Spanking the Monkey is a 1994 American black comedy film written and directed by David O. Russell. It was filmed in Pawling, New York.
Plot.
Ray Aibelli has finished his first year of college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He plans to spend his summer taking advantage of the prestigious medical internship he earned; however, he has to forego the award to take care of his mother, Susan Aibelli. She has suffered a leg injury keeping her homebound just as her husband, Tom, is about to leave for an extended period to work as a traveling salesman. Ray's relationship with his overly controlling father is troubled. Meanwhile, his parents also have a strained relationship with one another. Susan often feels lonely and disappointed by a lack of achievement in life while Tom regularly cheats on his wife with sex workers.
Ray feels obliged to take care of his mother. While helping her shower, he glimpses her naked and experiences a sexual attraction towards her. This leads to a moment of intimacy when he massages her upper thigh. He feels extreme guilt for his incestuous feelings and rubs his skin raw to punish himself. His sexual frustration is exacerbated when while trying to masturbate he is unable to do so, due to the family's dog repeatedly interrupting him. He seeks refuge through his friends from high school, however they are immature and Ray feels increasingly alienated from them. Seeking connection, he begins a relationship with local teenager Toni Peck whom he struggles to communicate with, both socially and during sex, leading to her rebuffing him.
Feeling isolated, Ray turns to his mother and shares with her his recent sexual encounter with Toni, and she offers him sexual advice. He later openly stares at his mother's body in the shower, increasing their physical intimacy. Just as things are escalating between Ray and his mother, Ray has an opportunity to leave his mother behind when his Aunt Helen offers to be Susan's caretaker. He excitedly prepares to leave the next day. Despite this, Ray and Susan have another sexual encounter after Helen annoys them both. This happens late at night and leads to Ray missing his bus the next day. Then, Ray's father informs him that he will no longer be able to pay for his university tuition causing Ray's concern about his future to increase.
Toni and Ray resume their sexual relationship and are kissing when Susan interrupts them. She slaps Toni, injuring her. Ray and Susan have a loud argument that quickly devolves into groping and kissing. Meanwhile, Toni flees and is comforted by her father who then confronts Ray; however, Susan flirts with Toni's father, distracting him from punishing Ray.
Ray attempts to commit suicide by hanging himself from the bathroom door but Susan interrupts him. Frustrated, he complains that he can't achieve anything and attempts to initiate sexual contact with Susan. He kisses her passionately but then pulls back and attempts to strangle her to death, but then stops himself. He accepts an invitation from his friends to hang out with them again, joining them near the river. After being provoked by one of his friends, he jumps off a cliff. Early the next morning, Ray is seen hitching a ride with a truck driver.
Music.
Select tracks from Morphine's album "Cure for Pain" are used throughout the film, including "In Spite of Me" which plays over the end credits.
Reception.
"Spanking the Monkey" was a box office success, grossing $1,359,736 on a $200,000 budget.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on reviews from 26 critics and an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's consensus states: "David O. Russell's feature debut scores with an endearing cast and offbeat humor, finding compelling sweetness in perverse places." On Metacritic it has a score of 66% based on reviews from 15 critics.
The film won the Audience Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival and the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.
References.
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