Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Review

If you're like me, you love a good true crime story—this one is around 40 years old. Netflix has dropped a mini-series titled “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” It shares their version of what happened in 1996, leading the brothers to kill their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. Was it for the family fortune, as Ryan Murphy suggests? Or, as the word on the street says, did the young men do it out of fear of a lifetime of abuse?

Episode 1 of the 9-part series kicks off in 1989, with the Menendez brothers, ages 19 and 22 at the time, being taken into custody by the FBI for the murder of their parents. Initially, the Beverly Hills murders were blamed on the mob. Javier Bardem, who plays Jose Menendez, brings to life a man who was born in Cuba and clawed his way up to become a wealthy and powerful entertainment industry mogul, eventually becoming an executive at RCA Records and the CEO of Live Entertainment. 

In this first episode, Erik, played by Cooper Koch, struggles with his actions and seeks professional help. During a visit to Dr. Jerome Oziel, he confesses that he and his brother killed their parents. Dr. Oziel then calls Lyle into the office to get them in one place and also calls his mistress, Judalon, to witness the confession. Reflecting on the trial and how it played out in the series, Dr. Oziel comes across as an opportunist. Though the series portrays his call to the mistress as motivated by fear for his life, it seems he saw an opportunity to sell the story. Personally, I think Dr. Oziel should have lost his license for breaking doctor-patient confidentiality, but that's just my opinion.

Back to the story—as the episodes progress, we not only get reacquainted with Milli Vanilli, but we also delve into the traumas the young men experienced, which led to that tragic night. Ryan Murphy adds an intriguing twist by portraying Erik as a closeted or questioning homosexual. Is this true? Not according to interviews with Erik Menendez. However, Murphy seems to have drawn inspiration from Erik's testimony about his feelings after being violated by his father, taking it and blowing it out of proportion. The made Lyle, played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez, look like a cooked up brat. 

There were moments I had to look up to refresh my memory about the trials, especially the second one. The judge's assertion that a boy couldn't be a victim of a sex crime was just mind-boggling. They were also not allowed to present testimony or allude to the abuse they suffered at their father’s hands. You also get glimpses of Kitty, played by Chloë Sevigny almost walking in on the father when he was with his sons in a intimate way.  Then it's stated that she flat out acknowledge that she knew but wanted to keep the family together. In the end, they were sentenced to two life sentences with no chance of parole.

The final sequence mirrors the first episode, with Milli Vanilli's "I’m Gonna Miss You" playing as the brothers are shackled and transferred to prison. As Erik is about to enter the van, he sees his brother. They each get into separate vans and take off. And then the gut punch! You believe they are going to the same prison but nope, they part ways. I had forgotten that they were not together until more recently. So let’s do the math, the young men went into to prison in 1996 and remained separated until 2018. They had not seen each other for 22 years. Could you imagine being separated by the only family that truly loved you for over two decades?

I had forgotten that they were kept apart until more recently. Let's do the math— the Menendez brothers went to prison in 1996 and were separated until 2018. That's 22 years without seeing each other.

I highly recommend this series. Yes, it’s loosely based on true events that some of us followed on “Court TV.” It’s captivating to see the dramatization of the events leading up to that fateful moment. The soundtrack is amazing and very nostalgic. 

The actors playing the Menendez brothers are top tier. Give them all the accolades and flowers, especially Cooper Koch, who in my opinion, carried the entire series with his emotional dialogues. A special round of applause for doing a one take 33 minute dialog. Bravo! Nicholas Chavez also shined with his acting skills and expressive facials—tens all around. And speaking of 10s... episode 3 (ahem). 

This series gets 4 out of 5 acorns from me.