Critic Reviews
Monster's Ball (2001) Rank 3 Reviews
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based on (234) reviews
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Baltimore City Paper (Ian Grey)
San Francisco Chronicle (Edward Guthmann)
San Francisco Chronicle (Edward Guthmann)
CinemaSpeak.com (Warren Curry)
It always takes a while to properly assess emotionally charged films such as Marc Forster's Monster's Ball. It's easy to get sucked into this heart-rending tidal wave of a movie, but when the final credits role, you begin to question whether greatness ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at CinemaSpeak.com (Warren Curry)
DVDActive (Adam Santilli)
Monster’s Ball is certainly a landmark film, daring to go places in which previous films that tackled the same subject didn’t go. The astonishing acting and scripting corresponds with its praised reputation and we can certainly see why this ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at DVDActive (Adam Santilli)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Despite having a healthy decade-long career that's had more than its share of well-played unglamorous roles (Jungle Fever and Losing Isaiah come to mind) and one very glamorous role that earned her much acclaim, including no less than a Golden ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
A solid drama which deals with the effect of familial racist attitudes and one's grieving process after the passing of a loved one, this film features a career-topping performance by Halle Berry (who knew that she could act this well?), alongside ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
Susan Granger
Memorable performance are what distinguishes this dark, dismal drama about racism, brutality and family violence. Peter Boyle, Billy Bob Thornton and Heath Ledger play three generations of Georgia Penitentiary officers. The ailing, aging patriarch, ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Susan Granger
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Monster's Ball is the kind of quiet, effective film that burrows under the viewer's skin and takes root before you've had a chance to realize that it's permeated your constitutional makeup. Somehow, that seems fitting for a movie that delivers such a ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
MovieMaze (Janis El-Bira)
3BlackChicks Review (Rose 'Bams' Cooper)
Halle Berry's riveting performance in Monster's Ball has convinced me that she's the genuine article. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at 3BlackChicks Review (Rose 'Bams' Cooper)
Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
[Forster] tells his story with directness and simplicity and without the high hallmarks of the soaps' gooey emotional lubrication. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
This is Lancashire (--)
Jam! Movies (Bruce Kirkland)
Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
Forster's edgy direction of Monster's Ball will probably be overshadowed by the two very strong lead performances. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
Film Values/Family Values (H. Arthur Taussig)
While this it has many messages important for children, it is too intense for all but the most sophisticated, mature teens; it will require considerable parental guidance ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Film Values/Family Values (H. Arthur Taussig)
New York Times (A.O. Scott)
This is one of those rare movies in which even people glimpsed only for a moment or two seem to have lives that ramify beyond the screen, as if the story were being witnessed rather than dramatized. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at New York Times (A.O. Scott)
Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
Enigmatic, elliptical and mesmerizing, Monster's Ball invites myriad responses and interpretations. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Holds you in thrall from first frame to last. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Mediasharx (Dustin Gast)
Movie Marshal (Jason Picker)
Empire Magazine (Caroline Westbrook)
Forster's poised direction, as well as powerful turns from Billy Bob Thornton and the Oscar-winning Halle Berry, make this compelling viewing. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Empire Magazine (Caroline Westbrook)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
The actors make it unique and unforgettable. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Mr. Cranky Rates the Movies (Mr. Cranky)
Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)
Moovees.com (Jay Tierney)
DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
ninth symphony films
dvdfuture.com (Ken Pierce)
DVD Review e-zine
Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)
If the tale is explicit in content, it's admirably restrained in the telling, and that tension makes the movie compelling to watch. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)
Steve Rhodes
What makes Hank and Leticia's romance especially improbable is that Hank's father (Peter Boyle) is a retired prison guard who is a very vocal racist. It's easy to write off Hank as a racist as well, but it's not nearly that simple or clear. By the third ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Steve Rhodes
Shannon Patrick Sullivan
Review: "Monster's Ball" is the sort of movie which tends to undercut our expectations. It begins on Death Row, but it is not about the condemned man, and his demise is only the spark which ignites the story. It features an interracial relationship, but ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Shannon Patrick Sullivan
Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
Monster's Ball really isn't as offensive as I'm making it sound, but it had enough problems to trouble me to the point where I can't whole-heartedly recommend it. It may be worth seeing for the acting alone. It's a two-person show, with Billy Bob ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
The Oscar Guy (Wesley Lovell)
Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)
Halle Berry’s performance makes “Monster’s Ball” well worth the effort... ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)
TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
A somber meditation on racism and family pathology, anchored by solid performances. Aging patriarch Buck Grotowski (Peter Boyle) has left his middle-aged son Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) and Hank's son Sonny (Heath Ledger) two legacies: loyalty to the ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
Hollywood.com (--)
Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
I wasn't sure how I felt about Monster's Ball when I came out of a screening last month. The film's conclusion baffled me in a way that was completely unexpected. And yet, I find that the story and characters have remained quite vivid in my mind. I keep ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Popcorn Gallery (Shannon Patrick Sullivan)
Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
It's about neither monsters nor a ball - but it's worth a look if you fancy a bit of good old fashioned wretchedness. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Surprisingly dull and yet powerful at times, "Monster's Ball" is an obvious and ultra-slow family drama about racism, repeating mistakes of one's father, bad luck in life and the need for comfort. Its a depressing film but its meant to be so - scenes ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
efilmcritic.com (Collin Souter)
Halle Berry, of all people, gives one of the year's strongest performances ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at efilmcritic.com (Collin Souter)
Denver Post (Steven Rosen)
Monster's Ball shows that convincing acting and a detailed, developed sense of place can make a story not only believable but moving. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Denver Post (Steven Rosen)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
The low-key performances by Thornton and Berry are so deeply felt that you feel like a cell mate in their emotional prisons. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes)
Even if the last half gets bogged down in the cinematic equivalent of quicksand, the first half is absolutely exquisite and captivating. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes)
TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
A shattering motion picture that packs a wallop...with two of the year's best performances. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
Though the film can initially seem off-putting, Monster's Ball slowly and quietly gets under your skin. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Seattle Times (Moira MacDonald)
Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
The acting is so good in Monster's Ball , and the understated but intense mood so skillfully maintained, that we tend to overlook the story's contrivances. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Talking Pictures (U.S.) (Tony Toscano)
I recommend it for a not so ordinary night at the movies. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Talking Pictures (U.S.) (Tony Toscano)
Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
An unusual romance of unlikely people with Halle Berry in a stunning new and mature role. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Compuserve (Harvey S. Karten)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
A subtle, restrained film. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Filmed with a lovely flow of dark shadows and warm light splashes by Roberto Schaefer, the movie is at times a little mood-mooing and too sedately restrained for its own good. And yet these people, so deep in the Deep South, are unquestionably alive. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
A solid little picture, but Halle Berry's performance is downright astonishing, and if for nothing else the film will be remembered for that. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
Reeling Reviews (Laura Clifford)
Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
A profoundly hopeful and optimistic film about people's ability to bounce back from just about anything. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)
As the film progresses it becomes clear that, like a dance, Forster's film is predicated on machination but distinguished by grace. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)
Boston Globe (Jay Carr)
The best thing Marc Forster's direction does is take these characters through their experiences at a convincingly naturalistic respiratory rate... ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Boston Globe (Jay Carr)
Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
Monster's Ball drills at us the same way a dentist goes at your teeth, creating pain but for a greater good. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Sacramento Bee (Joe Baltake)
Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jeff Strickler)
