Your Monster
Your Monster
Starring Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster
Directed by Caroline Lindy
Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera) is a girl struggling to live. She's been diagnosed with cancer, and her longtime boyfriend Jacob (Edmund Donovan) - who's a playwright and whom she helped pen his latest play - dumps her in the middle of it. Her only friend Mazie (Kayla Foster) is oftentimes absent, and she's resorted to moving into her mother's old home - but one night she finds she's not entirely alone. Hearing a noise upstairs she finds her childhood Monster (Tommy Dewey) living in the closet, and at first the two butt heads, with him wanting her gone so he can enjoy the peace and quiet of living alone. But as the weeks progress the two grow closer, and she finds the courage to audition for Jacob's play - a play who's main character is centered around Laura herself - as she discovers the strength to not be a living doormat for everyone, and finding love in the most unconventional of ways.
"Your Monster" is a fun, funny dark comedy that has emotion and heart, a tale as old as time. A woman forgotten by the world, someone who gets walked all over by her ex, her friends, and everyone else, finds solace in the arms of her childhood Monster, who's the only thing treating her with respect. You immediately feel for Laura right away, as she endures not just a breakup, but a cancer diagnosis while it seems no one around her cares. She relies on her best friend, but even she abandons her time and again for her own life, leaving her alone in her home eating pies and purchasing tissues from Amazon because she keeps running out.
The Monster is her only solace, and it's this chemistry that drives the film forward. Melissa Barrera is best known for her role in the last two "Scream" outings, and being able to let loose and have some fun really shows in "Your Monster," as she channels her inner comedic self while keeping the horror vibes going (seriously, the ending of this film is absolutely bonkers). Her relationship with Tommy Dewey's Monster is infectious and immediate, and you sense a deep chemistry between the two characters and actors as well. They work off each other perfectly, with Monster's dry sarcastic wit and Laura's fractured sense of self being perfect fodder against each other, while also bringing the two closer together.
It's a lighthearted (sorta) romantic comedy with some horror elements mixed in, but not in a way that makes the movie terrifying. It would almost be appropriate for families if not for a couple scenes, and it allows itself to really let loose and have fun, and for first time director Caroline Lindy, it's a great starting point to a successful career.
Sure, the film falls into the traditional pitfalls of romantic comedies, and while you can see them coming a mile away, thanks to the chemistry of the cast it doesn't really affect the outcome, except to provide a hilarious, emotional ride through the mind of one woman's psyche, wherein her Monster may or may not even be real.
The Score: B+
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