Last Chance To Watch Charlize Theron’s Oscar-Winning Performance On Netflix
The 2003 film Monster, starring Charlize Theron as serial killer Aileen Wuornos, is about to leave Netflix.
This article is more than 2 years old
Over the past 25 years, Charlize Theron has become a household name and one of the most respected actresses in Hollywood. The Mad Max: Fury Road actress has been in many major blockbusters, has been nominated for an Academy Award three times, and is even about to lead an all-female spin-off from the Fast and Furious franchise. However, in sad news for Theron fans, one of the actress’s most famous movies, Monster, which she won an Oscar for, is leaving Netflix.
Monster is a 2003 biographical film based on the true story of the prostitute-turned-serial-killer Aileen Wuornos, played by Charlize Theron. The movie is loosely based on the events of Aileen’s life, though the film takes plenty of creative divergences, as biopics often do. Monster was written and directed by Patty Jenkins in her directorial debut. Jenkins would later direct DCU’s Wonder Woman (2017) and Wonder Woman: 1984 (2020).
The film explores what could have happened during the nine-month period between 1989 and 1990 when Aileen meets her semi-fictionalized lover, Selby Wall, who is based on the killer’s real-life lover, Tyria Moore and is played by Christina Ricci. Charlize Theron’s character is a prostitute who kills a man in self-defense, after which she attempts to leave prostitution and find legal ways of working in order to support herself and Selby. However, with no experience, education, or people skills, she has little success.
She ends up diverting back to being a lady of the night at truck stops, where she eventually adjusts her business strategy and starts killing her victims for money.
Along with Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci, the film also stars Bruce Dern as Thomas and Lee Tergesen as Vincent Corey, the first man Aileen kills. As well as starring in the film, Theron was also one of the producers, and Monster was distributed by Denver & Delilah Films and K/W Productions.
When the film was released in 2003, it was regarded as one of the best films of the year. Monster received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and many audience members were shocked at Charlize Theron’s transformation for the movie. Unlike how most films make up their female leads, Theron was not made up to look beautiful for the part; rather, the actress gained 30 pounds for the role, shaved her eyebrows, and even wore prosthetic teeth.
However, it wasn’t just Charlize Theron’s physical transformation that impressed audiences so much, but also her acting ability. Aileen was a mentally unstable woman with antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder, and she had also had a traumatic childhood and lived a traumatic life before she became a killer. Theron was able to portray the complicated character of Aileen and performed so well that she won an Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture— Drama, and a SAGA for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.
Film critic Robert Ebert went on to name the film as the third-best movie of the entire decade.
