SPANKING THE MONKEY (1994)
A film by David O. Russell
One of America’s most acclaimed contemporary screenwriters and
directors, David O. Russell made his feature film debut in 1994
with the black comedy SPANKING THE MONKEY, which won The
Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and caused a stir
with its incestuous subplot and portrayal of adolescent restlessness.
The film also displays much of what has become Russell’s
trademark idiosyncratic, offbeat humour, later seen in Flirting With
Disaster, the iconoclastic Three Kings and the existential comedy I
Heart Huckabees, marking him as a maverick director with cult
appeal.
Looking forward to a prestigious summer internship in Washington,
D.C., pre-med college student Raymond (Saving Private Ryan's
Jeremy Davies) has his dreams put on hold when he's forced to
stay at home caring for his invalid mother (Alberta Watson, The
Sweet Hereafter, TV's 24). Constantly harassed by his domineering,
traveling salesman father, Raymond struggles to deal with his
mother's bed-ridden anxieties and his first, stumbling attempts to romance the naive girl next door.
“a startling,
NME
“black,
EMPIRE
unforgettable debut”
black comedy… a movie that should not be allowed to disappear” 4 STARS
“a mightily impressive feature debut… perfectly
THE INDEPENDENT
“funny, dark… sharp
DAILY TELEGRAPH
judged”
and endearing”
“wonderfully sassy and
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
frisky”
WINNER - AUDIENCE AWARD - Sundance Film Festival 1994
WINNER - BEST FIRST FEATURE, BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Independent Spirit Awards 1995
Bonus Features:
• Feature-length commentary with director David O. Russell
• Stills gallery
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 100 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 anamorphic
Audio: Dolby Stereo
Country: USA
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Region: 0
Cat. No: AXM562
Barcode: 5060126870111