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

Clements is the actual name of the gas station Billy Bob Thornton buys. It's located on Airline Hwy. in Laplace, La.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 29 mins) When Hank approaches Leticia's truck in the driveway, he puts a plastic gasoline can down next to the driveway. After she backs out, the can is gone although Hank has not picked it up.

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Quotes

Buck Grotowski: Damn porch monkeys! Your mother, she hated them niggers too.

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Featured in Too Young to Die: Heath Ledger: Liebling der Götter (2012)

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Soundtracks

I'm Your Man
(2001)
Performed by The Jayhawks
Written by The Jayhawks
Published by Abstinthe Music/Warner Tamerlane Publishing Co.
Courtesy of American Recordings
Produced by Asche & Spencer (as Asche and Spencer)

User Reviews

WORST FILM OF THE YEAR. WHY WERE YOU PEOPLE FOOLED

When a film's finest performance comes from Puffy, you know you're in trouble.

I've never racism, poverty, murder, and guilt so maudlinly handled without a second of truth.

I'll just list why I hated this movie:

1. Billy Bob, in the stiffest performance EVER, manages to recover from his life-long racism because Halle Berry's hot.

2. To demonstrate that she's poor, Halle Berry drives a car that has apparently been drenched in acid rain.

3. Berry wins the Oscar for SCREAMS and CROCODILE TEARS. The scene where she consumates her hormones with Billy Bob would be very much at home on Mystery Science Theater. Or in any movie with the word "Rod," "Suckers" "15", "Crack", or "Only in the...." in the tite.

4. Peter Boyle looks like he just woke up for each take.

5. Dramatic cross cutting allows us to watch Billy Bob buy ice cream and gas. WHAT THE F%^$?

6. Last like: "I need somebody to take care of me." Somewhere, Gloria Steinman is baning her head against the wall.

7. Chocolate ice cream with a plastic spoon. That's a character detail. Damn it to hell!!!!

And yet, critics, audiences, and the Academy loved it. Has anybody actually been in a poor rural town for even a second? Or read any Steinbeck novels? Or seen somebody cry? Or heard people speak? I adore rotten movies. I DESPISE "Serious" films that don't have a even a second of human truth. Shame on all of you for liking this one.