15 Totally Flawless Movie Monologues
The greatest monologues in cinema.
Monologues are one of the most perfect things a movie can offer its audience. When done right, they give actors the chance to really prove their salt as a performer, but in many cases they can also add a deeper meaning to the film's story, offer catharsis to beaten down protagonists, and reveal hidden secrets within a character's life and actions.
At their best, monologues are hypnotic, raging, funny, tragic and often the best part of a movie. They win Oscars, secure cheers from the audience, and force us to confront our innermost feelings.
Whether a cult favourite rom-com, a searing tale of addiction or a melancholy drama, these 15 movies all feature monologues which are pitch-perfect in their execution and memorability. From old classics it would be rude not to include to more left-field but equally masterful speeches, all of these monologues will stay with you long after the final word is spoken.
With that in mind, here are 15 great movie monologues that are totally flawless.
CW: This list contains heavy spoilers and videos with very strong language.
15. I'm Somebody Now - Requiem For A Dream (2000)
In Requiem for a Dream, widow and mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn) is invited to take part in her favourite game show, and in hopes of being able to fit into her best dress she goes on a crash diet and eventually becomes addicted to amphetamines.
When her son, Harry (Jared Leto) - himself a heroin addict - tries to talk her out of her drug use, she breaks down and offers up one of the film's many soul-destroying moments.
For Sara, the prospect of going on her favourite show and finally being free of her lonely existence is enough reason for the drastic measures she's taking to lose weight. She laments about her late husband, her futile attempts at happiness and how people have started to like her.
It's a tragic, painfully human moment, where Sara lays it all on the table admits how unhappy and lost she really is, and Burstyn gives the performance of a lifetime.
Seeing where she ends up during the film's climax - trapped in a coma following electroshock therapy - only makes it that much harder to listen to her pain.