Monsters: Lyle and Erik Menendez’s Story Review

One thing about Ryan Murphy: he’s going to try to make true crime sexy. By
cheerfulness Taking on the world of true crime, Murphy has many accolades to his name, both for better and for worse. After being critically acclaimed American crime story series, including the Incredibly Done The People vs. OJ Simpson and the Darren Chris epic of The murder by Gianni Versacewith which he made a big hit Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

The show became one of Netflix’s biggest hits and earned Evan Peters an Emmy for his starring role. Now Murphy tackles one of the most compelling trials of the ’80s and ’90s: the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez.

For those of us who weren’t alive during this case, it gripped the nation for years. To make a long story short, the case pitted two wealthy California boys, Erik and Lyle Menendez, on trial for murdering their parents in cold blood with shotguns.

Not only was it one of the first major television trials, it also moved Americans to their core. Here were two handsome, rich guys who had everything. Everything about the boys contradicted their beliefs about murderers – mind you, this was before movies like
American psychopath. The American public was fascinated, yet unmoved. How could those two boys, completely normal looking boys, do something so heinous?

This is the question that Ryan Murphy tries to explain in the ambitious
Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. Delving deep into the murders, the boys, their motivations and the family’s history, Murphy’s epic is a study in scale. It takes us through decades, then zooms in on crucial minutes of the case and then zooms out again.

I must admit that it is an impressive watch. First of all, it does what good TV should do: keep your eyes on the TV. Just like with the real course itself, you can’t look away. From the standout performances to the directorial decisions,
Monsters is a piece of television – so why is it so controversial?

Monsters has been criticized by both Menendez brothers, some viewers who found it too “sexy”, and critics of true crime as a whole. But is it worth watching? And what does Kim Kardashian have to do with it? Read on for the full scoop.

What is Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez about?

Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez follows the titular brothers from the murder of their parents, through both their trials and their eventual convictions. But it is not a chronological version of events. It’s a campy adventure that puts you in the middle of the 80s and 90s and immerses the viewer in a world of excess and, somehow, empathy.

Murphy and co-creator Ian Brennan have cranked up the Menendez brothers’ already sensational story to eleven. The murder scene? A revenge fantasy worthy of Quentin Tarantino. The brotherly bond? Terribly
Game of Thrones in the incest innuendo department – ​​which is one of the main criticisms of the series (I mean, did the guys really kiss in speedos and dance provocatively together at parties? Or was that just what Ryan Murphy was imagining?). It’s a campy spectacle Beverly Hills, 90210 meet Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as José and Kitty Menendez. Bardem, who channels his inner self
No country for old men energy, is terrifying as the abusive patriarch. Sevigny, meanwhile, is not the cool girl we know and love, but instead someone who is horrifically hateful in her portrayal of the complicit mother.

Nicholas Alexander Chavez (Lyle) and Cooper Koch (Erik) lead the charge as our murderous duo. Chavez, fresh from his flight
General Hospital launches us into the intensity of the series with his fearless performance in the very first scene. He doesn’t waste a second and manages to be intimidating, frustrating and quietly funny at the same time – who didn’t chuckle at the toupee scene? His Lyle is a Patrick Bateman-esque mixture of charming and chilling.

In the meantime, Koch brings Erik a vulnerability that will undoubtedly win him an Emmy. In particular, his performance in Episode 6: “The Hurt Man” is a single shot, a single take, in which he delivers a chillingly devastating monologue that cements him as one of the greatest working actors working today. This will undoubtedly lead him to superstardom, not to mention his good looks and abs.

But this is exactly the problem. Murphy continually reminds us how
is called these guys are. Part of it is to highlight their vanity. The scene where Lyle asks for tanning lotion in jail shouldn’t have been relatable, but I couldn’t help but think: he is so real. Half of the series sees them shirtless, lounging by the pool in speedos or playing tennis a la Challengers. Ryan Murphy often advocates for viewers to empathize with the brothers. But his main argument seems to be: they’re hot.

What’s the controversy over Ryan Murphy’s? Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez?

The show’s blatant horniness is made more complex by the serious themes of sexual abuse and violence explored in the show. Murphy has never been one to shy away from controversial topics, but ‘Monsters’ goes even further. The series depicts the brothers’ alleged abuse at the hands of their father in graphic detail, while simultaneously playing up the homoerotic tension between Lyle and Erik.

It’s a choice that will undoubtedly raise eyebrows. On the one hand, it can be seen as an attempt to explore the complex psychological consequences of abuse. On the other hand, it often feels like it veers into exploitation – and for what? To get more views. Every scene is shot like a 1991 Calvin Klein ad, all sun-kissed skin and smoldering stares, which feels out of place with the storyline.

The controversy is so deep that the real Menendez brothers heard about the show from their detention at the Donovan Correctional Facility in California, where they don’t even have Netflix. But they seem to know enough to beat the show. Despite speaking to members of the cast and crew in preparation for the show, Erik called it a “dishonest portrayal.”

His main point of contention, like many others, is the portrayal of their abuse – or any doubt about its validity. In his statement, Murphy was denounced, saying he had “taken the painful truths several steps backwards – back in time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative based on a belief system that men were not sexually abused and that men experienced rape trauma differently than women. .”

But Murphy responded directly to these criticisms in a rare move. Although he expressed his condolences, he stood by his choices. “We give them their day in court and they talk about it openly. In this day and age when people can really talk about sexual abuse, it can be controversial to talk about it, write about it and write about all points of view.”
he said.

And what does Kim Kardashian have to do with it?

One thing about Kim K? She pulls that lawyer card when necessary – like father, like daughter. Although headlines make it seem like Kim visited Erik and Lyle in person, that’s not entirely true.

Kardashian reportedly spoke about prison reform at the Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, where the Menendez brothers are currently serving life sentences. Maybe it was just a coincidence that she did this speaking engagement just days after the show premiered — especially since she, too, once appeared in a Ryan Murphy adaptation (her father was a main character in
The People vs. OJ Simpson).

Kim wasn’t alone, which complicates the story. Her entourage included her sister Khloé, her mother Kris and – surprisingly – the actor who plays Erik, Cooper Koch.

“Kim and Scott Budnick are doing a lot of work on prison reform and she had seen the show,” Koch said
Extra. “We went to the gymnasium where we were with about 30 prisoners, all sharing their stories and it was very emotional and inspiring,” Cooper added. “I met them both and just said that I believe them and that I support them and that I did everything I could to portray them authentically.”

So where does that leave us?
Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez is undeniably compelling television. It is beautifully shot, expertly acted and paced like a thriller. But it’s also problematic, especially in light of Erik’s comments: Erik, who is the most sympathetic in the script. The show’s treatment of sexual abuse, its glorification of violence, and its loose relationship to the facts all raise serious ethical questions.

Will it win Emmys? Probably. Will it spark heated debates about the ethics of true crime entertainment? Certainly. Can you stop watching once you start? No chance.