WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

alianiara I first came across this movie while looking up for incestuous movies in a boring day, but it was nothing like a low taste erotica. The whole concept of immorality attached to incest because you can never underestimate the influence of a parent, and the damage it can cause by the abuse of it.We are quite familiar in fact, about the negligent father type as in the movie. What we don't usually see is the poison of love as the mother in the movie, that suffocates with all tenderness.We see a promising MIT medical student stuck in the house with a blue mother, who infiltrates every aspects of his life and denies him access to the outside world, in the name of love. The boy could not say no, because the one he loves has that power over him, the attraction of the motherly love allures him daily to go backwards and crawl back into the womb. It is common and applicable to all of us, the growing sexual tension is but a external presentation. Also, for the mother, the fear of a separate and independent identity growing inside her child will constantly and subconsciously make her try to stop the child from his development, which without the intervention of rationality, could be dangerous.I don't usually see this kind of parental pressure addressed in movie and this is a good one.

Chris Smith (RockPortReview) With a title like "Spanking the Monkey" it's bound to induce some odd looks. What lies within is a brilliantly twisted film that is made to make you squirm and feel uneasy. This film deals with the incestuous relationship between a dude and his mother. When you think of other famous mother and son combos, Hitchcock's Psycho and the original Friday the 13th come to mind, but they were horror films. "Monkey" is quite funny at times but also bizarre at others. This was the first film by Director David O. Russell, who is most known for the Persian Gulf movie "Three Kings." Med student Ray Aibelli (played by Jeremy Davies, the island physicist from "Lost") arrives home for summer vacation set on taking a prestigious internship only to have to take care of his injured mother instead. She has a broken leg and would rate pretty high on the MILF scale if you ask me. Ray's father is an uptight traveling salesman who is always on the road, and screwing other women. If you have ever been in a situation when a parent is completely dependant on you, you will get an even more bizarre joy out of this movie. We watch as Ray carries his mom back and forth to the bathroom, then has to hold her hand as she showers. Davies plays these scenes perfectly with equal parts awkwardness and a sort of voyeurism.Ray's mother keeps a tight leash on Ray weather she needs him or not. If she has to suffer, Ray should too. As the saying goes misery loves company. He is kept as a virtual prisoner in the same house he grew up in. The urge to free yourself from your parents starts at an early age for many and when freedom is finally achieved, returning for any extended period of time can be a huge psychological blow. Ray is even pestered on numerous occasions by the dog when trying to get some bathroom privacy (think of the title.) When Ray is able go out he starts up a relationship with a neighborhood high school girl named Toni. Just what he needs more awkward relationships and complications. He also hangs around a bunch of guys who aren't really friends, but its the only other option. When you have a few months to kill, and limited options how do you pass the time? Ray is a regular, nice guy and director Russell make you feel every cringe worthy moment.Although funny at times, this really is a dark and disturbing movie and is not for everyone. Made on a budget of about $200,000 in the summer of 1993, it was also shown at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival were it won the Audience Award. If you like your movies on the edge give this one a look.

johner23 The mother was a lonely wife, the husband always far away and son was problematic and inexperienced with girls.Both alone in the house and get enough voltage situations arise for both and they feel attraction for each other. She was a beautiful/well charmed 50's years old lady and he was a young man.The incest itself was an "excuse", because there were problems between the characters in other parts of their lifes. I mean: mother and son already have emotional, sexual and social problems.When they got alone, experiencing all kind of tension between them, specially concerning about "sensual" ones, their needs speaks louder and they commit incest for their reliefs.The director knew well explore these topics: eroticism and family problems. Very nice movie.

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.