Monster’s Ball (2002)
79%RT Audience Score: 67%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
15 wins & 23 nominations total
Somber and thought provoking, Monster’s Ball has great performances all around
If you’re looking for a movie that will make you feel all the feels, Monster’s Ball is the one for you. Sure, it’s brutal and heavy-handed at times, but the performances from Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry are top-notch. And let’s not forget that intense, moving, and real moment that happens when Leticia and Hank seek punishment and absolution in sex. It’s not a movie for the faint of heart, but if you’re up for it, you won’t be disappointed. Plus, you’ll finally understand why everyone was talking about Halle Berry’s Oscar win for years to come.
Production Company(ies)
Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique Films,
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Laplace, Louisiana, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2002
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 51m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 26, 2001 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 11, 2002
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, Diddy, Yasiin Bey, directed by Marc Forster, written by Milo Addica, Will Rokos, drama, R rating, box office performance, $31.3M gross USA, Lionsgate Films, reviewed by Karl Quinn, Nell Minow, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Caroline Westbrook, Jeff Strickler, Mark Caro, Mark Halverson, Joe Lozito, Emanuel Levy, Jeffrey Overstreet, Susan Tavernetti
Worldwide gross: $45,011,434
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $74,654,280
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,161
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,141,143
US/Canada gross: $31,273,922
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $51,869,757
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,052
US/Canada opening weekend: $110,552
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $183,357
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,697
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $4,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $6,634,250
Production budget ranking: 1,815
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $3,572,544
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $64,447,486
ROI to date (est.): 631%
ROI ranking: 201
Billy Bob Thornton – Hank Grotowski
Heath Ledger – Sonny Grotowski
Peter Boyle – Buck Grotowski
Diddy – Lawrence Musgrove
Yasiin Bey – Ryrus Cooper
Director – Marc Forster
Producer – Lee Daniels
Writers – Milo Addica, Will Rokos
Director(s)
Marc Forster
Writer(s)
Milo Addica, Will Rokos
Producer(s)
Lee Daniels
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
15 wins & 23 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (142) | Top Critics (48) | Fresh (121) | Rotten (21)
Leticia and Hank come together in their grief, and when they do – when, in particular, they seek some kind of punishment and absolution in sex – it makes for one of the most intense, moving and real moments you’re ever likely to witness on film.
November 12, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Karl Quinn
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
This brutal movie is for adults only.
December 26, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
October 15, 2009 | Rating: 2/4
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Forster’s poised direction, as well as powerful turns from Billy Bob Thornton and the Oscar-winning Halle Berry, make this compelling viewing.
March 2, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Caroline Westbrook
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It’s not a polemic on the death penalty, race relations or family dynamics. It’s a character study that really sticks with you.
November 6, 2002 | Rating: 3.5/4
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
A serious movie made by seriously talented people, and I never quite came ’round to it.
July 20, 2002 | Rating: 2.5/4
Mark Caro
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
July 14, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Though marred by script that telegraphs its messages, this drama still manages to tell a compelling love story betweenn a redneck guard and a black widow, well played by Billy Bob Thronton and particularly Halle Berre, who should get Oscar nomination
December 25, 2006 | Rating: B
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Forster makes us too intimate with these characters. But, heavy-handed and derivative as it is, its lead actors strike some resonant chords….
December 6, 2004 | Rating: B
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 1.5/4
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly
Thornton and Berry show us what acting is in this movie.
February 8, 2003 | Rating: 4.5/5
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Monster’s Ball.
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