Spanking The Monkey

This movie is seriously funny. It's not one of those movies that you watch over and over again, but definitely a funny B-movie. My husband and I have a lot of inside jokes about this movie because it's so far out there!

After being forced to give up a prestigious internship in order to "babysit" his mother, who has a broken leg, a teenager finds himself falling in love with his mother.Much like "Happiness", a black comedy about a pedophile, "Spanking the Monkey" is the sort of film that will not appeal to everyone. This film is billed as a black comedy, and I suppose it is, in retrospect, but I didn't feel like I was watching a comedy when I was watching it. What this film is, is a truly amazing character study of a suburban family that contains some laughs but also realizes that a lot of what it's dealing with just shouldn't be laughed at. Writer/director David O. Russell ("Three Kings", "I Heart Huckabees") takes a subject that most people wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole, that is, incest, and explains how it could happen and the consequences if it does happen. The result is a film that feels completely believable and that is also completely compelling.This is an intelligent film that doesn't provide the audience with easy answers. In fact, a lot of questions that this film raises are left unanswered at the end, like, for example, who did initiate the relationship in the first place, Raymond or his mother? It is also a very restrained film, and all the better for it. Don't expect to see any sex scenes between a 19 year old and a 40 year old. Everything is left to the audience's imagination.Not being a big David O. Russell fan (I didn't like "Flirting With Disaster" or "I Heart Huckabees"), I almost didn't bother with this film (I only saw it because I bought it as party of a triple pack with two other films that I did want) but I am so glad that I did as this is one of the most incredible films that I have seen in my entire life. If you can get past the initial concept, I highly recommend that you see this film.

To sum up quickly, I don't know wether it was my frame of mind or the movie itself, but I found it difficult to connect with either of the main characters or the purpose of the movie.

This is a bittersweet coming-of-age movie that's more sweet than bitter. Some of the scenes are downright hilarious, thanks to some wonderful, nuanced and well-timed performances from the actors. Just the kind of comedy for viewers fed up with the formulaic stuff churned out by Hollywood's play-safe executives. Made more than a decade ago, this is truly one of those forgotten gems that deserves to be unearthed and enjoyed. A solid 4 stars.

Brilliant, powerful, and while there are moments of dark humor, they are few and far between. This is a powerful, compelling drama, and once you get into it, you'll sort of BECOME Ray Aebelli (Jeremy Davies) and you'll appreciate one of the greatest acting performances in history. This isn't just about "masturabtion and incest." As another reviewer said, it is about being trapped in a situation you don't want to be in, and being unable to find a way out. When you view the end (which will come with a jump, that's all I'm going to say on the matter so as not to spoil it), pay attention to the metaphor that is used when he falls and....you'll have to watch.

I first saw scenes from "Spanking The Monkey" on YouTube. Then, I heard that YouTube was removing this movie due to "controversial content." Well, nothing sells a movie like controversy. I decided to see the movie to discover what all the fuss was about. In the end, the praise for "Monkey" absolutely baffles me.It boggles my mind that anyone could see this movie as a comedy; even a "dark comedy" at that; much less an "entertaining" one. I'm stunned that anyone would praise writer-director David O. Russell as a "comic genius." The characters are much too deeply, disturbingly dysfunctional for their situations to be considered even remotely funny. The only funny moment occurs when the unraveling protagonist Raymond (Jeremy Davies) tells his aunt to "do me a favor and shut your big fat mouth for once!" The only one who deserves praise in this pathetic mess of a movie is Jeremy Davies who, in an especially brave performance, at least, manages to make you totally understand Raymond's frustrations and angst. Davies' achievement is even more remarkable considering that Russell's script is nothing but a bunch of dysfunctional muck.Raymond is forced to give up his summer internship at medical school and, instead, care for his temporarily disabled mother (Alberta Watson). His summer quickly turns into a living nightmare. Raymond is an instantly sympathetic protagonist; possibly because everyone else around him is so horrible. His domineering dad (Benjamin Hendrickson) is a traveling salseman who engages in extra-marital affairs on the road. His mother is lonely, but also selfish and manipulative. Raymond makes fumbling attempts to connect with a neighborhood girl (Carla Gallo), and his other "friends" are all drunk or stoned losers. Raymond is filled with overwhelming sexual tensions and frustrations. The neighbor girl thinks Raymond is gay, and his friends doubt he gets any sex. This leads to incest, fueled by vodka, painkillers, and tons of hatred and hypocrisy, between Raymond and his mother. Raymond even hisses "I hate you" at his mother just prior to a violent mother-son "encounter."This is definitely not a "coming of age" comedy. Instead, it definitely is a coming of rage tragedy. And who can blame Raymond when his rage erupts? There are more scenes of suicide attempts and domestic assaults. Immediately after attempting suicide, Raymond kisses his mother passionately and then practically strangles her to death. Is anybody really laughing? No. You just hope Raymond will escape his toxic environment. Trouble is, any audience member with a brain will want to escape the movie long before Raymond does. "Controversial content" does not make this movie provocative or even, for that matter, especially interesting. Russell, however, does reveal himself as a cold, cruel, self-indulgent and manipulative film-maker.

The Bottom Line:Though Spanking the Monkey gets points for daring and can boast a sweet and winning performance by Carla Gallo, the movie's whole is not equal to the sum of its parts; it's quirky, but not especially good.