“Monster” (Newmarket Films)
Beautiful and talented Charlize Theron sears the screen with her acid-etched portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film “Monster.” With her beauty hidden beneath makeup designed to make her look homely and weathered, Theron bares her fangs and her soul to create a one-woman killing machine. Her performance should guarantee her an Academy Award, but the movie is her performance and nothing else.
When first seen in the film Aileen is already a loser in life. She has no known skills so she spends her days prostituting herself to make a bit of money here and there. Her life takes a small step upward when she meets a young woman named Selby (Christina Ricci). Selby is just as lost and lonely as Aileen but has just a touch of refinement that makes Aileen want to be around her. The reason Selby wants to be around Aileen is never told.
One night Aileen gets picked up by a stranger (Lee Tergensen) who tries to rape her. In defending herself she kills him. Now she has a taste for murder and commits several more crimes of this sort. The money she steals enables her and Selby to have some of the niceties of life.
The movie half-heartedly tries to give Aileen a reason for murder because she was abused as a child, but it doesn’t succeed. Wuornos comes off as a “monster” without much of a conscience or remorse.
Theron is amazing in this role. In all of her past roles she has been the cool beauty who never gets messed up. But in this film she pulls out all the stops to give a full faceted portrayal of a doomed and damned woman. Audiences don’t even recognize Theron in the role. She is that immersed in it.
As good as Theron is, Ricci is that bad. Her wide-eyed Selby never rings true and Theron has to work strenuously to overcome Ricci’s talent weaknesses. Bruce Dern is seen in a brief cameo as Wuornos’ only friend.
The movie is rated R for nudity, profanity and violence. It is not for the faint of heart.
If you want to see an unexpected talent light up the screen, go to see “Monster.” But if you want to see a totally good movie in all respects, look elsewhere. “Monster” is a one-woman show where talent reigns but other moviemaking skills don’t.
I scored “Monster” a giant 6 out of 10.
