Beauty and the Beat
Directed by Caroline Lindy
Starring Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan
Released October 25th, 2024
Rated R
Laura (Melissa Barrera) is a stage actress who has been helping her playwright boyfriend Jacob (Edmund Donovan) create his latest play, House of Good Women. Jacob has written the lead for Laura, who has helped him workshop the songs. After Laura receives a cancer diagnosis, Jacob breaks up with her while she is in the hospital dealing with treatment. What a monster. Months later, Laura is out of the hospital, cancer-free, and adjusting to single life. Laura learns that Jacob is moving forward with the production of House of Good Women and decides to try out for the lead.
I have an affinity for fictional works of art presented within another fictional work of art, such as the play The Murder of Gonzago, the book The King in Yellow, and the television series Galaxy Quest. It’s neat to imagine what these works would look like fully realized. Unfortunately, the songs and costumes of House of Good Women are not impressive. The songs, credited to The Lazours, aren’t catchy, and the stagecraft is uninspired. Maybe that’s the point, to show that Jacob is actually a hack? Regardless, it doesn’t make for a memorable production.
I neglected to mention that in the midst of all of this, Laura discovers a humanoid monster (Tommy Dewey) in her closet, where he has apparently been living for years. This monster looks like a cross between Ron Perlman in the 1987 television series Beauty and the Beast and Dan Stevens in Disney’s 2017 live action remake of Beauty and the Beast. Laura does not call him “beast,” however, sticking with “Monster.” The creature never offers or receives a proper name, so “Monster” it is.
Despite his scruffy and fanged appearance, Monster is well-spoken, well-dressed, enjoys watching old movies and reading classic books, digs Chinese take-out, and offers Laura a shoulder to cry on during her troubles. Monster is an ideal stand-in for a perfect boyfriend, down to lighting Laura’s fire in the sack. That’s a little creepy given that he’s apparently been her monster since she was a little girl, lurking in the shadows of her closet or under her bed. Of course, you are left to wonder – does Monster really exist, or is this just Laura’s imaginative way of getting her groove back?
Written and directed by Caroline Lindy, Your Monster has a goofy premise that doesn’t quite work. Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey are alright in their roles, though Dewey’s monster isn’t monstrous enough, and Barrera’s Laura is a clumsy cliché. It doesn’t help that they do not share any real chemistry with each other. I am confused as to why the title is Your Monster, as “My Monster” seems like it would be a better fit. Are the filmmakers saying that we all have a monster inside of us, one that we will eat Chinese food with, and watch old films with, go to costume parties with, have sex with, and with whom we will commit murderous acts of violence? One would hope this meandering story would lead to a compelling ending. No dice. Your Monster features a denouement that is not clever, funny, or rewarding. In lieu of providing cozy closure, the filmmakers decide to go with a blood-soaked shocker. It’s a head-scratching, unfulfilling conclusion to an overall unsatisfying film.
Romantic comedies that feature horror elements (let me coin the term “Hor-Rom-Coms”) can be equal measures deranged and delightful, with as many swoon-worthy moments as bloody dismemberments. Some good examples of this sub-genre are My Boyfriend’s Back, Cemetery Man, and one of my favorite films of 2024, Lisa Frankenstein. A good example of a bad example of this sub-genre would be Your Monster.