The Monster
A hapless Italian gardener becomes the police’s favorite suspect when innocent accidents resemble the work of a vicious serial killer.
Overview
A comedy of errors unfolds as a gardener becomes the prime suspect in a series of bizarre murders.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- frantic
- comedy night
- italian cinema night
What critics said
Critics found the film energetic and accessible as slapstick but excessively childish and overlong, despite its major popular success in Italy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Loris’s compromising situations and Benigni’s elastic performance turn suspicion and sexual danger into broad physical farce.
Loris becomes the prime suspect because police reinterpret innocent encounters as evidence of serial murder.
Scholarly readings connect the film’s satire to compulsory consumption and conformity in Berlusconi-era media society.
Critics and scholars place Benigni’s comic method in conversation with commedia dell’arte, Chaplin, and Keaton.
Films like The Monster, and why
Modern Times
physical comedy, social satire, and a misunderstood outsider caught in escalating misunderstandings
The General
eccentric comic performance, slapstick escalation, and critique of social conformity
Johnny Stecchino
italian comic tradition, absurd police situations, and a protagonist mistaken for a criminal
The Big Lebowski
dark farce, mistaken identity, and comedic treatment of institutional incompetence
Movie Details
- Director
- Roberto Benigni
- Release Date
- 1994-10-22
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (672)
Cast
- Roberto Benigni
- Michel Blanc
- Nicoletta Braschi
- Dominique Lavanant
- Jean-Claude Brialy
- Laurent Spielvogel
- Ivano Marescotti
- Franco Mescolini
- Massimo Girotti
- Luciana Pieri Palombi
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Monster about?
- A hapless Italian gardener becomes the police’s favorite suspect when innocent accidents resemble the work of a vicious serial killer.
- What is The Monster like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Monster as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Monster violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Monster as mild.
- What did critics think of The Monster?
- Critics found the film energetic and accessible as slapstick but excessively childish and overlong, despite its major popular success in Italy.
- Which films are like The Monster?
- Films with a similar feel include Modern Times, The General, Johnny Stecchino, and The Big Lebowski.
- How long is The Monster?
- The Monster runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Monster?
- In United States, The Monster streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
