Spanking the Monkey

Raymond Aibelli is a bright medical student whose summer plans fall apart when his father, a traveling salesman, leaves him at home to care for his mother, Susan, who is recovering from a broken leg. The work is tedious and isolating, and Raymond passes the time with Toni Peck, a girl from the neighborhood. As Susan comes to depend on her son for both physical help and emotional support, Raymond finds himself struggling with feelings he neither wants nor understands.

Spanking the Monkey is a 1994 American comedy-drama, released in January of that year. It was the first feature directed by David O. Russell, who also wrote the screenplay, with Dean Silvers producing. The cast is led by Jeremy Davies as Ray, Alberta Watson as Susan, Benjamin Hendrickson as Tom, and Carla Gallo as Toni. The film runs 106 minutes.

Russell followed this debut with Flirting with Disaster, Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Joy, Accidental Love, Amsterdam and Madden. On IMDb the film holds a rating of 6.3 from around 7,100 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.7 from a much smaller number of votes, indicating a modest but enduring audience.