Years before when this tall handsome woman, widely loved for her off-screen charisma walked out with an academy award for best actress for her performance in Monster, a biographical drama of the then serial killer Aileen Wuornos, i did not realize it was quite less than what she deserved in actual. It would be noteworthy to mention that i had not even seen the poster of monster until recently, though I have come across quite a few number of movies starring Charlize Theron and have already become a great admirer of this South African born actress for her extremely contagious beauty and nothing more than that. It all got washed away once i watched monster. Quite a number of times, when i was watching this movie, i could'nt believe it was Theron, i googled to make sure whether Charlize was actually donning the lead role, and yes she was. The way she laughed, cried, spoke and reacted in the movie was not a bit of her real life. It was not just acting but an embodiment. This is supposed to be a review to the movie but i could'nt help myself speaking on and on about Charlize theron's performance. Because its all about how far a woman, that too an exceedingly attractive woman like Charlize theron would go, to do justice for her role. We all watched Robert-De-Nero and were astonished to see him as a middle aged fatty in the later part of Raging Bull. But i would say Charlize theron's preparation for monster was way too more admirable than Robert-De-Niro's in Raging bull. She gained nearly 30 pounds to have a corpulent figure, used prosthetic teeths, wore a unique make up for that chapped lips, pale washed off face and to look gruff. But minimizing all these is her out of the world performance which would haunt us hours after the watching! Now, into the movie.
Plot: Just like any other biographical drama, Monster too carries a very usual plot. A sexually molested child, little Aileen wants to be a rich movie star or a rich lady and at least rich like the woman on Tv. But she takes on hooking (prostitution) at thirteen and continues to be a hooker (prostitute) ever since. She develops a very low self esteem which is depicted by the mirror-viewing scenes which has always been a cliche in serial killer movies. Monster is not an exemption. But after tuning into a serial killer, Aileen (Charlize theron) sees her real self in the mirror and it happens not lesser than four times in the movie, which definitely is an overdose. When her life goes nowhere, Aileen meets Selby Wall (christina ricci) in a bar and overnight they start loving each other. Here Selby is a lesbian but Aileen turns to be one when she falls flat for Selby. In a drastic incident, Aileen is raped and beaten brutally by a sadistic client. For self defense, she kills him, takes his wallet and car. On the same night she meets Selby, who is already having a hard time with her parents and they move out together. Now Aileen needs to earn a life for Selby. She decides to quit hooking and tries for different jobs but could'nt get one because of her no-qualification, no-experience situation.
Situations drive her again to hooking but this time its not really hooking but a series of murders and auto theft. Finally the city is alerted about the existence of a highly dangerous armed serial killer. Frightened that she might get caught, Aileen sends off Selby to her parents' and the very night she is arrested. But when she is very confident that the police has got nothing on her, Selby is pushed to testify against Aileen which results in a death sentence. Why watch it:
The screenplay staggers nowhere and its a clearly executed biographical drama which keeps the audience engaged. And most of all Charlize's performance makes it a must watch and if you missed it, you are definitely missing one of the best performance in the history of cinema.
Cast:
Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos
Christina Ricci as Selby Wall
Bruce Dern as Thomas
Directed by Patty Jenkins
November 11, 2010 at 10:12 PM
Interesting. Template looks cool. Hoping to see more.
April 29, 2011 at 10:52 PM
The cobbler's wife is the worst shod.