Monster's Ball
User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 41
  3. Negative: 10 out of 41

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  1. PompèE.
    Jun 28, 2005
    0
    This film was terrible. I was embarrassed, actually. How did Berry win the Oscar? She deserved the Razzie! Bad film. And barely any sex!
  2. RyanK.
    Jun 1, 2005
    0
    Nothing but cheap, depressing & degrading movie. Doesn't do anything for black women nor black people in General. The only excuse for this movie is so Hollywood could see her screwing the O' Massa butt naked & that's a dirty cheap excuse to win an Oscar. Monsterball is nothing to be proud of. GET REAL!!!! Oh, & I get sick of people making excuses saying Hallie's character was raped when she was willing to perform like a weak needy hoe.… Expand
  3. RodrigoR.
    Aug 7, 2004
    2
    The only thing that might have made this film worth the time waste was Halley Berry's acting... and it's just not enough.
  4. DannyG.
    Sep 15, 2002
    1
    I know deep deep but very deep down this is a good movie, i just couldn't see that in the two and a half horrific hours i was in the theather. I like dramas as much as the next guy, but this one is so depressing and boring i just wanted to shoot myself, i was looking for a gun the entire movie to get me out of my misery, you want a good drama you can enjoy and survive?, stick to beautiful mind and gladiator. This one is a little more dramatic than we bargained for.… Expand
  5. JohnC.
    Jul 22, 2002
    1
    Polemic. "That boy he just love all those red gumballs." What writing!!! This is Hollywood at its very worst. Self-aggrandizing and emotionally false.
  6. Richard
    Jul 15, 2002
    4
    Contrived malarkey through and through, with only Billy Bob navigating his way through the morass with any grace. The ending is interesting and well-played, but it's not worth the anvils getting dropped on your head for the previous 90 minutes.
  7. XivixZ.
    Jun 30, 2002
    3
    What the heck is up with Hollywood thinking that crappy endings are good? This movie is pretty good, it has a built up and cry effect like "The Green Mile" but its just humorous seeing P. Diddy fry. This is a cool movie because it gets up close and personal to racism and gives it a swift kick in the butt. But when the credits roll and you turn off the T.V. you realized this movie was just a 2 hour waste of your life. Don't watch it.… Expand
  8. BurcO.
    Jun 24, 2002
    2
    The acting is sublime, but the suicidal thoughts you get at the end prove more potent than the great acting. How depressing can you get?
  9. Roberta
    Jun 17, 2002
    4
    It was just okay. Halle B's accent switched a few times which bugged me. Best Actress? NO. That award should have gone to Dame Judy for Iris. Brilliant! THAT'S acting!!
  10. AlexK.
    Mar 4, 2002
    2
    Pretentious Southern melodrama in the guise of a "meaningful" independent film. Billy Bob pulls the same performance as in "The Man Who Wasn't There," except this time it DOESN'T work, and as for Halle Berry's 10-minute porn scene for "art's sake"... well, enough said. This movie disappointed me terribly--it is manipulative, inconsistent trash. If you want to see a real independent gem, I recommend "Lantana," or, if you still haven't seen it, "In the Bedroom."… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 32
  3. Negative: 1 out of 32
  1. Variety
    Reviewed by: Robert Koehler
    80
    Burning with a quiet intensity, Monster's Ball is bolstered by a poetic, intelligent sensibility not seen in an American film since Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line."
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  2. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    90
    The actors make it unique and unforgettable.
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  3. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    70
    Halle Berry is something else as Leticia Musgrove, the widow of an inmate who's just been executed by Hank and his crew, and that something else is commandingly passionate.
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