Monster (film)
Monster (2003) is a biographical crime drama about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a former prostitute who was executed in 2002 for killing seven men in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 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.
This movie has no connection with the anime and manga Monster, or the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Tyria Moore, Wuronos' real-life girlfriend, looked like this. Selby Wall, on the other hand, is played by Christina Ricci.
- Asshole Victim: Let's face it, Aileen's first victim had it coming. The rest... didn't.
- Beauty Inversion: Charlize Theron gained between 20 and 30 pounds and shaved her eyebrows to play Wuornos. With all the press for a young beautiful actress with that kind of dedication, she got the Best Actress Oscar in a walk.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Several, but Aileen's failed job interview at the hands of a very smug lawyer deserves mention.
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Lawyer: I see you're from Daytona Beach, all of that looks great, it must be wonderful. But can I tell you something? When the beach party is over, you don't get to say, "You know what? Now I think I'd like to have what everybody else has worked their entire life for." It doesn't work that way. |
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- Composite Character: Tom is a composite of Wuornos' various friends at the bar she frequented.
- Crowning Moment of Heartwarming: For all the trouble in their relationship, Aileen and Selby do have some pretty cute moments together.
- Disposable Sex Worker
- Fan Disservice: Aileen and Selby's sex scene, although this is probably intentional (yet it is also played in a rather sweet manner). Also, the scene with Aileen glancing at her naked, bloodstained body in the bathroom mirror.
- Howl of Sorrow: When one of her victims starts crying and begging for his life, Aileen snaps and shoots him dead while letting out one of these (although it's more like a Howl Of Rage).
- If It's You It's Okay: Aileen doesn't consider herself gay, but enters into a loving relationship with Selby.
- Misanthrope Supreme: Aileen.
- Miss Swears-a-Lot: Aileen loves her swearing.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Aileen is mostly referred to as "Lee" throughout the film.
- Pay Evil Unto Evil: Aileen kills her first victim after he rapes and brutalises her. With all her later victims, however, she believes that she is paying evil unto evil, when, in all actuality, they didn't deserve it.
- Psycho Lesbian / Depraved Bisexual
- Shout-Out: "Gassenhauer" is played, an obvious homage to Badlands
- Shown Their Work: The way the movie portrays what happened to Aileen was probably very close to the truth. She killed her first victim out of self defense, and her rising schizophrenia likely helped her jump to some unusual conclusions that lead her to continue.
- The director also personally met with Wuornos to get the film as accurate as possible.
- Tear Jerker: Several moments, but the last ten or fifteen minutes of the film especially qualify.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Completely justified. After being raped by the man who turns out to be her first victim, Aileen escapes, grabs his gun, blasts him several times, continues firing into his corpse and does not stop until she's completely emptied the clip. Shortly after, she starts beating his corpse with the gun whilst punctuating each beat with rage-filled insults.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: An odd mix of this trope and complete accuracy. To avoid potential litigation, Wuornos real girlfriend Tyria Moore was replaced with an original character deliberately engineered to be completely unlike her in any potentially actionable way. Also, the men Aileen shoots are loosely based on Wuornos' real victims.