Your Monster

The film left a deep impression on me, I watched it in one breath. I was amazed that this is the debut work of director Caroline Lindy; this is her first full-length film, and, as they say, the beginning is promising. The director has created a fascinating romantic comedy, where elements of musical and horror have merged. The main character goes through a series of painful trials - one tragic news replaces another. But, despite all the adversity, an inner desire to live and fight is born in her, and this is largely helped by the monster neighbor, who has been hiding in her closet for a long time. I will not reveal all the cards, let it remain a surprise for the audience. The film, filled with humor and an unexpected final twist, leaves behind emotions. I confidently give it a solid 7 out of 10.

Caroline Lindy directs and writes this charming romantic comedy with a touch of horror that offers a truly fascinating look at our true personalities and the consequences of the damage they cause us.

The young director takes us on a romantic comedy that is strengthened by its light humor that dazzles you to suddenly give you one of the most satisfying final twists of this year. In a story where our protagonist, after her life falls apart, actress Laura Franco finds her voice again when she meets a terrifying, but strangely charming, monster that lives in her closet. That simplicity allows its director to cleverly explore a film that has various moods that attract you as a viewer and that end up conquering you at the end of this whole journey.

Much of the influence is due to the tremendous performance of Mexican actress Melissa Berrera, who gives the best performance of her career, where the versatility and talent of the actress are present to carry on her shoulders a film that is truly versatile in its moods and which the actress carries with total mastery each one of them, demonstrating that she has plenty of talent and that consecrates her perfect chemistry with Tommy Dewey in this charming tale of modern beauty and the beast. The same role is played by her supporting actors, where Edmund Donovan and Meghann Fahy stand out.

The director's cleverness is to offer new sensations, because it is just the kind of clever, intelligent and passionate film that will make you want to open the closet door when you start to understand the mental game that the director subjects you to when varying so many genres within the same film and the perfect work to reach the final climax where you really understand what they were really trying to convey to us.

An intelligent and well-directed film, which may have a couple of questionable decisions or some colder moments within the warmth that the film generally provides, but it undoubtedly becomes a pleasant and satisfying film that is worth giving a chance and enjoying without limiting yourself further if the genres it shares are not to your liking, but it is the magic that surrounds the proposal, letting ourselves be enchanted by one of those films that get better and better the longer you enjoy it.

Simple and charming, but strong in what really matters, which is entertaining and surprising us with a well-directed and well-interpreted proposal that makes it a pleasure for 98 minutes.

I did not want to watch this film, at least in theaters. I was going to wait until it came out on streaming when, surprisingly enough, I went to AMC Screen Unseen for the first time, and it was the film they decided to play. It was not a bad first go around with this unique event, and I can not say it was a bad romcom. However, a lot is holding it back, but not enough to remove its charm.

To start the positives, Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey had great (most of the time) chemistry and delivered delightful performances as Laura and Monster. Without them, this film would have succumbed to the weight of steady flaws, but Barrera and Dewey carry it past the finish line.

The film was not that funny, despite being a romcom - come on - but there were many chuckle-worthy moments, and one that had me laughing.

I also thought they nailed the makeup of the beast and the costume and set designs, specifically when it came to the play Laura's ex-boyfriend, Jacob, put on. It was impressive, and Brielle Hubert, Sarah Dawn Hamlin, Matthew Simonelli, and the makeup department deserve credit.

The final positive I can give is that it has the charm visible from a mile away. It is the main reason I can appreciate the positives more than the negatives. No matter its issues, its heart is in the right place.

Even though I think it is a decent watch, the negatives are noticeable and still worth mentioning, but I will keep them as simple and sweet as possible, though I may come across as critiquing the movie more than it deserves - so you know.

First, despite Barrera's committed performance, Laura is not entirely compelling. She yells and whines many times throughout the film - granted, she is taking in her breakup with Jacob and a cancer diagnosis, but it becomes annoying within the first ten minutes. That sucks because Laura is the lead character, the person we need to be rooting for. She is also incredibly, somewhat unrealistically, naive to the fact that Jacob is Mr. Wrong, enough so that Monster calls out his evident flaws at multiple intervals.

Speaking of Monster, the relationship between him and Laura is unbalanced. By that, I mean, for the most part, they felt like bickering step-siblings than actual potential romantics. Moments are present where they felt like lovers, sometimes to the ridiculous extreme, and they truly stood out in a good way. Nevertheless, I was not impressed with how they executed their relationship.

Speaking of unbalanced, the movie as a whole is. It wants to be a cliched romantic comedy, sometimes a significant drama, other times serious romantic drama, and at parts, a horror film. Regarding the horror film angle, besides the makeup, Monster acts normal, outside of growling and throwing items. Why couldn't they do what "Lisa Frankenstein" did and never take the story seriously?

