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During the years of Lawrence's imprisonment, his wife, Leticia Musgrove ([[Halle Berry|Berry]]), has been struggling while raising their son, Tyrell. The boy, who inherited his father's artistic talent, is also [[obesity|morbidly obese]]. In facing these hurdles, Leticia drinks frequently and is thereby unable to pay her bills, leading to an eviction notice. In desperate need of money, Leticia becomes employed at a coffee shop frequented by Hank. One night, Leticia and Tyrell are walking down a rain-soaked highway when the boy is struck by a car. Leticia is left helpless on the side of the road, grasping her son and calling out to passing motorists for help, although no one stops to help.
During the years of Lawrence's imprisonment, his wife, Leticia Musgrove ([[Halle Berry|Berry]]), has been struggling while raising their son, Tyrell. The boy, who inherited his father's artistic talent, is also [[obesity|morbidly obese]]. In facing these hurdles, Leticia drinks frequently and is thereby unable to pay her bills, leading to an eviction notice. In desperate need of money, Leticia becomes employed at a coffee shop frequented by Hank. One night, Leticia and Tyrell are walking down a rain-soaked highway when the boy is struck by a car. Leticia is left helpless on the side of the road, grasping her son and calling out to passing motorists for help, although no one stops to help.


Hank happens to be driving along, however, and sees Leticia, cradling her mortally injured son. He initially drives by as well, but eventually goes back to pick them up, driving them to a hospital. Tyrell dies upon arrival, and Hank reluctantly takes the mourning Leticia home. There, the two form an unexpected bond in their collective grief. After a few drinks together and Leticia recalling memories of her dead son, which leads to the two having sex. They begin an affair, which is initially based on sex and relief from loneliness but later becomes emotionally supportive. Hank finds out that Leticia is Lawrence's widow, but he does not tell her that he participated in her husband's execution.
Hank happens to be driving along, however, and sees Leticia, cradling her mortally injured son. He initially drives by as well, but eventually goes back to pick them up, driving them to a hospital. Tyrell dies upon arrival, and Hank reluctantly takes the mourning Leticia home. There, the two form an unexpected bond in their collective grief. After a few drinks together Leticia recalls memories of her dead son, which leads to the two having sex. They begin an affair, which is initially based on sex and relief from loneliness but later becomes emotionally supportive. Hank finds out that Leticia is Lawrence's widow, but he does not tell her that he participated in her husband's execution.


Buck insults Leticia, using strong racist language; and Hank turns his back on his father's hateful influence by sending him to a [[nursing home]]. Leticia, despite having uncovered Hank's complicity in her husband's death, decides to stay with him. As they sit on the porch and gaze up at the stars, he says, "We're going to be all right."
Buck insults Leticia, using strong racist language; Hank turns his back on his father's hateful influence by sending him to a [[nursing home]]. Leticia, despite having uncovered Hank's complicity in her husband's death, decides to stay with him. As they sit on the porch and gaze up at the stars, he says, "We're going to be all right."


== Cast ==
== Cast ==

Revision as of 07:54, 25 February 2009

For the professional wrestling match type, see Monster's Ball match.
Monster's Ball
original movie poster
Directed byMarc Forster
Written byMilo Addica,
Will Rokos
Produced byLee Daniels,
Lions Gate Entertainment
StarringBilly Bob Thornton
Halle Berry
Heath Ledger
Peter Boyle
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs
CinematographyRoberto Schaefer
Edited byMatt Chesse
Music byAsche & Spencer,
The Jayhawks
Distributed byLions Gate Entertainment
Release dates
November 11, 2001
Running time
112 min. (Unrated Director's Cut)
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$4,000,000
Box office$44,909,486

Monster's Ball is a 2001 drama film directed by Marc Forster and written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos. It was produced by Lions Gate and Lee Daniels Entertainment. The title comes from a custom in medieval England where prisoners awaiting execution were called monsters. The night before their execution, their jailers would hold a feast known as a monster's ball as their final farewell. Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Leticia Musgrove.

Plot

Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), a widower, and his son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), are employed as correctional officers. They reside in Louisiana with Hank's ailing father, Buck (Peter Boyle), an unwavering racist whose wife had committed suicide. Buck has influenced Hank's hateful attitude towards others, which resulted in Hank's hatred of his father, his son, and members of the neighboring community.

