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

Review this movie

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. EricS.
    Aug 9, 2002
    10
    "Monster's Ball" is as close to a perfect movie as I've seen in a long time. As for the 1990 Georgia that everybody calls fake, I say, this is fiction. This didn't really happen and the screenwriters created a world where the only villain is hate and the only beauty is love. The creation of this world is not meant to create an "emotionally false" atmosphere, but to make the Thornton/Berry romance seem like the most important thing in the world in the eyes of the viewer. And it worked for me. "Monster's Ball" was the Best Picture of 2001-2002.… Expand
  2. DennisM.
    Jul 9, 2002
    10
    This is one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. One mark of a good movie is that I can't get it out of my head for several days. I find thid movie stunning. I have to ask if the critics that hated this fil, were they watching the same movie? David Edelstein, what are you thinking about?
  3. MichaelF.
    Jan 16, 2002
    10
    Simply amazing from beginning to end. One of the years 5 best.
  4. Carol-AnnC.
    Feb 23, 2002
    10
    Absolutely sensational film that explores the issues about real life people and the mistakes that we all make. The scenes between Haley and Billy Bob explode on the screen. I actually heard old ladies gasping in the theater. Go see this film!
  5. MikeM.
    Aug 20, 2004
    10
    Excellent! edge of your seat film. It will engross you totally!
  6. RobertH.
    Feb 23, 2002
    10
    Absolutely riveting performances by an ensemble cast that keeps the audience on the edge of its' seat. Clearly heads and tails above the usual trash that Hollywood routinely regurgitates. The viewer can actually feel and connect with the characters. It is a must see movie.
  7. AmyC.
    Oct 7, 2002
    9
    Great movie with a truly original, anti-Hollywood ending. This movie certainly won't please the "Forrest Gump" crowd, who like their movies uplifting, predictable, and pretty, but this searing little picture deserves all the praise it has received. Billy Bob Thornton is remarkable. Thank God movies like this are made.
  8. JohnE.
    Mar 18, 2002
    9
    Great movie. Fantastic acting, redemptive power of love, Hally Berry...what more could you want?
  9. [Anonymous]
    Apr 27, 2002
    9
    A good film with good performances, but it winning best actress is a joke. Sissy Spacek was infinitely better.
  10. Sara
    Sep 16, 2003
    9
    Monster's Ball is very good throughout, but it all comes together remarkably in the end, a peaceful, sad, wholly unpredictable conclusion that leave you soaring out of the theater, though the rest of the film is not exactly uplifting. Yeah - - - and the guy who liked A Beautiful Mind and Gladiator... I'm just going to assume that was a joke... Admitting you like movies like that is like admitting that you're a pedophile. … Expand
  11. JohnM.
    Feb 28, 2002
    9
    The acting in "Monster's Ball" isn't really acting. It transcends that definition. The characters seem real, and their situations see real. As for the infamous, gratuitous sex scene - yes, it was a little unnecessary. But overall, this film is remarkable in terms of how the actors convey such a strong sense of hope for one another. One of the year's best. Grade: A-
  12. H.S.
    Nov 30, 2003
    9
    I was once briefly engaged to a female prison guard with a preschooler who occasionally had contact with death row inmates. She was overweight. I loved the silence and actions speaking loudly in the movie. I saw it get the awards and had no idea how important it would be to me. It's not about a movie to me but rather a glimpse of reality in all it's horror. i hope that it's audience is yet to be found, that it helps a lot in a way that it hasn't yet.… Expand
  13. BlakeJ.
    Mar 21, 2007
    9
    The most depressing movie I have ever seen, by far. Halle Berry's performance is mesmerizing. The scene in the hospital brings tears to my eyes, every time I watch it. For some reason, although it brings me down when I watch it, I watch it several times a year.

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."
    Read full review
  2. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    90
    The actors make it unique and unforgettable.
    Read full review
  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.
See all critic reviews »