Monster (film)

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Monster
Theatrical Release Poster
Directed by	Patty Jenkins
Produced by	Charlize Theron Mark Damon Clark Peterson Donald Kushner Brad Wyman
Written by	Patty Jenkins
Starring	Charlize Theron Christina Ricci Bruce Dern Lee Tergesen Annie Corley Scott Wilson
Music by	BT
Cinematography	Steven Bernstein
Editing by	Jane Kurson Arthur Coburn
Distributed by	Newmarket Films Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	December 24, 2003^[1]
Running time	109 mins.
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	USD $8,000,000^[2]
Gross revenue	USD $60,378,584^[3]
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Monster is a 2003 film about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a former prostitute who was executed in 2002 for killing seven men in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Aileen Wuornos was played by Charlize Theron, and her lover Selby Wall was played by Christina Ricci (Wuornos' lover's name was actually Tyria Moore, but her character's name, age, and appearance in the film were changed for legal reasons). The film was written and directed by Patty Jenkins.

Much of Theron's preparation for the role is credited to Nick Broomfield's 1992 documentary, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer, of which Theron reportedly watched clips between takes.^{[citation needed]} Theron won several Best Actress awards for her performance.

1 Cast
2 Plot
3 Reception
4 Soundtrack
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Cast

Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos
Christina Ricci as Selby
Bruce Dern as Thomas
Annie Corley as Donna
Lee Tergesen as Vincent Corey
Marco St. John as Evan / Undercover John
Marc Macaulay as Will / Daddy John
Scott Wilson as Horton

[edit] Plot

After moving to Florida, United States, Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute, meets Selby Wall in a bar. Selby takes to Wuornos almost immediately, as she likes that Wuornos is very protective of her, even though she notices that the older woman is severely disturbed. They have a small romantic encounter at a roller rink and quickly become committed to one another, and move into a motel together.

After being raped and brutalized by a John, Wuornos murders him and decides to quit prostitution. Eventually, it becomes difficult to pay the bills and Wuornos tries to find legitimate work, but find it difficult because she has no real qualifications, is uncultured, and has a very bad temper. Desperate for money and resentful of the men who use her for sex, she commits several murders, each more brutal than the last, robbing her victims after killing them. (The last man she kills is actually not a customer, but a man merely offering Wuornos a ride home.)

Wuornos is eventually arrested and speaks to Selby one last time while in jail. Selby reveals incriminating information over the telephone and Wuornos realizes Selby is with the police. To protect Selby, Wuornos states she committed the murders alone. During Wuornos' trial, Selby testifies against her.

Aileen Wuornos is convicted and sentenced to death.

[edit] Reception

An overwhelming majority of film critics praised Monster. Most gave especially high praise to Theron's performance as the protagonist and her boldness in taking the role of an unattractive, mentally ill^[4] woman. For the role, Theron gained 30 pounds and wore prosthetic teeth. Ricci's performance was also widely acclaimed, and Theron thanked Ricci during her Oscar acceptance speech.^{[citation needed]}

Many critics called her performance (and her makeup in the film) a "transformation".^[5] The film won Theron the Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and the SAG Award.