| Monster | |
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.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Patty Jenkins |
| Written by | Patty Jenkins |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Steven Bernstein |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | BT |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Newmarket Films (North America) DEJ Productions (overseas) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United States[1][2] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.5 million[3][4] |
| Box office | $64.2 million[5] |
Monster is a 2003 Americanbiographicalcrimedrama film written and directed byPatty Jenkins in her feature directorial debut. The film followsserial killerAileen Wuornos, astreet prostitute who murdered seven of her male clients between 1989 and 1990 and wasexecuted in Florida in 2002. It starsCharlize Theron as Wuornos andChristina Ricci as her semi-fictionalized lover, Selby Wall (based on Wuornos's real-life girlfriend, Tyria Moore).
Monster had its world premiere at theAFI Fest on November 16, 2003. On February 8, 2004, it premiered at the54th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for theGolden Bear, while Theron won theSilver Bear for Best Actress. The film was theatrically released in the United States on December 24, 2003, byNewmarket Films.[6][7]Monster received positive reviews from critics and achieved box office success, grossing $64.2 million on a $1.5 million budget.
The film received numerous awards and nominations, particularly for Theron's performance, including theAcademy Award for Best Actress, theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama, theSAG Award for Outstanding Lead Actress, theCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress, theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, and also theIndependent Spirit Award forBest First Feature (Patty Jenkins). Theron's acting has continued to receive critical acclaim; film criticRoger Ebert called Theron's role "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema".[8] The film was chosen by theAmerican Film Institute as one of thetop ten films of 2003.
In 1989, after moving fromMichigan toDaytona Beach, Florida, and on the verge of committing suicide,street prostituteAileen "Lee" Wuornos meets another woman named Selby Wall in agay bar. Although she is initially hostile and declares that she is not a lesbian, Aileen talks to Selby while drinking beer. Selby takes to Aileen almost immediately and invites her to spend the night with her. The two women return to the house where Selby is staying after being temporarily exiled by her religious parents following the accusation from another girl that Selby tried to kiss her. They later agree to meet at aroller skating rink, and they kiss for the first time. Aileen and Selby fall in love and agree to meet for another date the following evening.
Aileen begins prostituting the following day to make money to take Selby on the date. Towards the end of the day, she is approached by a client, Vincent Corey, who drives them to a wooded area. Aileen becomes uncomfortable by Vincent's bizarre demeanor and avowed hatred for prostitutes. As the two begin arguing, Vincent knocks Aileen unconscious. Meanwhile, Selby waits for Aileen but leaves after she does not show up. Aileen regains consciousness and finds herself tied to thesteering wheel, as Vincent brutallyrapes and beats her. Aileen manages to free her hands and shoot him to death with a gun from her purse. She disposes of his body, steals his car and decides to quit prostitution. Later that night, she visits Selby at the house and asks her to run away with her. Selby agrees after Aileen confesses her love and promises to support her. The two rent a motel and try to start a life together. Aileen decides to find qualified work, but because of her lack of education and work experience, she is rejected by potential employers. Desperate to keep her and Selby financially afloat, Aileen returns to prostitution. She kills her clients and steals their money and cars, each killed in a more brutal way than the last, as she is convinced that they are all rapists and predators. She spares one man out of pity when he admits he has never had sex with a prostitute. While driving one of the stolen cars, Selby crashes into the front yard of a house. The homeowners attempt to call the police, but Aileen manages to drive the car away and dispose of it.
Selby confronts Aileen about the owner of the car, and Aileen confesses to the murders but justifies her actions by claiming she had only been protecting herself. As money runs out, Aileen tries to find another client. She is picked up by a man who genuinely offers her shelter and assistance. Despite her hesitancy, Aileen kills him. Selby sees composite sketches of her and Aileen on the news and returns toOhio on a charter bus. Aileen is approached at thebiker bar she frequents by two men, who unbeknownst to her, are undercover police officers. Thomas, whom Aileen always referred to as the only friend she had, infers the men's intentions and offers to drive her off. Aileen declines, no longer trusting herself with the well-being of anyone dear to her. The two men eventually lure Aileen out of the bar, and she is arrested by the police. Aileen speaks to Selby one last time while in jail. Selby reveals some incriminating information over the telephone and Aileen realizes that the police are listening in. To protect Selby, Aileen admits that she committed the murders alone. During Aileen's trial, Selby testifies against her, with Aileen's loving consent. Aileen is convicted of the murders andsentenced to death. On October 9, 2002, Aileen is executed bylethal injection.
