A review from Nick at Nite:

Monster

I know, I know, I am only just now getting around to seeing this Oscar nominated film and Oscar winning performance from Charlize Theron. I know, I know, who wouldn't want to rush out and see a film about a trailer park prostitute who picks up and then kills her prospective Johns while engaging in a tortured, juvenile relationship with a sixteen year-old girl. Apparently, I didn't. I only watched this movie because it is on cable now and I couldn't sleep. I guess they showed it late at night because of the graphic violence and extremely adult subject matter. Frankly, I am not sure what all the buzz was about. Basically, a really attractive actress gained some weight, fried her hair, and wore a prosthetic mouth piece and bad clothes. For this, the Oscar pool bestowed her with a golden statute? I am not sure I understand this logic. If an actress who looked like a normal person had played this role, I don't think it would have been such a big deal. It is a depressing story. A scary story, but not necessarily one that needed to be told. And any effort to make this true to life serial killer seem sympathetic just seems completely misguided. THIS WOMAN KILLED A BUNCH OF PEOPLE. Sure they were doing bad things, picking up prostitutes . . . but does that make killing them okay? Should we glorify this woman's behavior? I say no. I give the make-up artist on the film an "A." I give everyone else, including the person who thought this was a story worth telling, an "F."