I think it was about a year ago when I first heard that a movie was being made about Aileen Wuornos, America's first female serial killer. I also heard that Charlize Theron, one of the sexiest women on the planet, signed on to play the role (she was also one of the producers). I groaned, thinking that it was typical of Hollywood to cast such a beautiful woman in the role. I figured it would end up being a sensationalistic movie about a sexy female serial killer, sorta like "American Psycho 2." I couldn't have been more wrong. In "Monster," Charlize Theron looks VERY different from how she looked in "2 Days in the Valley," "The Devil's Advocate," "Mighty Joe Young," and most recently, "The Italian Job." The transformation is a great achievement in acting (an Oscar nomination is practically guaranteed) and make-up (by Toni G, who worked under the great Rick Baker on "The Nutty Professor," "Planet of the Apes," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and others), though the weight she gained for the role had nothing to do with make-up. Unfortunately, though it's based on a true story, a lot has been changed to make Aileen Wuornos seem more sympathetic, likable, and vulnerable. In a sense, it's still a very Hollywood-ized version of the truth, and I have a problem with that.
Realistically, I shouldn't look down on the film because of it's inaccuracies. Most movies that are based on true stories are a lot less than 100% accurate (especially if it's directed by Oliver Stone). The way I see it, if you want the truth, you're probably better off with a documentary. Nick Broomfield is a famous documentarian who tends to make documentaries about provocative subject matter (some of his films include "Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam," "Fetishes," "Kurt & Courtney," and "Biggie and Tupac"), and he's made two documentaries about Aileen Wuornos. In 1992, he made "Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer," and most recently, perhaps to coincide with the release of "Monster," he made "Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer," which actually includes Broomfield's testimony at Wournous' trial. I should probably point out that although he is a documentarian, Broomfield is not objective. His opinion on the subject rules the film. Still, if you wanna know who Aileen Wuornos really is and what she did, check out those films.
Even though I don't think that films based on real events need to totally follow the truth, this is a film that distorts the truth in order to make the audience sympathize with a ruthless killer. Why? This woman killed people, and to try to turn her into a sympathetic character, to romanticize what she did, I'm sorry, but it rubs me the wrong way. The victims had mothers and fathers and wives and sons and daughters... I don't think they'd take too kindly to a movie that tries to get the audience to feel for their killer.
Though I've written a lot about Charlize Theron here, I should also mention Christina Ricci, who plays "Selby Wall." Ricci is fantastic in the film, even if she IS outshined by Theron. However, the character Ricci plays is VERY different from the person it's based on. The real person was older, less innocent, and very unattractive. Even the name is different (the real person's name was Tyria Moore). I'm unclear as to why they were faithful to the physical attributes of Aileen Wuornos while totally disregarding the physical attributes of Tyria Moore. Either way, Christina Ricci played the character well. Just realize that it really IS a character she's playing, because the person it's supposedly based on looked and acted very differently.
"Monster" was written and directed by Patty Jenkins, and it's her screenplay and directorial feature film debut. It's a strong debut, one that will get her a lotta attention, but I have issues with some of the things in her screenplay, most of which I already explained. Still, she has obvious talent, and her next film may be the one to knock me on my ass.
Charlize Theron will definitely get an Oscar nomination for this film, and she deserves it. Her performance in this movie is what wins Oscars, and the transformation is startling. As for the movie, I liked it, but it comes off as almost exploitation. When you know the real story, and then you see this film, you can't help but see it as anything but that. Still, it's an interesting movie, and Charlize Theron's performance is a must-see.
Scale of 1-10: 7