'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ is a sublimely cast true-crime series with bold homoerotic moments
One of the most sensationalised murder trials in the US is currently on Netflix as a true crime anthology series, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”.
Admittedly, the streaming platform was prudent to run with the nine-part series first before dropping “The Menendez Brothers” documentary as it whets the appetite of streamers wanting to know more about the gruesome parricide.
However, this review is of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s series, which has come under fire for its gratuitous incestuous and homoerotic scenes.
Let’s not forget about reality TV star turned actress Kim Kardashian capitalising on the hype by advocating for the release of the brothers, who have been behind bars for 34 years for the murder of their parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez.
Back to the series, which opens with Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch) being chauffeured to their parents' memorial with the smooth sounds of Kenny G’s “Songbird” in the background.
Lyle is overly confident as he walks in his dad’s shoes - literally - while Erik is an emotional mess delivering their eulogies.
The guests attending are thrown by Lyle’s behaviour and stymied by his decision to end with Milli Vanilli’s “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” tribute to his late mother.
The strained relationship between Erik and Lyle is evident. Lyle is splurging like there is no tomorrow. Erik, however, is wrestling with the guilt of them killing their parents.
Haunted by flashbacks and nightmares of the tragic event, he unburdens himself to Dr Jerome Oziel (Dallas Roberts), a morally bankrupt shrink.
It is a move that proves costly later on as the taped sessions with both brothers are used to arrest them thanks to the psychologist's scorned lover Judalon Smyth (Leslie Grossman) putting the kibosh in his blackmail plans with brothers.
Honestly, this is not an easy series to watch. But the casting is so on-point with the actors delivering unparalleled performances in their respective roles.
The subject matter is hard-hitting and it tackles themes of sexual abuse, abandonment, violence, infidelity and emotional and mental health struggles.
Javier Bardem plays José with aplomb. Born in Cuba, José is all about success, power and wealth. And he exemplifies this as a power-wielding record label magnate contemplating a career in politics.
He is very hard on his boys, who he feels are not exploring their full potential despite being given every opportunity to do so.
He berates Erik for his modelling, poor performance on the tennis court and wanting a career in the performing arts space.
José is also tough on Lyle, who, try as he might, can never impress his father.
Of course, it doesn’t help when the brothers act out and commit petty theft in the neighbourhood. Or when Lyle cheats on his exam.
It’s a toxic situation with José’s lofty expectations compounded by the alleged dark secret he shares with his sons.
The brothers felt suffocated and it didn’t help that their mother Kitty (Chloë Sevigny), a trophy wife, was resentful towards them. She considered them a burden.
When tackling a true crime story, creative liberties are taken. Do the showrunners go overboard at times? Yes. But that is the point though.
They are telling a story that’s so preposterous that it stretches credulity. Admittedly, they get a little too carried away with protracted storytelling but they remain authentic to the documented events.
The scenes with Nathan Lane as a campy Dominick Dunne will either delight or entertain.
He plays a prominent journalist with a bone to pick with the defence lawyer, Leslie Abramson ( Ari Graynor), who he blames for his daughter’s killer going free.
As such, he holds these high-society gatherings where he spills the tea on the case.
I cannot praise the casting enough. If you watch the latest Netflix documentary, you will be blown away by how the actors could pass for doppelgängers of the characters they play.
This series is dark, disturbing and dramatic.
The actors playing the Menendez brothers share great chemistry. They get the viewers emotionally invested in their journey from dumb jocks to cold-blooded killers to abused rich kids.
Are they victims or pretending to be so? Watch and decide for yourself. But the real Menendez brothers haven’t stopped pleading their innocence.
In the meantime, I can't get that damn Milli Vanilli song out of my head ...