It's not a polemic on the death penalty, race relations or family dynamics. It's a character study that really sticks with you. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jeff Strickler)
Entertainment Weekly
In Monster's Ball, a white Georgia prison guard breaks with his family tradition of hatred, loneliness, and suicide when he falls in love with the widow of a black inmate he helped put to death. Billy Bob Thornton plays a quintessential Thorntonian ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Entertainment Weekly
The Movie Chicks
Buck (Peter Boyle), Hank (Billy Bob Thornton), and Sonny (Heath Ledger) represent three generations of redneck Georgia prison guards, all working with death-row inmates. Buck is retired, ill, and consumed with racial hatred - a trait that's passed ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at The Movie Chicks
Movie Martyr (Jeremy Heilman)
Marc Forster’s Monster’s Ball is a Southern tinged drama that has moments that are so incisive and good that you wish the package that they came in was better. There’s little that strikes the viewer as noticeably bad, but the film is filled with ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Movie Martyr (Jeremy Heilman)
The Popkorn Junkie
Marc Forster is a talented director and I have no doubt that he could be directing more mainstream pictures, but he seems in his element with this film. This film reminded me of "Grand Canyon" and "Magnolia" in the way that it deals ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at The Popkorn Junkie
A Guide to Current DVD (Mark McLeod)
"Monster's Ball" focuses on the lives of three generations of the Grotowski family who live in the state of Georgia in the southern United States of America. Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thorton) is a corrections officer at the local prison as is his son ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at A Guide to Current DVD (Mark McLeod)
Reel.com
However, a good director should know when to trim a scene, and even though the initial Berry/Thornton coupling makes sense for the characters, it goes from heartbreaking interlude to bootylicious wrestling match all too quickly. Forster also repeatedly ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Reel.com
Cineclub-Filmkritik
Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
A Guide to Current DVD (Mark McLeod)
The Filmsnobs (James Owen)
Christian Spotlight on the Movies
txreviews.com (Curtis Edmonds)
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
Moda Magazine (Kage Alan)
The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)
CineScene.com (Sasha Stone)
Blackfilm.com (Wilson Morales)
3 Black Chicks ("Bams")
filmdeculte.com (Nicolas Bardot)
BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)
DVD Net (Terry Kemp)
digitallyOBSESSED.com (Dan Heaton)
Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
Screen It! (Jim Judy)
The film's tale is told so well and the performances are so on key that everything feels fresh. ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Screen It! (Jim Judy)
Houston Community Newspapers (Gary Brown)
www.susangranger.com (Susan Granger)
DVD Verdict (Barrie Maxwell)
DVD Town (Yunda Eddie Feng)
filethirteen.com
allesfilm.com (Markus Steiger)
Black Flix (Laurence Washington)
PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
The Filmsnobs (Stephen Himes)
Movie-Vault.com ("Le Apprenti")
DVD Town (Dean Winkelspecht)
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
Movie Geek Central
The Phantom Tollbooth
Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
MovieFreak.com (John Teves)
Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
Some movies take a while to grab you. Sometimes it even takes repeated viewings. Then you've got movies which, from the very first shot, make you think this might be something special. "Monster's Ball" is such a film. It opens with a moody, ominous ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
hybridmagazine.com
Entertainment Insiders (Rusty White)
IFCtv.ca - The Independent (Richard Crouse)
This film is a quiet study of explosive subjects. Billy Bob Thornton, in his third great performance in the last calendar year, plays a man who is forced to question his entire value system, and the answers he arrives at surprise him.
Monster's Ball ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at IFCtv.ca - The Independent (Richard Crouse)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)
Philadelphia City Paper (Cindy Fuchs)
The Boston Phoenix
eye WEEKLY (Adam Nayman)
Films on Disc (Stuart J. Kobak)
Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Jump Cut. Magazin für Film und Kritik
MovieEye.com (Frank Ochieng)
Cinemaphile.org (David Keyes)
CineScene.com (Chris Dashiell)
Film Freak Central
BBC Films (Ben Falk)
Political Film Society
homevideo.about.com (Ivana Redwine)
Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
Having missed the pre-release screenings of this
picture, I caught up with it at the local theater.
Not bad, some very strong acting. And though the film
mostly resides in a mood of loss, somberness ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)
Movie Habit (Matt Anderson)
The world of Monster's Ball is filled with bitter people, trapped people, and people put in situations not entirely of their own making. The point is that you can indeed break free of these bonds and make a change. However, it's a long, dark journey to ...read the complete Monster's Ball movie review at Movie Habit (Matt Anderson)