| Donald Larsson's Film Reviews: S Return to Film Review Index |
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| Spanking the Monkey (D) | |
| Spanking the Monkey (1994) | |
| D | The future of cinema doesn't hold much
promise, if SPANKING THE MONKEY is to be the standard for American independent films.
Jeremy Davies is a young man whose road to medical school is being systematically ripped
up by his parents. The father is off selling self-help promotional tapes on the road (and
finding a willing woman in every motel). Mother has a broken leg and needs tending to,
above the leg as well. Filmed in a flat, styleless manner, the movie veers between tragedy
and comedy, in a kind of artless blend of THE GRADUATE and MURMUR OF THE HEART. There are
hints of interesting elements in these characters, but as written and acted they come off
a self-centered, destructive boors and bores. The ending, ripped straight out of FIVE EASY
PIECES, is yet another cop-out that finds the Road as image and answer of American life.
There are hints of truth in much of the film, but those are hidden beneath too much
dreck. It's easily one of the most annoying films I have recently seen! [Note: Since writing this review, I did find that director David O. Russell redeemed his promise with Three Kings.] |