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Monster's Ball Customer Reviews (58 - 60 of 85 Reviews)

Great performances in a compelling interracial drama
"Monster's Ball," directed by Marc Forster, focuses on two main characters: Hank Grotowski (played by Billy Bob Thornton), a white death row corrections officer who lives with his viciously racist father, and Leticia Musgrove (Halle Berry), a black woman who struggles to raise her overweight son while her husband awaits execution in Hank's workplace. These two very different people are brought together in an intense relationship.

This is a raw, gripping film. It's a pretty dark piece at times: its characters are mired in poverty, familial dysfunction, and/or racism, and there are some graphic, heartbreaking scenes of human suffering. There are also some extremely graphic sex scenes, but I feel this extreme material is wholly relevant to the characters and plot.

The performances really make this film special. Coronji Calhoun is quite touching as Leticia's son. Heath Ledger and Peter Boyle offer solid support as Hank's son and father. But the film really hinges on the two leads, and they are extraordinary. Thornton brings a depth and complexity to this very difficult character. And Halle Berry! At times explosive, at times quiet and subdued, she creates a rich and full portrait of a woman going through both tragedy and passion.

"Monster's Ball" asks whether, in the midst of suffering and irrational hate, there exists the possibility for redemptive love and personal transformation. I found it to be a very moving film.

Don't Quit Your Day Job, "Sean Combs"
This is a frustrating movie in many ways. It is indeed difficult to watch, as other reviewers have pointed out (as it is supposed to be). But it is also a missed opportunity. With so many contemporary movies filled with formulaic plots and inane dialogue, with happy endings and feel-good messages either overt or lurking beneath superficial complications, this is a movie that appears to have promise. I'd even say that it's a movie that I wanted to succeed.

But alas, it doesn't. Monster's Ball is about two flawed characters who need each other due to tragedies they both suffer in the first half of the film. There is no romance at the birth of their relationship, only symbiosis. OK so far. But for the premise to effect any emotion in the viewer, the movie must be plausible. I realize the plot is not the most important thing in this movie, but its reliance on coincidence is heavier than Halle Berry's kid. **Warning, spoiler to follow.** I spent too much time sighing and yeah-righting, and too much time laughing out over scences like the absurd one involving the death of Berry's son, to feel anything for these characters. The lack of believability dilutes any power that the perfomances of the leads could have provided. And that's ashame, because the acting is really good for the most part (except for P. Diddy -- I'm not sure why movie critics out there have praised the job he did in this).

One other complaint: is it just me or does Halle Berry look conspicuously white on the cover of this movie? (She sure doesn't look like that in the movie.) You know, here's a movie about a rather unpleasant fellow (racism being one of his flaws) whose improvement as a human being is tied to his relationship with a black woman. Yet with prospective viwers likely knowing they'll get to see Berry naked, the distributor picked a picture of her that makes it seem like she has one black grandparent at most. Cynical? Or am I reading into that too much?

Monster's Ball- Simply The Best
When I saw Monster's Ball, I must say I was quite impressed and stunned with the beautiful performances from Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton. Halle Berry won an Academy Award for Best Actress in this film. This film was amazing, the acting, the plot and of course the sexuality. Halle Berry is quite conspicious with her sexy body and does intend to be quite a beauty. As for Billy Bob Thornton, he is a fine actor, but why did he leave Angenlina Jolie one will never know. Anyway back to film, Billy Bob Thornton plays a prison guard and he executed Halle Berry's husband played by Sean Combs. Soon, Berry's and Thornton's characters fall in love and from here the film becomes more romantic. Monster's Ball is rated R for Strong Sexual Content, Language and Violence. The film's sexuality is devastatingly explicit and highly entertaining. There is also nudity, very entertaining. This flim is stimulating and amusing and works very well on its own terms.
Director Marc Forster does a fine job, and so do the actors. This film is not the best choice for preteens, best for 17 year olds and above. Though it is a film worth seeing and possibly even owning. You will last and live in pleasure, the film will make you fill lascivious, quite a good thing. I enjoyed it and you will too. It's worth your time! Trust Me! Now available to own on Video and DVD! SEE MONSTER'S BALL!!!!!!!!!!

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