What if your closet monster were real? You know, the one you’ve feared since childhood. The one that made you afraid of the dark and unlikely to stick your hand off the side of your bed … ever. Well, for one lucky lady, her monster exists in the flesh. And when I say “lucky,” I mean exactly the opposite. Because nothing about her tale in Act I is encouraging.
She hugged the Amazon guy. Yeah, that happened. Because she needed it. That’s how depressed, lonely, and empty Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera) felt after her return from the hospital.
Why was she in the hospital? Good question. The answer: Cancer.
Geez, how old is Laura? Young. Early 30s tops. Too young for cancer, certainly.
Did anything else happen while she was in the hospital? So glad you asked. Yes, something significant did happen – her boyfriend Jacob dumped her.
Jacob … ? Jacob Sullivan (Edmund Donovan), the upcoming Broadway musical director? Yes, that Jacob. The one who wrote a feminist musical with a lead named “Laurie Francis.” You’ll never guess who helped him write and develop the musical.
No way.
Way. Oh, and now he’s auditioning lots of people not named “Laura Franco” for the role promised to [checks notes] “Laura Franco.”
Booted out of her shared apartment, Laura returns to her childhood home, an otherwise pleasant Manhattan two story brownstone. Her parents are gone. Mom left a check. They don’t live here; they don’t want to have anything to do with cancer girl. Her friend Mazie (Kayla Foster) escorted her back from the hospital while promising doting attention … but leaves Laura alone at first opportunity.
This is how you get to the point where you hug an Amazon delivery guy.
And now something is going bump in the night. That something is a closet monster (Tommy Dewey). A real one. And, though it is a walking/talking/can-be-reasoned-with monster, it is still a monster. It likes living alone. And it gives Laura two weeks to get her ass out of his place.
Beauty and the Beast is an easy comparison here. At the root of the story, there’s a monster and a girl who each have nobody else. It would behoove
them to get along. I’m not sure why we don’t explore the origin/genetics of the monster, nor why we don’t delve further on how long it has lived in that closet, but we don’t. All we care about is the relationship between Laura and Monster.
Thankfully, this is my favorite couple of 2024. This is my favorite romance of 2024. Once these two get over themselves, he’s a fairly erudite monster and she’s a lost soul in need of something other than a brick wall of self-doubt. This whole film made me smile. And the “no holds barred” ending of Your Monster is my favorite in a long, long while. I have no idea who writer/director Caroline Lindy is, but I sure want to see her make another film. Right now, I would love to ask her two questions:
1) The film is “based on a true story.” OK, how “true,” exactly? 90% 50% 2% And what part(s)? Was this based on “Hamilton?” Is Lin-Manuel Miranda the Monster?
2) Is there an actual monster? Or is this just an artistic way of showing how Laura got her shit together again?
There was once a patient named Laura
Who survived cancer while being shown the door-a
She retreated in pain
To childhood, again
Compared to what follows, the hospital’s a boor-a
Rated R, 103 Minutes
Director: Caroline Lindy
Writer: Caroline Lindy
Genre: Behind the curtain
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: People all in for romance and comeuppance
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Bullies
