Film SPOILER Review: Your Monster
Synopsis and commentary for a breath of fresh air.
*** First things first. This movie was kinda great. ***
I’m going to start off by saying that my theatre experience was weird, and it affects how I write the synopsis here (it’s going to be very slim, but you’ll get the idea).
At the end of the movie, the theatre was just silent. SILENCE. It was such an interesting experience considering the room was packed.
Directed by Caroline Lindy and starring Melissa Barrera
After her life falls apart, soft-spoken actress Laura Franco finds her voice again when she meets a terrifying, yet weirdly charming Monster living in her closet. A romantic-comedy-horror film about falling in love with your inner rage.
The premise of Your Monster is a little vague. After watching the trailer, I was just thinking it would be a quirky little rom-com retelling of Beauty & the Beast involving the monster from your closet. I was wrong.
Please do NOT read ahead if you don’t want spoilers— you have been warned! :)
The movie starts by putting you straight into the drama. We aren’t spoon-fed what happened, but it’s clear by the imagery and emotions of the characters, that the leading actress’ character, Laura (Melissa Barrera) was diagnosed with cancer and her boyfriend, Jacob (Edmund Donovan) breaks up with her.
We aren’t told what kind of cancer she has, but a short montage shows her in the hospital getting surgery, and her boyfriend crying about how he can’t be her caretaker like the weenie he is. She is wheeled from the hospital by her friend, Mazie (Kayla Foster), who tries to console her.
Right off the bat, you get the idea that Mazie isn’t really the greatest friend. She claims to “love” Laura, but then always has something she has to go do. If you love your friend, who just got treated for cancer, then I’m sure your activities can wait. Am I wrong on that?
Cue a montage of Laura eating her sorrows away and ordering copious amounts of Amazon.
We learn that Laura is an actress. She sings and auditions, and so does her friend, Mazie. Through their conversation we also learn that the ex-boyfriend, Jacob has written a play, but didn’t invite Laura to audition, even though he wrote the part for her.
So Laura goes home and plays the piano, singing the song she helped him write, having memories of happier times. It’s really kinda sad. Just as she starts spiraling into depression, she hears noises upstairs.
‘Sup?
Monster (Tommy Dewey) is in her closet making all that ruckus. His name is literally Monster, so that’s how I’ll refer to him. From here, they have a back-and-forth where Monster gives her 2 weeks to get out of the house.
She agrees (why??? haha) and decides to go to Jacob’s play audition. She’s able to get in front of the powers that be, but keeps messing up the song—the one she helped Jacob write—mainly because he’s in the audience and she’s rightfully flustered.
The part goes to a woman named Jackie (Meghann Fahy), who we don’t really know how important she is, but everyone gushes over her, so it’s implied she’s the hot new thing. And as such a generous “favor” to Laura, Jacob offers her the role of understudy to Jackie since she knows the part already.
Like a big ol’ slap in the mug
As Laura continues to live her life, going back and forth between home and rehearsal for the next two weeks, she and Monster grow to like and appreciate each other. Because of that, Monster asks her to stay.
When the cast schedules a Halloween party, Laura invites Monster to go with her. He tells her no. She’s a little upset about it, but goes anyway, dressed like a cross between Liza Minelli and the Bride of Frankenstein. Don’t know if that’s what they were going for, but I think it worked.
She drinks and socializes, not having the best of times, until she sees Monster came to the party after all. They dance, and she starts to feel better until she goes to use the restroom and finds Jacob having “relations” with who she thinks is Jackie, the new hotness.
Laura is understandably upset, venting at Monster about it. He tells her that what Jacob did to her was NOT OKAY, sending her into a rage-filled rant, repeating that it’s not okay!
What follows is the one of my more uncomfortable viewings of a bedroom scene between Laura and Monster…
…while I was crammed between two boomers breathing heavily.
After hairy fun time, Laura begins to gain more confidence. At the next rehearsal, Jackie is informed about Laura and Jacob’s prior relationship, which gets her off her game. She starts messing up the song, because she feels bad about the situation. Jacob lays into her about how horrible her performance is when Laura steps in and gives him the chewing of the century.
Later, her and Jacob talk about what happened when Laura tells him that she still loves him. He comes on to her and they sleep together in his… office? closet? I don’t know where they are. Right after zipping up his pants he tells her she can’t be in the show because she’s a liability.
I mean, this dude…
So Laura goes home, feeling guilty that she “cheated” on Monster. They fight and he leaves for what Laura thinks is permanently.
The following day, she’s walking somewhere outside when Jackie finds her and tries to tell her that she’s sorry for everything. Laura confronts her about how she knows Jackie and Jacob were sleeping together, but Jackie was shocked at the allegation, revealing that she never slept with him.
They scheme behind Jacob’s back for Laura to step in during the show instead of Jackie. While getting ready, she finds Jacob doing the dirty in a stairwell, and it turns out that it was her friend Mazie all along.
It makes things super awkward during the performance, but Laura kills it. Literally!
She performs the part while Jacob seethes. When the curtain falls (I guess at intermission?) Jacob confronts her behind stage and we see her break a meter stick, threatening to rip his throat out. She sees Monster again and is overjoyed by his arrival to the show.
Welp, curtain rises and she sings the song. It’s quite lovely, increasing in emotion as it continues, and she is quite bloody.
The movie ends with Jacob lying on the floor with his throat torn out and Laura covered in his blood.
Monster is nowhere to be seen, and the audience is a mixture of confused and dumbstruck. Roll credits.
The End.
That’s it! Why four stars? I don’t know. There were some parts that were a bit slow and awkward, but I think overall it’s a breath of fresh air in today’s Hollywood climate.
Basically, just like “The Substance,” the theme is pretty on-the-nose. It was Laura embracing her inner anger the whole time.
Do I blame her? Nope.
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