As Hank and Sonny assist in the execution of convicted murderer Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs), the proceedings prove too intense for Sonny, who begins to vomit as he is leading Lawrence to the electric chair. Hank humiliates Sonny for this perceived weakness and hits him. Unable to cope with the estrangement, Sonny lashes out at his father, armed with a revolver. The confrontation ends in their living room with Hank at gunpoint, lying on the carpet, and Sonny in his grandfather's customary chair. Sonny asks his father, "You hate me, don't you?" After his father calmly confirms that he does and says he always has, Sonny responds, "Well, I always loved you," before shooting and killing himself. Hank subsequently buries his son, quits his job at the prison, and burns his uniform in the backyard.

During the years of Lawrence's imprisonment, his wife, Leticia Musgrove (Berry), has been struggling while raising their son, Tyrell. The boy, who inherited his father's artistic talent, is also morbidly obese. In facing these hurdles, Leticia drinks frequently and is thereby unable to pay her bills, leading to an eviction notice. In desperate need of money, Leticia becomes employed at a coffee shop frequented by Hank. One night, Leticia and Tyrell are walking down a rain-soaked highway when the boy is struck by a car. Leticia is left helpless on the side of the road, grasping her son and calling out to passing motorists for help, although no one stops to help.

Hank happens to be driving along, however, and sees Leticia, cradling her mortally injured son. He initially drives by as well, but eventually goes back to pick them up, driving them to a hospital. Tyrell dies upon arrival, and Hank reluctantly takes the mourning Leticia home. There, the two form an unexpected bond in their collective grief. After a few drinks together Leticia recalls memories of her dead son, which leads to the two having sex. They begin an affair, which is initially based on sex and relief from loneliness but later becomes emotionally supportive. Hank finds out that Leticia is Lawrence's widow, but he does not tell her that he participated in her husband's execution.

Buck insults Leticia, using strong racist language; Hank turns his back on his father's hateful influence by sending him to a nursing home. Leticia, despite having uncovered Hank's complicity in her husband's death, decides to stay with him. As they sit on the porch and gaze up at the stars, he says, "We're going to be all right."

Cast

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews. The review website rottentomatoes.com reported that 120 out of the 140 reviews they tallied were positive. This resulted in a score of 86% and a certification of "Fresh" (as opposed to "Rotten").[1] Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and stated that, "The movie has the complexity of great fiction"[2] listing it as the best film of 2001.

Acclaim was also given to Coronji Calhoun, who was chosen from an open casting call and was paid the minimum union scale for his work as Tyrell Musgrove, the ill-fated son of Lawrence and Leticia. "Perhaps one of the most affecting performances of the year was given by a 10-year-old Louisiana fourth-grader who has never acted before or studied the craft," commented Variety reporter Christopher Grove.

Movie nudity archivist Mr. Skin said the film has "the greatest mainstream sex scene in a movie, period." [3]

Criticism

Despite numerous positive reviews of the film, some black activists urged a boycott, notably Miles Willis of the "Milestones" jazz program on Pacifica Radio's KPFT. His statement, championed by syndicated film columnist Esther Iverem, included the following: "Imagine the seething indignation that a Jewish man might feel while watching a story in which the widow of a Nazi concentration camp victim has an intimate relationship with the SS officer that shoved her husband into one of those ovens at Auschwitz!"[4]

Esther Iverem, SeeingBlack.com editor and film critic, stated that "you have to wonder if this is what it takes for a black woman to be named best actress … Who was the last "best actress" who did a nude sex scene?" Iverem went on to say, "Ultimately, Monster's Ball uses the legacy of racism in an unconvincing manner to belittle its impact, and its historical and present-day consequences." Iverem maintained that scores of black men were boycotting the film.[5]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ Rotton Tomatoes page for Monster's Ball
  2. ^ Roger Ebert's review of Monster's Ball, February 1, 2002
  3. ^ http://www1.phillyburbs.com/movieguide/mrskinguide.shtml
  4. ^ (DEAD LINK) Miles Willis, "Oscar, At What Price?" from I Take No Pride In Halle Berry's Oscar Nomination.
  5. ^ Esther Iverem, "Not All of Us Are Oscar Happy" 28 March 2002.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monster%27s_Ball&oldid=273147138"