Monster

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Monster

R

Released Jan 30, 2004

1h 49m

Biography

Crime

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

190 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Shortly after moving to Florida, longtime prostitute Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron) meets young and reserved Selby Wall (Christina Ricci) and a romance blossoms. When a john (Lee Tergesen) attempts to brutalize Aileen, she kills him and resolves to give up prostitution. But supporting herself and her new girlfriend through legitimate means proves extremely difficult, and she soon falls back on old ways. More johns die, and Selby can't help but think her new friend is responsible.

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Critics Consensus

Charlize Theron gives a searing, deglamorized performance as real life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, an intense, disquieting portrait of a profoundly damaged soul.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Powerful, painful for mature audiences only.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 26, 2010

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

With the exception of Charlize Theron's masterful performance as Wuornos, the film is a misguided mess.

Rated: C

May 4, 2005

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James Christopher

The Times (UK)

I can forgive the Oscar- winning makeover, but not the script-doctored romance

Apr 15, 2004

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Rebecca Sayce

Starburst

Monster treads the line between horrific and devastating...

Rated: 5/5

Jan 23, 2025

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Ian Freer

Radio Times

In other hands, this could have become overwrought melodrama, but Jenkins skillfully mines the humanity within the sensationalism to come up with something that is both tender and chilling - and ultimately heartbreaking.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 22, 2024

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Edward Porter

Sunday Times (UK)

Patty Jenkins’s film may be lurid, but it has a strong air of realism.

Oct 31, 2022

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Blake C

Charlize plays serial killer Aileen Wuornos exactly the way she should, a Monster. Casting and location was on point with make-up for Charlize being a 10/10, if you didn't know what she looks like outside of this film you would be just as shocked as the murders Aileen committed. I wish there was more added towards the end leading up to her execution but that's just my option. Overall gripping film with details of her life that could be questioned due to her later in life interviews but powerful story telling adding to a gritty story.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

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Atrum I

An absolute masterpiece that is very traumatic and difficult to watch. It has what I consider to be the best female lead acting I have ever seen on camera in Charlize Theron. She is unreal.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/05/25

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Alexander S

With remarkable direction from Patty Jenkens, Monster is both daunting and gripping taken from the spot on acting in particularly Charlize Theron’s Oscar deserving performance capturing both the look and presence of Aileen Wuornos in this prolific look of how the damnation of society lead her into this dark path. Grading: A-

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/25

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Micaela M

Oh man what a movie. Bawled my eyes out at the end, but the director really did an awesome job with allowing us to feel so incredibly connected with each character and feel for them and become incapsulated in the film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

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Jenny A

This is a disturbing but well-made movie. Christina Ricci was miscast but Charlize Theron's acting was great, she deserved that Oscar that she won for it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/25

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Audience Member

Builds an astonishing degree of empathy with the source material, ultimately giving us a cocktail of justification slash repugnance towards the killings, the last 2 of which tipped the scales from the Pedro Rodrigues Filho slice of justice to just good-ole-fashioned guano crazy slaying.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

Full Review

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Patty Jenkins

Director

Charlize Theron

Aileen Wuornos

Christina Ricci

Selby Wall

Bruce Dern

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Synopsis

Shortly after moving to Florida, longtime prostitute Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron) meets young and reserved Selby Wall (Christina Ricci) and a romance blossoms. When a john (Lee Tergesen) attempts to brutalize Aileen, she kills him and resolves to give up prostitution. But supporting herself and her new girlfriend through legitimate means proves extremely difficult, and she soon falls back on old ways. More johns die, and Selby can't help but think her new friend is responsible.

Director: Patty Jenkins
Producer: Mark Damon, Clark Peterson, Charlize Theron, Donald Kushner, Brad Wyman
Screenwriter: Patty Jenkins
Distributor: Newmarket Film Group
Production Co: Zodiac Productions Inc., MDP Worldwide, K/W Productions, DEJ Productions, Denver and Delilah Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 30, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.5M
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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