Monster

R

Released Jan 30, 2004

1 hr. 49 min.

Biography

Crime

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

82%

190 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Aug 01

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent Monster on Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Aender S

What a performance by Charlize Theron!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

Kevin P

Theron gives a memorable performance worthy of an Oscar. Ricci was good but was held back by the disjointed character development provided to her.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

Calvin T

The best performance my an actress I've ever seen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/24

Full Review

David H

One of the best movies I've ever seen. Critic rating should be 98%. They're so dumb. Theron's performance as Aileen Wournos must be seen to be believed. She doesn't just act; she actually becomes Wournos in the heartbreaking story of a profoundly damaged soul.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/24

Full Review

jwcdood

Aptly titled and not what I would categorize as "entertainment" per se, MONSTER is a deep look into the consequential horrors stemming from childhood abuse, poverty and the influences of the utterly wrong people on the gullible, naive and desperate (God help us all). Charlize Theron's 5 star performance is waaaay beyond over the top with great direction.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/23/23

Full Review

Saif A

Monster was released in 2003 from director Patty Jenkins. It had a great cast with Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci. The movie was about the life of woman who has been abused for so long. She falls in love with another woman but her life as a prostitute does not let go of her. She ends up killing many men. It is based on a true story. The movie was about the life of a serial killer named Aileen Wuornos. She had a difficult life and she was a prostitute for too long. She fell in love with a young woman and wanted to start living in a more legal way. She is brutalized by a client but she kills him. She tries to live normally, but it was very difficult and then she goes back to illegal means. She becomes a serial killer who kills and robs men. She was executed for this. I watched this movie for the first time today and I have heard of it before but never really wanted to watch it because of the poster. The movie is actually a story that shows us all that we can all fall to the dark side. Life is difficult and is full of horrible people. We should be grateful for our lives. The movie also ended up making me a bit more sympathetic with the monster character. It was a difficult job but the director does a great job of making her look human. What I liked the most about the movie was the performance of Charlize Theron. She completely transformed herself. She is a beautiful woman but she wanted to make people see a monster and she delivered. She also wanted to make them look beyond the looks and the actions to see the real human being behind and she did. My recommendation would be to see this movie for sure. It is a great story of that humanity that we all have. Even people we think are monsters. They are sometimes driven to do what they do by external factors and terrible circumstances.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/10/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Patty Jenkins

Director

Charlize Theron

Aileen Wuornos

Christina Ricci

Selby Wall

Bruce Dern

Thomas

Scott Wilson

Horton

Pruitt Taylor Vince

Gene

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

34%

65%

Wonderland

41%

45%

Ted Bundy

90%

87%

Boys Don't Cry

TRAILER

for Boys Don't Cry

82%

80%

The Krays

17%

21%

Gacy

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Rank Charlize Theron’s 10 Best Movies

Now Streaming: Whiplash, Maps to the Stars, RoboCop, and More

Critical Consensus: "Dead Man’s Chest" Is Overstuffed; "Scanner" Shines Darkly

View more photos

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Powerful, painful for mature audiences only.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 26, 2010

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2006

Full Review

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

Full Review

Edward Porter

Sunday Times (UK)

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

Oct 31, 2022

Full Review

Emilie Black

Cinema Crazed

Monster is an almost masterpiece film and serial killer biography. It's somber and honest while it does not glamorize Aileen Wuornos and gives her a bit of humanity.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 11, 2020

Full Review

Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

A somber, manipulative movie of the week that has connected with many people, but not this one.

Rated: C+

Nov 16, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

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
Executive Producer: Sammy Lee, Meagan Riley-Grant, Stewart Hall, Andreas Grosch, Andreas Schmid
Screenwriter: Patty Jenkins
Distributor: Newmarket Film Group
Production Co: K/W Productions, MDP Worldwide, Denver and Delilah Productions, DEJ Productions, Zodiac Productions Inc.
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
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now