Monster

3.5/4

Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Anne Corley

Rated R for Strong Violence and Sexual Content and for Pervasive Language

“Monster” isn’t so much a serial killer movie as it is an American tragedy.  One of the main themes of the movie is that you have to play the hand you’re dealt; Aileen Wuornos just got dealt a really bad hand.  All she wanted was her share of the American Dream.

At the beginning of the film, Aileen (Theron) is about to kill herself.  But she wants to spend the last 5 bucks she got from a john on a beer (because not spending it would be like doing it for free), and it is there that she meets Selby (Ricci), a young lesbian that shows an interest in her.  They get drunk, and although Aileen isn’t gay (or at least she claims not to be), they fall in love.  But money is running out, and Aileen is forced to return to prostitution, but she ends up killing the johns and taking their money.

Writer/director Patty Jenkins wants us to understand Aileen, but not sympathize with her.  This is a tricky line to straddle, and Jenkins accomplishes this.  We feel sorry for Aileen because of how bad her life has been and how bad it’s becoming.  But Jenkins never asks us to look past the murders or attempts to say they were for a reason.  We know why she kills, but we never root for her to get away.

Much of the reason this film is so good is because of the breathtaking performance of Charlize Theron.  Before this role, Theron was cast in “token” female parts in blockbuster movies.  Although she gave terrific performances in those films (particularly as Keanu Reeves’ wife in “The Devil’s Advocate”), I was blown away by her performance.  Roger Ebert, in his review of the film, said, “What [she] achieves in [the film] isn’t a performance, but an embodiment.”  He was right on the money.  Even in the best performances, it’s typically possible to see facets of the actor playing the role.  Not here.  Even apart from the radical physical transformation (that is completely credible), it took me less than a second to stop seeing Charlize Theron and instead see Aileen Wuornos.

The other main character in this American tragedy is Christina Ricci.  Although the role isn’t as flashy or intense as Theron’s, neglecting her contribution to the film is unfair.  Ricci has always been a strong actress, typically veering to obscure independent films that allow her to act than your typical mainstream fare.  But Ricci is convincing as the needy Selby.  Selby is not as damaged as Aileen, but they find solace in each other, and the chemistry between the actresses’ is completely convincing.  Ricci should have gotten a long-overdue Oscar nomination for her performance, although it’s probable that she was overlooked due to the force of Theron’s acting.

The film has some similarities to another tragedy set in small town America, “Boys Don’t Cry” (which incidentally also garnered an Oscar for its leading actress).  The setting is similar, and the outlook for the characters is just as bleak.  Both films revolve around female social misfits who met untimely ends, and whose futures may have been different had they received a different life.

There is no denying that “Monster” is a tough movie to watch.  But it is a must-see for anyone who likes peerless performances in intense dramas.