In conclusion, "Your Monster" is not a film you need to drop everything you are doing and see in theaters. It is easy to wait until streaming, but it may be worth watching if you like romantic comedies. I can classify myself as a fan of that genre, and even though I do not think it is the perfect trip to the movies, it is deeply flawed but unexpectedly charming.

Technically, the performances, the sets, the costumes, and the makeup of Monster make the technical score an easy 7/10.

Once again, it is not perfect. The enjoyment score I give it may not represent the fun it offers, but the flaws can be frustrating, and Laura is surprisingly annoying - or it could be because I was not expecting it to be the movie played at AMC Screen Unseen. However, Barrera and Dewey's chemistry saves it to the point the enjoyment score is a 6/10. Its problems are not effortless to overlook, but its appeal is undeniable.

I saw this as the Regal Mystery Movie on October, 21, 2024.

Laura Franco- Melissa Barrera-This is my first time seeing her and I got to say, it was a mixed bag. At first, I thought she did a great job of bring her characters pain and depression to life. But as the movie went on, it began to feel melodramatic. The amount of whining became almost unbearable. I will say that I greatly enjoyed the parts when she sang, especially in the finale.

Monster-Tommy Dewey - Now the monster doesn't have a real name, just Monster. Tommy Dewey plays the monster like a obnoxious frat boy who occasionally has moments of tenderness. Sure, he might read Shakespeare and play the piano, but he'll be back to burping and making a mess in no time. The Monsters speech mannerisms felt like a poor Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool impersonation most of the time. It really detracted from the performance. It felt like he was being sarcastic just to be sarcastic.

The supporting cast is full of generic stereotypical characters you would find in any romcom. None of their performances were very memorable. And frankly, almost everyone we meet is pretty unlikable.

Comparisons to Lisa Frankenstein are unfair. The only similarity I found between the two was a sad girl and a monster. While Lisa Frankenstein had a fully fleshed out plot with a very distinct style, Your Monster was more uneven and couldn't find its footing. It didn't lean into to its "claimed" genre of horror romcom. Any instances of horror were downplayed, often with a corny one liner afterwards. I feel like this movie being advertised as horror is a bait and switch. But its also labeled as a Romcom, or romantic comedy. And it was pretty light on the comedy too. There was some physical humor that was enjoyable. Like Laura just gorging herself on cookies and cake. Or having Monster scurry under the bed at nighttime.

The plot started out pretty strong. Melissa Barrera plays the role of depressed patient very well. Her performance felt real here. But as the movie dragged on, it felt like her character was actively refusing to grow. Why should I, the viewer, care about this character that seems unwilling to move forward?

The rest of the plot moves forward with a familiar tone. The pacing felt really slow. The film dragged between the movie pivotal scenes. There was also quite a bit of melodrama. She had this huge epiphany in the park, then she flounders! Like Get it together girl! When she FINALLY sets a plan in motion for revenge, the movie ends shortly after. (Spoiler) The love making scene was out of place, poorly shot, poorly acted, and nonsense. The characters were friendly not romantic and had ZERO chemistry.

Visuals were basic. Monsters face was stiff as a board, leading Tommy Dewey to over act to compensate. Monsters body hair was wildly inconsistent. Plus he looked like a Geico Caveman.

The best part of the movie was the finale at the Broadway play. It's too bad it took so long to get there and ended abruptly afterwards. Open-ended conclusion makes the audience guess.

This movie probably sounded a lot better on paper. A horror romantic comedy without the horror, romance, or comedy. A very middle of the road film, 5/10. Unremarkable.

--GremlinLord615 - Video version on YT.

Firstly, this movie is beautifully acted, directed and written (d+w by the amazing Caroline Lindy). It is wonderfully balanced between comedy, romance (but it's not what you think), dangles its toes in occasional, and very adult, horror but at its core this is about one womans psychology and her journey to "fall in love" with her INTERNAL monster. To first face it, accept its existence, grow to like and yes love her monster. A part of her she initially fears and locks away.

Now PLEASE understand this: This movie is NOT Beauty and the Beast! If you think it is, you have missed the ENTIRE point of the movie. He ain't real! He's in her head. He is part of her, not a separate entity. Viewed form that point of view there are some really clever bits of writing that otherwise would go misunderstood, like when she blames "her monster" for a certain incident.

Dear Shakespearean actors and directors: Pay attention to the delivery in this film(it's one tiny scene). Just reciting lines is not acting, and trying to squeeze lines in for the sake of saying them is not directing. I'm looking at you Denzel Washington and Joel Coen!

On the whole, my whole family LOVED this quirky, clever, sweet, slightly twisted romcompsychorror and I for one cannot wait to see what Caroline Lindy comes up with next.