Spanking The Monkey

Post-Happiness (1998), Todd Solondz’s brutally bleak exploration of lonely people living fractured lives, the idea that fellow 1990s indie Spanking The Monkey was ever controversial seems almost quaint in comparison. But David O Russell’s directorial debut caused something of a stir when it won the audience award at Sundance in 1994. It is, after all, about a young man who has a thing for his mum. Combine that with the lurid title – American slang for masturbation – and you’ve got a marketing man’s wet dream. Until you actually watch the movie that is. For while the Oedipal concept is undoubtedly icky, Russell’s film is much more about coming of age and making decisions than it is about thinking your mother is a bit of alright.

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