normal human.
Monster is a film that is bleak to the heart, and the gimmick of seeing a gorgeous woman convincingly look ugly does not erase the fact that the thematic content of this movie is void of redeeming facet.Patty Jenkins supposedly does not want us to sympathize with this woman, but the film I saw cried out for us to sympathize with her.Even worse, the families of the victims of this serial killer have claimed to be upset that the film shows some of the murders as having been committed in self defense, something that there is no evidence of in real life.Great crime films are about the victims, and the great ones that are not about the victims do not attempt to make horrible people like martyrs.
To be fair, Charlize Theron gives a good performance as Wuornos, but after seeing Nick Broomfield's "The Selling of a Serial Killer" (1992) I realized just how biased and dishonest the film adaptation "Monster" is.Patty Jenkins does have a clear agenda to push which is this: Aileen wasn't a bad person, it was men that made her that way because she was abused by them.
It's true, yes, but that doesn't negate what she did -- she still murdered innocent people and "Monster" really tries to gloss over some of this.Second of all, my big problem with the film is that it spends so much unnecessary time on the relationship between Aileen and her lover, played by Christina Ricci.
Charlize Theron gives her best and very dark transformation work as real life convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos(in fact Charlize won a best actress Oscar for her portrayal).
This film is absolutely amazing, Charlize Theron certainly deserved her best actress Oscar, her performance in this movie was brilliant, Theron's physical transformation from the incredibly beautiful woman she is to hard-and-rough looking serial killer Aileen Wuornos was just amazingbut i didn't liked the music..
Excellent.This lovely movie was incredible to me.Why?To begin with Charlize Theron , I couldn't believe that Aileen was her when I saw her in the first scene.She was completely different than normally.Moreover, she acted her best performance in this amazing movie and deserved academy awards rightfully and better than anyone.When it comes to the Christina Ricci and her role as a Selby was nice enough for me to have been influenced.She was very attractive and friendly.
There's also a brief but moving appearance by Bruce Dern as Aileen's only real friend and his speech about survival is one of the great understated moments of the film.Plus, there's Christina Ricci as Selby who plays off against Theron admirably.
I don't know how much make up they had to put on her (or take off of her) to get her to look the way she did, but to complete the amazement, she also gained weight for the film.I watched the movie on T.V. and Theron not only went through great lengths to look the part, but she did a helluva job acting the part too.
The only other film I recall seeing her in was GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING in which she was quietly subdued, demure, and looked like a charming young woman who stepped out of a masterful painting--a work of art.Here she is as Aileen Wuornos, the serial killer who spent twelve years on Florida's death row convicted of three murders and guilty of how many others, I don't know.
It is an emotional ride through the eyes of a mentally tormented woman, and how she deals with the situations she is given in life.Charlize Theron, again was brilliant in this, and Christina Ricci was also profoundly well casted and her poignant moments in the piece as well.Definitely not a film for anyone under eighteen, but I would recommend it to anyone over that age.
Aileen Wuornos was a sad and pathetic creature whose past made her into what she became and Charlize Theron brings every complex dimension of her completely to life again in this film.
If you want to watch it, you really should take your time.They say that Charlize Theron did one of the greatest acting ever in this movie, and indeed I was impressed how completely and perfectly she became a very different person.
Charlize Theron's performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos is the greatest acting job in the history of film.
It will be difficult to watch other films without comparing the performances of others to Charlize Theron's in Monster because she has accomplished what nobody else has in acting; both in movie history and current film.
Acting students will be studying this performance for many years and they will learn much from it.Monster is disturbing and upsetting, but Charlize Theron's part as Aileen Wuornos must be seen.
The hooker also has a tendency toward murdering her "johns" and you will see why early on in the film.This movie is supposed to be about a real life prostitute/serial killer Aileen Wournos portrayed by Charize Theron.
Patty Jenkins' "Monster" is the real life story of recently executed prostitute and serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who murdered a series of men between 1989 and 1990.
Mind blowing performance by Charlize Theron, as Aileen Wuornos - highway prostitute and serial killer.This film succeeds in inspiring sympathy for a woman who was vilified in the American press as a 'Monster', showing that there are two sides to every story.