melissa barrera and tommy dewey dancing together
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There is one movie musical from 2024 that deserved more love than Emilia Pérez

It seems that many award bodies in Hollywood think Emilia Pérez is a good movie. It is not. But that is not really a hot take these days. Most who have seen it have issues with the film. One musical movie though deserves the praise Emilia Pérez gets: Your Monster.

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Caroline Lindy’s film takes us into a world where the monster who lives in your closet may be the man of your dreams. A young actress named Laura (Melissa Barrera) meets her Monster (Tommy Dewey) after a break-up when her ex, Jacob (Edmund Donovan). Jacob is moving forward with a musical that both he and Laura were working on together and is not going to cast her when the stars finally align in Laura’s favor.

But the heart of this film lies in Laura’s relationship with Monster. He is there for her when no one else is, he is romantic and sweet, and will do anything for her, no matter how far that feeling goes. It is weirdly sweet to see these two understand each other and their love for each other and it shows just what true love is. But while many look at Emilia Pérez as some groundbreaking story, it is actual ridded with controversy.

The white French director, Jacques Audiard, has faced pushback from many in Mexico for his depiction of the Mexican people without having any Mexican crew on the film. It has even spawned a short film from Mexican filmmakers poking fun at French stereotypes and showing why they are all so upset with the film.

On another note, the music of the movie has been ridiculed online for being simple and at times lackluster and yet it has consistently gotten praise at award shows like the Golden Globes. When Your Monster is better.

“My Stranger” is better than every song in Emilia Pérez

Laura sings a beautiful song all about her “stranger” and it is a love montage between her and Monster. It is powerful, beautiful, and one of those songs I want to sing at karaoke whenever I get the chance. There is not a single song in Emilia Pérez that has that emotion for me. In fact, only one song was memorable enough and it isn’t for a good reason!

Look, I know that I am being harsh on Emilia Pérez but the movie itself is harmful and offensive. If anything, it is boring at best. There isn’t anything incredibly special or moving about it and yet it is getting attention that should belong to more groundbreaking films. I am not foolish, I know that Your Monster was not part of the award conversation. But out of the recent slate of original musical movies, it is at the top of my list.

It is such a fun and interesting film to watch and I would rather listen to “My Stranger” on repeat than ever listen to a song from Emilia Pérez again. So if you haven’t, you should spend your time with Laura and her Monster.


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Rachel Leishman
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Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.