framptonhollis WOW! Here's the type of movie you won't see every day! "Spanking the Monkey" is easily one of the darkest films I have ever seen (and I watched "Salo" only two weeks ago!), but it's also, believe or not, one of the funniest. As a fan of pitch-black comedy, I can assure you that David O. Russel's critically acclaimed debut film is no disappointment. It's full of memorable quotes, cringe inducing sequences, and deep exploration of extremely taboo subjects. It's a film that is wild and ugly, but also brilliant and funny-it's comparable to the absolute best of Todd Solondz's work (such as "Happiness", the only dark comedy that I can definitely claim to be more shocking that this one).Of course, there are many audience members who seem to be complaining that this film is not a "comedy" at all. I can easily see where some may get confused, since the poster and title make this seem like an average sex comedy while it's actually a shocking dark comedy. Many people may not notice all of the subtle and pitch black moments of laugh out loud dark humor that are scattered all throughout this masterpiece. However, I must admit that "Spanking the Monkey" also oozes with tragedy. It's definitely a really depressing film at times, and has many surprisingly intense moments of suspense. If I would have to name any films I've seen that fit the term "tragicomedy", this would easily be one of the first that comes to mind. It DOES contain heavy moments of drama, but the humor is still always there. It may be black as night, but it's still a laugh riot!

moonspinner55 David O. Russell, who wrote and directed the suicidally-titled "Spanking the Monkey", has no conviction in what he's doing. He uses provocative situations as springboards for nasty little jokes; and when his picture begins to disintegrate near the finish, he cops a scene right out of "Five Easy Pieces" as a lazy out. College student is called home by his demonstrative father after mom has fallen and fractured her leg; although not happy about possibly missing out on a prestigious internship, the lad dutifully tends to his mother despite mounting sexual confusions, frustrations, and humiliations. Jeremy Davies is reasonably well-cast in the lead, although he doesn't resemble or behave like the actors (Benjamin Hendrickson and Alberta Watson) portraying his parents. It's almost as if Davies has been adopted by these people--which would certainly put a different twist on what transpires. Either way, the narrative focus is a mess, with one excruciating moment after another--and each of them followed by an unfunny visual or 'sardonic' verbal sucker punch. The audaciousness of Russell's conception palls once the viewer realizes this thinly-derived plot isn't about to go anyplace. * from ****

Ponyboy Curtis First off, I'd like to say I absolutely cannot wait until the December 6th release of Russell's masterpiece. This DVD release has been anticipated by viewers everywhere for way too long. It's finally here kids...A coming-of-age/ feminist/ incestuous/ misogynistic/ black comedy? Possibly all of the above, possibly only a few. There are three key players in this Solondzian dark comedy: the mother, the son, and the father. While son spends the summer tending for his severely underachieved (in the professional world) Ph.D. holding mother, he nearly misses his chance at an out of state medical internship while infidel father travels the country selling work-related training videotapes. Add a young teen down the road to question our protagonist's sexuality, accuse him of "being too rough" and a mother who stifles her son through critiquing his academic work and his sexual advances for also being "too rough," and you start to understand that Russel's film is essentially about power.The fact that mother and son engage in an incestuous tryst is predicated by his tenderness in caring for her bed-ridden body. There is talk of childhood "bath-time boners," and of course the vodka induced cheese throwing fiasco that precedes the actual act of incest. Incest, while expressed in sexual form, is about power. Mother attempts to exert power over her only child by seducing him, while her son believes that sleeping with his mother will in some ways kill the stranglehold she has on him. As a matter of fact, in one scene, he tries to have sex with her while strangling her. While the film is not ABOUT asphyxiation, there are certainly many players here who succeed in symbolically strangling the life out of everything that is "normal" about the nuclear family: masturbation, personal ambition, and marital fidelity to name a few...If you're looking for a film in the vein of something Solondz, you're in luck. If you want to get off to incest narratives, check your local adult bookstore. This film addresses incest in a darkly comical fashion, but never once attempts to arouse, or justify. "Spanking the Monkey," while superficially comical, examines relationships of power, control, and sexuality.

sultandj The climax it where it's at in this movie; didn't see it coming the first time I watched the film. Plenty of nice shots and solid character development. Funny and at times painful to watch, but definitely makes you think. The characters are written well and are performed admirably by the cast (with an early role for Jeremy Davies).Great movie to watch in the middle of the day, with the pacing slow relative to many movies. But it works, and it makes the payoff all the more rewarding. The interactions feel so real. This is as good as it gets for under $100,000.