The real strength of Monster's Ball lies in its well-drawn characters and the actors who play them.
Monster's Ball (2001)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:120
Rotten:21
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Somber and thought provoking, Monster's Ball has great performances all around.
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Genre: Dramas
US 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...
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
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Mos Def
Director: Marc Forster
Director: Marc Forster
Screenwriter: Milo Addica, Will Rokos
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for Monster's Ball
Thornton and Berry deliver the goods here convincingly, making Monster’s Ball one of the top films of 2001.
It says something that the film has stayed with me well past the entire year-end Oscar season screening frenzy, when I sat through twice the usual number of films.
In [Berry's] remarkably animated performance, Thornton's deft laconic turn finds a fitting match.
It's a bleak and beautiful movie, and while the rain never stops, it does ease up, offering one of the most delicately redemptive stories we've seen since Dead Man Walking.
Even if the last half gets bogged down in the cinematic equivalent of quicksand, the first half is absolutely exquisite and captivating.
mostly resides in a mood of loss, somberness and prejudice, with a tender tiny beating heart of hope.
The strength of the actors' performances help convince us of the possibility of passion.
The grimness often verges into pure melodrama, but Forster is a savvy filmmaker, gets value from his cast, and knows where to put the camera for maximum visual effect.
It's less than half a fine movie. The great surprise is that its actors come through in the clutch.
A catalog of human misery that even the laceratingly honest, warts-and-all sweat of Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton can't save from contrived incredulity.
A solid little picture, but Halle Berry's performance is downright astonishing, and if for nothing else the film will be remembered for that.
It takes more than a little sex to overcome 16 tons of emotional baggage.
Latest News for Monster's Ball
October 31, 2008:
UK Tomatometer Preview: Quantum Of Solace - Is the New Bond Shaken or Stirred?
Today is Halloween, traditionally a big day for horror movies, but for 2008 this long standing tradition has been usurped by the return of a bigger, better, badder and more... More...
June 20, 2007:
The Next "Bond" Director Has Been Chosen
And it's certainly nobody you'd expect! More...
May 21, 2007:
Four Directors Up for the Next "Bond" Flick?
Curious to know who'll be directing the next James Bond flick? Join the club. One source has a short list of potential helmers, all of whom would be pretty ... distinctive. More...
November 09, 2006:
Box Office Guru Preview: New Pics Challenge "Borat's" Mandate
This weekend, multiplexes hope to cram in lots of moviegoers thanks to a wide selection of new films. Six movies open or expand nationally on Friday making for what will be one... More...
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Up in the Air | 14/1 |
| | The Tooth Fairy | 14/1 |
| | Bran Nue Dae | 14/1 |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Monster's Ball at Rotten Tomatoes
- Monster's Ball at IGN
- Monster's Ball at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!
Competitions

We're giving away copies of Judd Apatow's latest.



Top Critic


