Monster's Ball (2001)

After a family tragedy, a racist prison guard reexamines his attitudes while falling in love with the African American wife of the last prisoner he executed.

Director:

Marc Forster

Writers:

Milo Addica, Will Rokos

Stars:

Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Taylor Simpson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Hank Grotowski
Taylor Simpson	...	Lucille
Gabrielle Witcher	...	Betty
Heath Ledger	...	Sonny Grotowski
Amber Rules	...	Vera
Peter Boyle	...	Buck Grotowski
Charles Cowan Jr.	...	Willie Cooper
Taylor LaGrange	...	Darryl Cooper
Yasiin Bey	...	Ryrus Cooper (as Mos Def)
Anthony Bean	...	Dappa Smith
Francine Segal	...	Georgia Ann Paynes
John McConnell	...	Harvey Shoonmaker
Marcus Lyle Brown	...	Phil Huggins
Milo Addica	...	Tommy Roulaine
Leah Loftin	...	Booter

Storyline

Set in the Southern United States, 'Monster's Ball' is a tale of a racist white man, Hank, who falls in love with a black woman named Leticia. Ironically Hank is a prison guard working on Death Row who executed Leticia's husband. Hank and Leticia's interracial affair leads to confusion and new ideas for the two unlikely lovers.

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Plot Keywords:

interracial sex | electric chair | cunnilingus | dysfunctional family | white male black female relationship | 

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Taglines:

A lifetime of change can happen in a single moment.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, language and violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

El pasado nos condena

Filming Locations:

Laplace, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$174,109, 30 December 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$31,252,964, 2 June 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lee Daniels Entertainment, Lions Gate Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 112 min (unrated director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was floating around the studio for six years, and at one time Sean Penn was set to direct with Robert De Niro to star.

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Goofs

Right before Leticia runs out of the house after meeting Buck, there is a shot in which Buck is speaking but his lips are not moving.

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Quotes

Hank Grotowski: I went by our station on the way home... I like that sign. I think we're gonna be alright.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to Sam, Austin, Gabrielle. Scott Lambert is thanked twice.

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Alternate Versions

The initial cut of the picture included more explicit footage during the sex scene between Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton, which was trimmed down after the MPAA threatened to give the film a NC-17 rating. The uncut version premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on February 8, 2001. The R-rated US theatrical release is the cut version; the version released theatrically in Canada and most other countries is the uncut version.

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Connections

Referenced in The Oscars (2013)

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Soundtracks

(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden
(1968)
Performed by Lynn Anderson
Written by Joe South
Published by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI)
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

A harrowing, daring film. One of the year's best. **** (out of four)

MONSTER'S BALL / (2001) **** (out of four)

When I finish reading a great book, I don't close it right away. Treasuring the story's emotional grasp, I just sit there and hold it for a minute, enthralled, sensing the character's lives are continuing even as I put the book away.

"Monster's Ball" is a similar experience. The film contains so much truth, vigor, and so many harrowing moments, I just stared at the screen through the ending credits. Even after a second viewing the conviction did not diminish. It really says something about a movie when you know what happens and you're equally as mesmerized every time you watch it.

Most movies about depravity are really about entertainment, but director Marc Forster avoids preachy speeches, big sappy moments, and melodramatic music. Even during the movie's most important scenes, Forster does not overplay the material. He knows that careful, quiet dialogue, and long, silent pauses speak louder than lengthy emotional summaries.

Consider a scene where a character checks his father into an old folk's home. It does not feature long good-byes or conclusive hugs. Instead, it projects unflinching, raw emotion. "You must love him very much," reassures an attendant to the character who replies, "No I don't, but he is my father…"

The character, Hank, is played by Billy Bob Thornton, who makes his Academy Award-winning performance in "Sling Blade" look like SNL material. Hank, bitter and racist, lives in a Southern country house with his son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), and father (Peter Boyle).

Hank and Sonny work as prison guards on death row. Sonny desperately wants out of the family business, especially after an unpleasant emotional reaction to the latest execution. When Hank explodes at him for his mistake, Sonny teaches his father a lesson he will never forget.

The film eventually becomes a story about the relationship between Hank and the widow of the man he has just executed. She's played by Halle Barry, who was paid an extra one-million dollars for doing an extended sex scene completely nude. This is a gradual, yet sudden relationship that is not based on physical attraction or love, but emotional need and depravity.

Forster makes interesting editing choices. During certain scenes, he cuts back and forth between separate occurrences while the central action fills the soundtrack. Especially unique is how he handles a sex scene. While two characters engage in some of the most graphic stimulated sex of last year, Forster flashes images of a caged bird before us. A metaphor of shattered innocence or repressed emotion, perhaps?

Actually, Forster fills "Monster's Ball" with metaphors, including the title itself. He even includes a moving soundtrack of timid rhythms and sudden beats, symbolizing the characters complex states of mind. Forster's haunting, daring feature reminds us why we all love the movies.