It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Blistering performances.

I really enjoy watching Spalding Gray's monologue films. The dry wit and humor, the self-deprecating approach to his insecurities and even those things that he felt pretty strongly about.I was watching his "Monster in a Box" (1992) film this morning (July 13, 2007) and, again, enjoying his recollections about his professional and personal life since he made the previous hit, "Swimming to Cambodia," (1987).And then it hit me...Spalding Gray is dead. I'm watching a film record of a man who supposedly committed suicide by jumping off the Staten Island Ferry into the East River sometime in January, 2004.His body wasn't found for nearly two months (March 9, 2004) and, by that time, the only thing that they believed they could recognize of Spalding Gray were the pants still clinging to the body.I will miss Spalding Gray very much and I am appreciative of the knowledge that he will still visit me every now and then when I turn on the television and happily discover one of his old films is being broadcast. But here's the point of this comment here in IMDb: Watching "Monster in a Box" reveals a high degree of potential insight into what is to become of Spalding Gray seventeen years into the future. All you have to do is listen... and think, "This man will commit suicide seventeen years from when he spoke these words." Think about this, what he said in Monster in a Box"... He is talking about the Christmas holiday season approaching. The only way he knew it was coming was because he had heard something about it on the radio. And for some reason or another (I didn't catch this part) he wanted to participate in a suicide telephone helpline, where he might help people who had become despondent and suicidal during the holidays.In order to join the suicide hotline "team," Spalding had to undergo a written test and then be interviewed by team leaders who were to determine his suitability to the task of stopping others from killing themselves.He "failed" the interview. One member of the interview team told him that it would be a good idea if he (Spalding) sought psychological counseling. This confession got a good laugh from the audience... but I knew something they didn't - and I thought about it: Perhaps helping others to stop from killing themselves might have been the best form of counseling Spalding Gray could ever have had. I'm not sure.Despite the fact that Spalding Gray had been habitually despondent ever since an auto accident in Ireland in 2001 had left him suffering from severe nerve damage, he had always struck me as being a tortured soul on the edge of self-destruction. His mother had committed suicide (he comments in the film about his own mother's severe despondency and how, on one occasion near the end, she had asked his advice on how she could best end her own life). It makes you wonder if suicide could somehow be genetic.Anyway, I thought that I would share this thought with you and - along with me - watch "Monster in a Box" again sometime in the future, and pay particular attention to the hidden asides and innuendoes of a suicide yet to come. If you note something of interest, maybe you'll share it with me... You can comment on it in the IMDb blog or chat room or whatever they call it at the bottom of the IMDb "Monster in a Box" web page. I'll start a "thread" in there called "Staten Island Ferry." Come and add your comment.

Three of the things you can say about Spalding Gray are: he certainly marched to the beat of his own "drummer;" he was never at a loss for words; and he obviously felt that those watching and listening to him would be interested in every aspect of his life, experiences and thoughts - no matter how trivial at times.Most of us are not quite as far "off the wall" as he was. Most of us aren't as interested in sharing the most minute parts of ourselves with others - even one-on-one or in small groups, let alone on stage.But that doesn't make it any less-interesting to watch and listen to this erudite, unusual man. And after seeing one of his performances, on reflection, we can find many of his articulate musings were perhaps more relevant to our own lives and thoughts than we may have first thought.Granted, he was a "New York/avant-garde" type of personality, and undeniably a bit "strange." (There are those who would maintain describing someone as "New York" and strange" was being unnecessarily redundant.)I give him a "10" for the talent he presents in this genre which is his specialty.

Gray can make the English language jump through hoops like none other. He recounts a number of events, tied together by his writing of a manuscript (the "Monster" of the title), some sad, some uproariously funny, all in his characteristic, sarcastic manner. If you liked "Swimming to Cambodia" you will love this one. I actually thought this was a bit more interesting and better told than "Swimming to Cambodia". A real masterpiece.

Jerry Seinfeld has nothing on Spalding Gray. This is one of the more unusual 90 minutes you will spend, as Gray discusses the trials and tribulations of writing a screenplay.The entire movies shows Gray sitting at a desk, looking straight ahead. He deals with personal and professional relationships, religious and ethical beliefs; and yet somehow manages to hold your attention.Not for everyone, but you can actually watch it in parts, or even flick back and forth if it's on TV. The snippets of Gray's life sometimes seem real, sometimes unbelievable, but always give a feeling of truly looking into another person's soul.