Monsters Ball

Plot

Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), a widower, and his son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), are corrections officers in a local state prison. They reside in Louisiana with Hanks ailing father, Buck (Peter Boyle), a racist whose wife committed suicide.

Hank as a deputy warden oversees the execution of convicted murderer Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs). As explained to Sonny by Hank, at the diner bar the night before, the movie title is what the execution team calls that nights get-together. The proceedings prove too intense for Sonny, who begins to vomit and then collapses as he is leading Lawrence to the electric chair. Hank beats up Sonny in the jails bathroom afterwards for being so "soft" and ruining a mans last walk. At home, Hank attacks Sonny in his bed and tells him to get out of the house. Sonny grabs a gun, and threatens his father, who backs off. The confrontation ends in their living room with Hank at gunpoint, lying on the carpet, and Sonny in Bucks customary chair. Sonny asks his father if he hates him. After his father calmly confirms that he does and always has, Sonny responds, "Well, I always loved you," and then shoots himself in the heart. Hank subsequently buries Sonny in the back garden with no real funeral, as Buck says, "He was weak." Hank subsequently quits his job, burns his uniform in the backyard, and locks the door of Sonnys room.

During the years of Lawrences imprisonment, his wife, Leticia (Halle Berry), has been struggling while raising their son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun), who has inherited his fathers artistic talent. She goads the boy to the point of abuse over his obesity. Along with her domestic problems, Leticia struggles financially, leading to the loss of the family car and, worse, an eviction notice on her house. In desperate need of money, Leticia takes a job at a diner frequented by Hank. One rainy night, Leticia and Tyrell are walking down a soaked highway when Tyrell is struck by a car. Hank happens to be driving along and sees Leticia and Tyrell. After some hesitation, he picks Leticia and Tyrell up, and takes them to a hospital, but Tyrell dies upon arrival. At the suggestion of the authorities at the hospital, he drives her home. A few days later, Hank gives Leticia a ride home from the diner. They begin talking in the car about their common losses, and she invites him in. Hank finds out that Leticia is Lawrences widow, though he does not tell her that he participated in her husbands execution. They drown their grief with alcohol and, in a particularly raw and graphic display, have sex as Leticia repeatedly mumbles "Make me feel nasty!"

Leticia stops by Hanks home with a present for him, but finds that he is out. She meets Buck, who insults her and implies that Hank is only involved with her because he wants to have sex with a black woman. Leticia is hurt and refuses to interact with Hank, so that incident proves to be the last straw for Hank and he decides to send his father to a nursing home. Leticia is evicted from her home for non-payment of rent and Hank invites her to move in with him. She later discovers Hanks involvement in her husbands death when she finds a drawing of Hank done by Lawrence before his death. She erupts, but is there waiting for him when he returns from town with ice cream. The film ends with the two of them eating ice cream together on the back porch, content with each other.

Cast

Development

The film was produced by Lionsgate and Lee Daniels Entertainment.

Reception

The film was generally well-received, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting that 121 out of 142 reviews were positive. This led to an 85% approval rating and a "Fresh" certification on the website.

Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and stated that, "The movie has the complexity of great fiction" listing it as the best film of 2001.

Awards