Your Monster

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.

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.

Really it's verey good I advise you to watch it someday You will come out of it shocked. There are some things that are considered bad, such as that the length of the monster is close to the height of Melissa Barrera. It should have been larger, in addition to the fact that the blood at the end was clearly artificial and not real, but in the end the film is considered good. The performance of Tommy and Melissa Barrera was good and the ending is good. But I want to know what will happen next. Will they arrest her or will she survive somehow? I hope there will be a second part, but I don't want it to be a bad part. I want it to be a continuation of what happens, and I hope they don't arrest her. Rather, I want us to get away in some way.

Laura Franco is a young actress has hit rock bottom. She is diagnosed with cancer and her boyfriend breaks up with her "needing a break." After spending some time alone, she finds a long-haired monster living in her closest. Laura grows very close to this oddly charming monster as she lands a job at a play directed by her ex-boyfriend.

Saw this one for Melissa Barrera and it did not disappoint. In fact, Your Monster really surprised me. It takes three genres and combines them like a pro to create a heartwarming and twisted horror romcom. Watching Caroline Lindy's movie feels like watching a theater kid's dream and I loved it. The story is so entertaining between the adorable romance between Laura and Monster, the clever humor throughout the film, the juicy drama with the theater production and Laura dealing with Jacob, the twists that I surprisingly did not see coming and a really memorable ending. The atmosphere is so classy like watching an old school romcom with a neat gothic twist. I could easily see this being a great comfort movie for those dealing with bad breakups.

Speaking of which, Lindy does a great job capturing the cruelty and tragedy of a breakup when someone is going through their lowest moment. She also conveys that the actions of Laura's boyfriend were not okay and that she should stick up for herself in a very powerful way. This has got to be one of the meanest breakups I have seen in a movie and it shows that he was not gonna be there for her ever.

I also like how despite that Lindy shows that it maybe hard for someone who has been wronged to let go entirely. I am no expert on romantic relationships, but this got me thinking a bit about relationships.

The romantic relationship between Laura and Monster is absolutely adorable. They have a lot more in common than they think and watching their bond grow is effortlessly charming. At first, the relationship seemed very weird as Monster started out as unlikable but he grows on me as the film goes along and I can see why the two click so much better with their similarities and differences complimenting each other well. It helps that Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey share fantastic chemistry.

Another thing I liked is how they show that friendship requires more than just giving things and hanging out for a few minutes. Now there is twist with her, but in general, the movie encourages people to be better friends and not do the bare minimum. This movie surprisingly has a lot of solid things to say about the people around you and why spending more time with your friends is important.

Melissa Barrera as Laura Franco is so good in this movie. She plays the role of a brokenhearted woman perfectly with her expressions, dialogue delivery and her actions. Her rants against Jacob and Mazie are epic to watch. It is also really cool to see Barrera in a role like this that brings out some insecurities and frustrations making her performance even more authentic.

Tommy Dewey is a blast as Monster. His mannerisms, his casual speech to Laura when they first meet and his recitations of classic literature makes him very entertaining to watch. Dewey owns the role and he looks like he is having so much fun playing this strange creature every minute he is on screen.

Barrera and Dewey share delightful chemistry with each other. They look like they love being around each other every minute and they help make the bond between Laura and Monster so charming to watch. There is a lovely dance scene in particular is a beautiful showcase of their chemistry without a single line of dialogue.

Jacob as an antagonist or villain is probably one of my most hated characters of the year, but in a good way. Jacob represents everything that a boyfriend should never be and each scene he is in shows how much a horrible person he is and I already did not like him from the opening scene! Edmund Donovan does a fantastic job as this jerk and showing all of his unsavory traits while showing a few pleasant ones to hide his true nature. Donovan captures the entitled boss perfectly.

Mazie is another character that I did not like from the start, but the movie makes it clear that she is not a good friend to Laura. She tries to hype herself up as Laura's ride or die, but she always says she has to go somewhere when Laura needs her. Kayla Foster does a really good showing that energy that feels kind of fake. On the other hand, there is Jackie who seems like a mean girl at first, but turns out to be pretty likable and well-meaning. Meghan Fahy does a solid job as this character with a heart of gold. The cast is so great because everyone here feels so authentic in their roles.

Visually, the movie looks really neat. I really love the gothic setting between the diverse colors and the slick cinematography that balances between darkness and colorful. The costume designs are creative with the theater setting and the makeup on Tommy Dewey looks great. He probably has the perfect look for a romantic monster here.

The musical score by Timothy Williams is very enchanting with a nice mix of horror and whimsical energy. Not only that, but the songs in the movie are great. There are a lot of classy old songs throughout the film making the movie feel delightfully old-school at times. Barrera does not just deliver a great acting performance, but she also gets show her singing talents. Her voice is beautiful and her singing is excellent with the song "My Stranger." It makes me want to hear her sing in more movies or on her own.

Your Monster is such a lovely romantic comedy with horror elements. It is bursting with charm, creativity and laughs while having some really good commentary about friendship and relationships. I can see how personal this project is for director Caroline Lindy as she pours her heart and soul in every scene in this movie from Laura's experience to the personality of Monster. This is a very overlooked film and I highly recommend it, especially if you are a fan of romcoms and want something fresh on the genre. Heck, I am not even a fan of romcoms, but this movie won me over!

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.