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 of time 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.