Monster is a 2003 American biographical crime drama film written and directed by Patty Jenkins in her feature directorial debut.

The film follows serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a street prostitute who murdered seven of her male clients between 1989 and 1990 and was executed in Florida in 2002.

In 1989, after moving from Michigan to Daytona Beach, Florida, and on the verge of committing suicide, street prostitute Aileen "Lee" Wuornos meets another woman named Selby Wall in a gay bar.

Aileen regains consciousness and finds herself tied to the steering wheel, as Vincent brutally rapes and beats her.

The homeowners attempt to call the police, but Aileen manages to drive the car away and dispose of it.

Selby sees composite sketches of her and Aileen on the news and returns to Ohio on a charter bus.

Aileen is approached at the biker bar she frequents by two men, who unbeknownst to her, are undercover police officers.

The site's critical consensus states: "Charlize Theron gives a searing, deglamorized performance as real life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, an intense, disquieting portrait of a profoundly damaged soul.

[10] Monster received generally positive reviews from critics; most gave overwhelmingly high praise to Theron's performance as a mentally unstable woman – Wuornos had antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder.

[11] For the role, Theron gained 30 pounds (14 kg), shaved her eyebrows, and wore prosthetic teeth.

And note that there is only one moment in the movie where she seems relaxed and at peace with herself.In 2009, Ebert named it the third-best film of the decade.

In his review for the film, Ebert praised her performance, stating "Christina Ricci finds the right note for Selby Wall – so correct some critics have mistaken it for bad acting, when in fact it is sublime acting in its portrayal of a bad actor.

[16][17][18] In 2014, on Saturday Night Live, Charlize Theron made a self-reference to her role of Aileen Wuornos.

[19] In the sketch Pet Rescue Commercial, Kate McKinnon asked her to play a cat lady, whose image and behavior are based on Wuornos from Monster.