Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Monster's Ball

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

This brutal movie is for adults only.

Movie R 2002 101 minutes
Monster's Ball Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

single991
single991 Adult
June 30, 2018
age 16+

Monster' Ball

Monster's Ball is an adult film that deals with very serious and emotional subject matters. Sex: a very strong and long sex scene between the two main characters with lots of nudity, moaning and thrusting. Another strong scene with prostitution with nudity. Violence: a man shoots himself, quite graphic. A child is run over, sad and graphic. Execution scene which is intense and strong. Quite a lot of swearing, racist language. A woman smokes and drinks throughout.
StepMomSterToo
StepMomSterToo Parent
January 11, 2011
age 17+

NO KIDS

This is a gritty real-life movie. No good messages. There's violence, degrading racial references, an extremely vivid sex scene no one under the age of 21 should see. If you watch this with your kids, you just might be a bad parent.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In MONSTER'S BALL, prison guard Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) clings to his hatred and racism as a way of distancing himself from his loneliness and misery. He throws two black boys off his property, even though they are friends of his son's. When his son (Heath Ledger), also a death row guard, gets sick while escorting a prisoner to execution, Hank brutally assaults him physically and emotionally. Although it is clear that it is Hank's own vulnerability and isolation that terrifies him, the attack and its aftermath are horrifying. Meanwhile, Leticia (Halle Berry), the condemned prisoner's wife, is desperate. Her son drowns his misery in candy and is very overweight. She loses her waitress job, her car breaks down, and she is about to lose her house. Hank and Leticia see their lives as hopelessly bleak, and they get worse as unspeakable tragedy strikes them both. In a way, the tragedy frees them. Having lost everything, there is no longer any reason to try to hold on to old notions and old fears.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (2 ):

The artificiality of the plot is a distraction, at times seeming like a bizarre version of the old Hollywood imperative that the romantic couple has to "meet cute." But Thornton and Berry are magnificent. Berry deservedly won an Oscar for her brave and vulnerable performance. The dignity and poignancy of both performances is deeply moving. Sean Combs is outstanding in his brief appearance as Leticia's husband, demonstrating great dignity and a range of emotion as he prepares for his execution.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how people become racist and how we find help when we need it. Do you agree with what Hank decided about his father? What is Leticia thinking at the very end of the movie? What do you think will happen next?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: February 8, 2002
  • On DVD or streaming: June 11, 2002
  • Cast: Billy Bob Thornton , Halle Berry , Heath Ledger
  • Director: Marc Forster
  • Inclusion Information: Indigenous actors, Black actors
  • Studio: Lionsgate
  • Genre: Drama
  • Run time: 101 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: strong sexual content, language and violence
  • Last updated: August 5, 2023

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate