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Sunday, 18 July 2004 |
  So much has been made of Charlize Theron's performance in Monster, I'm not sure it is remotely possible the reality of it could live up to the resulting expectation. Noted critics such as Roger Ebert have called it maybe the greatest performance ever, which is an nearly impossible claim to fulfill. Most difficult is deciding what actually makes a great performance. Is it the most realistic portrayal possible of a person who actually lived? Is it high emotion? Is it subtlety? In the end, there is no single answer. Each role has its unique demands and must be addressed in its own way and how it is received depends greatly on the tastes of the viewer.
There is no doubt Theron underwent an impressive transformation, both physically and with makeup to achieve the appearance of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The transformation is so amazing, it is almost impossible to believe Theron, who is normally about as attractive as a person can get, is actually the individual on screen. This is representative of a particularly admirable trend in recent years. For decades, actresses were almost always completely unwilling to appear unattractive, but recently, that has become more of an exception. Naomi Watts was alternately her gorgeous self and a strung out addict in her Oscar nominated role for the 2003 film 21 Grams, and Robin Wright Penn was every bit as unrecognizable as Theron in 2001s The Pledge. Still, in her Oscar winning performance for Monster's Ball, Halle Berry was completely out of character, looking as though she came directly from a Rodeo Drive salon, rather than the destitute waitress she was playing, though the dramatic power she presented was undeniable.
Regardless of individual opinion, Theron has given a performance I doubt many people thought she was capable of. Like so many Oscar winners before her, she will probably never be down this particular road again, but she has made her mark and had a moment so many never achieve,
Monster begins with Aileen Wournos (Theron) thinking back over the path which has brought her to the end of her life. It is no secret Wuornos was America's first female serial killer, who was put to death in Florida in 2002 after killing several men she picked up as a prostitute. It in this first scene where my problems began with Monster. The voiceover by Theron is calm and reflective, thinking back on her early dreams and how they were destroyed by the cruelty of others and her own lacking grasp of reality. This inconsistency is, by all accounts, not at all what Wuornos was like and, worse off, nothing like how she is portrayed in the movie.
Voiceovers are always a risk. They are often used in an attempt to cover up holes in the story, and they often give information that is better left out. In Monster, the early voiceovers seemed unnecessary and tried to reduce the mystery behind Wuornos' actions, in addition to their being completely out of character. Fortunately, they ended only a few minutes into the film and mostly did not return.
Wournos soon meets Selby (Christina Ricci) at a gay bar she unwittingly wanders into and quickly develops a strong friendship. Her life soon becomes about keeping Selby around, who has been kicked out of the house by her father and is now living with some family friends. Wuornos vows to quit hooking and get a legitimate job. Unfortunately, she has no real marketable skills and her personality is so abrasive and desperate, there is little chance of her finding a job anywhere. As money gets tight, Selby selfishly encourages Aileen to go back to prostitution.
No sooner has Aileen returned to her old profession than she is brutally beaten by a customer, who she kills, basically in self defense. Unknown to Selby, who never questions the string of cars she brings home, Aileen begins killing most of her clients, even though they do not pose the threat the first murdered one did, and taking all their money and belongings to live on. As she repeatedly gets away with the murders, she seems to start experiencing a high from her success.
These are actually two selfish, lonely people who seem to know no other way to exist than to feed off others. The difference is, Selby does not actually destroy the people she comes into contact with, while Aileen often does. There is no doubt Aileen has had a tough time, but what surprises me is that, based on one of the featurettes, a major purpose for filmmaker Patty Jenkins was to create sympathy for Wuornos. Many people experience trauma far worse than Wuornos and never resort to serial murder, so I have difficulty finding sympathy for her. A final act of selflessness Wuornos bestows is also distinctly out of character.
2003 saw a surprising number of fact based films. Some, such as Elephant and The Magdalene Sisters took less dramatic, decisively gritty approaches, and others such as Veronica Guerin are more movie creations than reality. The problem with Monster for me was that it seemed to try to do both. It is wanting to be dark and gritty, but much of it is too polished and mainstream to pull it off. I was never particularly surprised by the incidents, and there seemed to be too much predictability to the story.
Charlize Theron has certainly done something impressive, but my tastes almost always lean toward more textured and complex portrayals. The Oscar nominated performance by Naomi Watts in 21 Grams, who Theron beat for the award, is far more subtle, varied and realistic than the one seen here. The fairly extensive footage available of Wuornos shows her to have been more human and much less of a caricature than she is presented as here. Theron has done something noteworthy, but in my book it is not to be included with the truly greatest performances of all time. It is actually Ricci who gives the performance which I am more impressed with.
Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Scott Wilson, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Lee Tergesen.
Director: Patty Jenkins
Studio: MDP Worldwide Entertainment
Rated: R
Running Time: 99 minutes
Release: 2003
Reviewer: John Rice |
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