Monster (2003 film)

Monster
Monster
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Patty Jenkins
Written by	Patty Jenkins
Produced by	Donald Kushner; Brad Wyman; Charlize Theron; Mark Damon; Clark Peterson;
Starring	Charlize Theron; Christina Ricci; Bruce Dern; Lee Tergesen;
Cinematography	Steven Bernstein
Edited by	Arthur Coburn; Jane Kurson;
Music by	BT
Production; companies	Denver & Delilah Films; K/W Productions;
Distributed by	Newmarket Films
Release dates	November 16, 2003 (AFI Fest); December 24, 2003 (United States);
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.5 million
Box office	$64.2 million

Monster is a 2003 American biographical crime drama film written and directed by Patty Jenkins in her feature directorial debut. The film follows serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a street prostitute who murdered seven of her male clients between 1989 and 1990 and was executed in Florida in 2002. It stars Charlize Theron (who also produced) as Wuornos, and Christina Ricci as her semi-fictionalized lover, Selby Wall (based on Wuornos's real-life girlfriend, Tyria Moore).

Monster had its world premiere at the AFI Fest on November 16, 2003. On February 8, 2004, it premiered at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear, while Theron won the Silver Bear for Best Actress. The film was theatrically released in the United States on December 24, 2003, by Newmarket Films.^[6]^[7] Monster received positive reviews from critics and achieved box office success, grossing $64.2 million on an $1.5 million budget.

The film received numerous awards and nominations, particularly for Theron's performance, including the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama, the SAG Award for Outstanding Lead Actress, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress, the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, and also the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature (Patty Jenkins). Theron's acting has received critical acclaim; film critic Roger Ebert called Theron's role "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema".^[8] The film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2003.

^ "Monster". Berlin International Film Festival. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
^ "Monster (2003)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
^ Rosen, Lisa (Winter 2013). "Natural-Born Director". Directors Guild of America. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021. The miniscule $1.5 million budget and straight-to-video expectations actually helped give Jenkins the confidence to handle her first feature.
^ Dir. Patty Jenkins stated in an interview on November 13, 2017 with film critic Thelma Adams that press accounts of the film's budget were exaggerated, saying that the budget was $1.5 million.
^ "Monster (2003)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
^ Rooney, David (November 17, 2003). "Monster". Variety. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
^ Honeycutt, Kirk (November 18, 2003). "Monster". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 31, 2003. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
^ Cite error: The named reference ebert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] "Monster". Berlin International Film Festival. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.

[2] "Monster (2003)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved March 9, 2021.

[3] Rosen, Lisa (Winter 2013). "Natural-Born Director". Directors Guild of America. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021. The miniscule $1.5 million budget and straight-to-video expectations actually helped give Jenkins the confidence to handle her first feature.

[4] Dir. Patty Jenkins stated in an interview on November 13, 2017 with film critic Thelma Adams that press accounts of the film's budget were exaggerated, saying that the budget was $1.5 million.

[5] "Monster (2003)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.

[6] Rooney, David (November 17, 2003). "Monster". Variety. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2017.

[7] Honeycutt, Kirk (November 18, 2003). "Monster". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 31, 2003. Retrieved November 17, 2017.

[ebert-8] Cite error: The named reference ebert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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