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Monster's Ball

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Monster's Ball (2001)

86%
81%
80%
N/A
N/A
N/A
86 %
Reviews Counted: 139 Fresh: 119  Rotten:20 Average Rating: 7.4/10
 
Consensus: Somber and thought provoking, Monster's Ball has great performances all around.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Theatrical Release: Dec 26, 2001 Limited

Box Office: $31,252,964

Synopsis: MONSTER'S BALL is a hard hitting Southern drama tempered by a story of powerful, life-changing love. It is the story of Hank (Billy Bob Thornton), an embittered prison guard working on Death Row who begins an unlikely, but emotionally charged affair with Leticia (Halle Berry), the wife of a... MONSTER'S BALL is a hard hitting Southern drama tempered by a story of powerful, life-changing love. It is the story of Hank (Billy Bob Thornton), an embittered prison guard working on Death Row who begins an unlikely, but emotionally charged affair with Leticia (Halle Berry), the wife of a man he has just executed. MONSTER'S BALL also features Heath Ledger and Peter Boyle. Boyle plays Hank’s bigoted, aging father, whose hatred seems to have poisoned his entire family as much as the family business, which is working on the prison Death Squad. Ledger plays Hank’s son, who is hell-bent on getting out of the family business. The film is directed by award-winning filmmaker Marc Forster. He was nominated for an IFP/West Spirit Award as Best Low Budget Feature and won the Movado "Someone to Watch" Prize at the 2001 Spirit Awards for his film, "Everything Put Together."

Set in Georgia, MONSTER'S BALL was filmed entirely on location in and around New Orleans, Louisiana and at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola (also known as "The Farm").

MONSTER'S BALL is from an original screenplay by Milo Addica and Will Rokos, is produced by Lee Daniels, executive produced by Mark Urman, Mike Paseornek, and co-produced by Milo Addica and Will Rokos. Lions Gate Films will release the film in December, 2001. -- © 2001 Lions Gate Films [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Sean "Puffy" Combs

Director: Marc Forster
Screenwriter: Milo Addica, Will Rokos

DVD Info

Release:

Nov 4, 2008

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • 1080P High Definition Widescreen - 16.9

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
  • DTS HD Master - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - Marc Forster - Director, Milo Addica - Writer, Will Rokos - Writer
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Featurettes - 1. Behind the Scenes with Producer Lee Daniels
  • 2. Music for the Film: MONSTER'S BALL
  • 3. On the Set
  • Production Interviews - Cast and Director
  • Trailer - Original Theatrical Trailer

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
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3/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
06/13/02
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
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3/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
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4/4

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Full Review | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Ratings Image
B

Though marred by script that telegraphs its messages, this drama still manages to tell a compelling love story betweenn a redneck guard and a black widow, well played by Billy Bob Thronton and particularly Halle Berre, who should get Oscar nomination

Full Review | comment Comment
12/25/06
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Time Out
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3.5/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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B

Forster makes us too intimate with these characters. But, heavy-handed and derivative as it is, its lead actors strike some resonant chords....

Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
Ratings Image
3.5/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
01/12/04
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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1.5/4

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Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/03
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
05/13/03
Wilson Morales
BlackFilm.com
Ratings Image
4/5

Forster's poised direction, as well as powerful turns from Billy Bob Thornton and the Oscar-winning Halle Berry, make this compelling viewing.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/02/03
Caroline Westbrook
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4.5/5

Thornton and Berry show us what acting is in this movie.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online
Ratings Image
3/4

Halle Berry turns in an amazing performance.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/29/03
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy
Ratings Image
A

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Full Review | comment Comment
12/17/02
Rebecca Murray
About.com
Ratings Image
N/A

Recalls Tender Mercies, another astutely acted character study that remained resolutely small-scale and was all the more affecting because it didn't overreach.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/02
Stephen Farber
Movieline
Ratings Image
3.5/4

It's not a polemic on the death penalty, race relations or family dynamics. It's a character study that really sticks with you.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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4/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
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N/A

Much of the film works, performances all around are better than the script, and the whole (especially the first part) is well directed by Marc Forster.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
10/17/02
Jimmy O
Film Snobs
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• Monster's Ball at AskMen
 
 
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