Monster's Ball facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Monster's Ball |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Marc Forster |
| Produced by | Lee Daniels |
| Written by | Milo Addica Will Rokos |
| Starring | Billy Bob Thornton Heath Ledger Halle Berry Sean Combs Mos Def Will Rokos Milo Addica Peter Boyle |
| Music by | Asche and Spencer |
| Cinematography | Roberto Schaefer |
| Editing by | Matt Chesse |
| Studio | Lee Daniels Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate Films |
| Release date(s) | November 11, 2001 (AFI Fest) December 26, 2001 (Los Angeles and New York City) February 8, 2002 (United States) |
| Running time | 111 minutes 112 minutes (Unrated) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million |
| Money made | $45 million |
Monster's Ball is a 2001 American drama film directed by Marc Forster, produced by Lee Daniels and written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos, who also appear in the film. It stars Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Halle Berry, and Peter Boyle, with Sean Combs, Mos Def, and Coronji Calhoun in supporting roles.
Thornton portrays a corrections officer who begins a relationship with a woman (Berry), unaware that she is the widow of a man (Combs) he assisted in executing. Principal photography began in May 2001 in New Orleans, Louisiana and lasted for five weeks.
Monster's Ball premiered at AFI Fest on November 11, 2001 and was theatrically released in the United States on February 8, 2002 by Lionsgate Films. The film received positive reviews, with critical acclaim directed at Berry, Ledger and Thornton's performances, Forster's direction, and Addica and Rokos' screenplay. It was also a significant commercial success, grossing $44.9 million worldwide on a production budget of $4 million.
The film received numerous accolades and nominations, and was nominated twice at the 74th Academy Awards for Best Actress (Berry) and Original Screenplay (Addica and Rokos), with Berry winning for her performance, becoming the first and, as of 2025, the only African-American woman to win the award.
Contents
Plot
Hank Grotowski, a widower, and his son, Sonny, are corrections officers in a Georgia prison. They reside with Hank's father, Buck, a bigoted retired corrections officer whose wife (Hank's mother) died. Sonny is friends with the Cooper brothers, Willie and Darryl, who are black. At the behest of Buck, Hank frightens off the brothers with a shotgun and is later confronted by their father Ryrus.
Hank, the prison's deputy warden, will oversee the execution of convicted murderer Lawrence Musgrove. Musgrove, a talented amateur artist, draws a sketch of Sonny. Sonny is a shy and gentle person, and is as kind to Musgrove as his duties permit.
The night before the execution, Hank tells Sonny that a "monster's ball" is held by the corrections officers, a get-together of those who will participate in the execution. The proceedings prove too much for Sonny, who, as he is leading Lawrence to the electric chair, vomits, and then collapses. Following the execution, Hank confronts Sonny in the prison's bathroom and slaps him for being so "soft" and "ruining a man's last walk".
The next morning, Hank attacks Sonny in his bed and orders him to leave the house. Sonny grabs a revolver from under his pillow and holds his father at gunpoint. The confrontation ends in their living room with Hank sitting on the carpet, and Sonny in Buck's customary chair. Sonny asks his father if he hates him. His father calmly confirms that he does, and always has. Sonny dies.
A devastated Hank buries Sonny in the back garden with an abbreviated funeral because, as Buck comments, "He was weak." Hank subsequently resigns as deputy warden, burns his uniform in the backyard, and locks the door of Sonny's room. He purchases a local gas station in an attempt to provide a distraction in his retirement. The Coopers offer condolences to Hank, who asks which one is Willie and which one is "Harry" (mistaking Darryl's name) and is corrected politely.
During the years of Lawrence's imprisonment leading up to his execution, his wife, Leticia, has been struggling while raising their son, Tyrell, who has inherited his father's artistic talent. Overwhelmed, she lashes out at the boy for his obesity, resorting to physical and emotional abuse. Along with her domestic problems, Leticia struggles financially, with an eviction notice on her house from her landlord. In desperate need of money, Leticia takes a job at a diner frequented by Hank. Due to lack of maintenance (which Lawrence had suggested) the car breaks down, so Leticia and Tyrell begin walking back and forth between home and the diner.
One rainy night, Leticia (having stolen an umbrella) and Tyrell are walking down a soaked highway. Hank happens to be driving along and sees Tyrell lying mortally wounded on the ground and Leticia calling for help. After some hesitation, Hank stops, and being told Tyrell was struck by a car, he drives them to a hospital, where Tyrell dies from his injuries. At the suggestion of the authorities at the hospital, Hank drives Leticia home. A few days later, Hank gives Leticia another 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 Lawrence's widow, though he does not tell her that he participated in her husband's execution.
Hank takes Sonny's old truck to Ryrus' auto shop and they discuss fixing it, with Hank mentioning he wanted to sell the truck, and asking if Ryrus' boys could wax it. He then offers to give the truck to Leticia, who reluctantly accepts after initial protests of discomfort.
Leticia stops by Hank's home with a present for him, but he is not there. She meets Buck, who insults her. Leticia, offended by the remarks, refuses to interact with Hank. After Hank is made aware of Buck's actions, he commits his father to a nursing home. He then renames the gas station "Leticia's", saying it is his girlfriend's name when asked.
Leticia is evicted from her home and Hank invites her to move in with him. She later discovers Hank's involvement in her husband's death when she finds the drawings of Sonny and Hank done by Lawrence as he awaited execution. She’s disturbed by the revelation, but numb from the loss of her son and recent misfortune, she’s waiting for Hank 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 as Hank states that he thinks they’ll be okay.
Cast
- Billy Bob Thornton as Hank Grotowski
- Halle Berry as Leticia Musgrove
- Heath Ledger as Sonny Grotowski
- Peter Boyle as Buck Grotowski
- Coronji Calhoun as Tyrell Musgrove
- Sean Combs as Lawrence Musgrove
- Mos Def as Ryrus Cooper
- Charles Cowan Jr. as Willie Cooper
- Taylor LaGrange as Darryl Cooper
Production
Principal photography began in May 2001 in New Orleans, Louisiana and lasted for five weeks. A week before production, Combs auditioned for the role of Lawrence Musgrove, and won it. At one point, the production moved to the fields, cellblocks and death houses of Louisiana State Penitentiary for a week to shoot prison interiors and exteriors, with some scenes shot in actual death chambers.
See also
In Spanish: Monster's Ball para niños
