A black comedy in the truest sense of the term, SPANKING THE MONKEY tells the tale of Ray (Jeremy Davies), a pre-med freshman who must forfeit a summer internship in order to care for his ailing mother (Alberta Watson). The pressure of being stuck at home threatens to overwhelm Ray, and when a night of drinking leads to a physical encounter with his mother, the only escape he can think of is to commit suicide. David O. Russell's film successfully balances comedy with drama, making for an unsettling, yet highly gratifying, viewing experience.
The debut feature from writer-director David O. Russell tells the darkly comic story of a young pre-med student's nearly unbearable summer vacation. When Ray Aibelli's promiscuous father orders him to stay home for the summer and care for his mother, who recently broke her leg, he misses out on an incredibly important internship. As Ray struggles with the realization that he's wasting his summer doing nothing at home, he must contend with an endless string of seemingly insurmountable circumstances, including a failed brief relationship with a young high school student. Things reach their boiling point when Ray and his mother get drunk one night, leading to an incestuous encounter that pushes him over the edge. Humiliated, depressed, and downtrodden, Ray decides to commit suicide to end his troubles forever.
Russell's racy story walks a tightrope between deep psychological drama and taboo comedy, resulting in a highly original tone that keeps SPANKING THE MONKEY from buckling under the pressure. Featuring a standout performance by Davies, as well as Watson, who recalls Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson in THE GRADUATE, this is one of the 1990's most auspicious directorial debuts.
SPANKING THE MONKEY won the Audience Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.
DVD Features:
Keep Case
Widescreen - 1.78
Audio:
Dolby Digital 1.0 - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. David O. Russell - Director
Trailer
Text/Photo Galleries:
Still Gallery
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Review 1:
"...Davies gives a poignant, emotive performance that tears at the heart. And Watson is magnificent; seductive and overwhelming without losing her character's human scale..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.98 07/14/1994
Review 2:
"...An unexpected crowd-pleaser....Davies gives an especially deft performance....[Russell] has set himself up as a director able to tackle anything..."
Source: New York Times
p.C5 07/15/1994
Review 3:
"...Affecting and provocative....[Davies's performance] is the key to what makes this audacious story work..." -- Rating: B+
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.40 08/19/1994
Review 4:
"...Russell has an adept visual sense but what really distinguishes SPANKING THE MONKEY is the acting..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.F2 07/28/1994
Review 5:
"...The performances are all terrific....Davies is likably natural and sympathetic....Watson and Hendrickson are wonderfully subtle..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.43 07/22/1994
Review 6:
3 stars out of 5 -- "Russell captures that particular mid-youth paralysis brilliantly..."
Source: Total Film
p.135 07/01/2007
Review 7:
"[Russell's] most intimate, touching and personal work, boosted by frank, nuanced performances from the two leads
Source: Sight and Sound
p.87 09/01/2007
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