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 82%, based on 191 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus states: "Charlize Theron gives a searing, deglamorized performance as real life serial killer Aileen Wuornos inMonster, an intense, disquieting portrait of a profoundly damaged soul."[9] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 74 out of 100, based on 40 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
Monster received generally positive reviews from critics; most gave overwhelmingly high praise to Theron's performance as a mentally unstable woman – Wuornos hadantisocial personality disorder andborderline personality disorder.[11] For the role, Theron gained 30 pounds (14 kg), shaved her eyebrows, and woreprosthetic teeth.[12] Critics called her performance, and her makeup, a "transformation".[9] Film criticRoger Ebert namedMonster "the best film of the year", gave it four stars out of four, and noted that Theron's role is "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema":[8]
Observe the way Theron controls her eyes in the film; there is not a flicker of inattention, as she urgently communicates what she is feeling and thinking [...] Aileen's body language is frightening and fascinating. She doesn't know how to occupy her body. Watch Theron as she goes through a repertory of little arm straightenings and body adjustments and head tosses and hair touchings, as she nervously tries to shake out her nervousness and look at ease. Observe her smoking technique; she handles her cigarettes with the self-conscious bravado of a 13-year-old trying to impress a kid. And note that there is only one moment in the movie where she seems relaxed and at peace with herself.
— Roger Ebert; January 1, 2004
In 2009, Ebert named it the third-best film of the decade.[13] Ricci's performance also drew some praise, but was not without criticism. In his review for the film, Ebert praised her performance, stating "Christina Ricci finds the right note for Selby Wall – so correct some critics have mistaken it for bad acting, when in fact it is sublime acting in its portrayal of a bad actor. She plays Selby as clueless, dim, in over her head, picking up cues from moment to moment, cobbling her behavior out of notions borrowed from bad movies, old songs, and barroom romances".[8] In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition ofThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 195.[14]
However, several people who knew Wuornos criticized the movie for portraying her as a victim and her victims as villains.[15][16]
In 2005, a reference toMonster appeared in the seriesArrested Development.Charlize Theron plays the role ofRita in the series, and in the episode ″The Ocean Walker″, a frame fromMonster appears on the screen with the clarification that this is a photo of Rita a year ago before the plastic surgery.[17][18][19]
In 2014, onSaturday Night Live, Charlize Theron made a self-reference to her role of Aileen Wuornos.[20] In the sketchPet Rescue Commercial,Kate McKinnon asked her to play a cat lady, whose image and behavior are based on Wuornos fromMonster.[20][21]
In 2018, comedianWillam released histhird album with the song "Aileen" and the music video for the song, which are dedicated to Wuornos and this film.[22][23]
| Monster | |
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| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | January 30, 2004 |
| Label | dts Entertainment |
In 2004,BT released an officialsoundtrack to the film.[24] Included with the release is aDVD featuring all fifteen original cues, and an additional nine cues that would not fit on the CD, as well as an interview with BT and Patty Jenkins, and remix files for "Ferris Wheel".
All music is composed by BT.
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Songs which appeared in the film, but not on the official soundtrack:[25]
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| Year | Award/Festival | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Academy Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2005 | BAFTA Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| 2004 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | American Film Institute Awards | Top Ten Films of the Year | Monster | Won |
| 2003 | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2012 | Best Actress of the Decade | Charlize Theron | Won | |
| 2004 | Berlin International Film Festival | Golden Bear | Patty Jenkins | Nominated |
| Silver Bear for Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won | ||
| 2004 | Casting Society of America | Best Casting for Feature Film, Independent | Ferne Cassel, Kimberly Mullen | Won |
| 2004 | Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Edgar Allan Poe Awards | Best Motion Picture Screenplay | Patty Jenkins | Nominated |
| 2005 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | Patty Jenkins | Nominated |
| 2004 | Gold Derby Awards | Lead Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2010 | Lead Actress of the Decade | Charlize Theron | Won | |
| 2003 | Golden Schmoes Awards | Best Actress of the Year | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Golden Trailer Awards | Best Voice Over | Monster | Nominated |
| 2004 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Feature | Patty Jenkins | Won |
| Best First Screenplay | Patty Jenkins | Nominated | ||
| Best Female Lead | Charlize Theron | Won | ||
| 2004 | International Cinephile Society Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| 2004 | International Horror Guild Awards | Best Movie | Patty Jenkins | Nominated |
| 2004 | International Online Cinema Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Monster | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Iowa Film Critics Awards | Best Movie Yet to Open in Iowa | Patty Jenkins | Won |
| 2004 | Irish Film and Television Awards | Best International Actress | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| 2005 | Italian Online Movie Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| Best Makeup | Monster | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| Best Screenplay | Patty Jenkins | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Christina Ricci | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | London Film Critics Circle Awards | Actress of the Year | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| 2004 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| 2004 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Female Performance | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| Best Kiss | Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | National Board of Review Awards | Breakthrough Performance by an Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2003 | New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| 2003 | New York Film Critics Online Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Online Film & Television Association | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Monster | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| 2005 | Robert Awards | Best American Film | Patty Jenkins | Nominated |
| 2003 | San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Santa Barbara International Film Festival | Outstanding Performer of the Year | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2003 | Seattle Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
| 2003 | Utah Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2004 | Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress | Charlize Theron | Won |
| 2003 | Village Voice Film Poll | Best Performance | Charlize Theron | Nominated |
The miniscule $1.5 million budget and straight-to-video expectations actually helped give Jenkins the confidence to handle her first feature.
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