Review of Monkey Shines (1988) by Ann D — 05 Nov 2010

Okay so the last ten minutes are pretty bad.

But this movie is a fucking amazing dramedy (posing awkwardly as a supernatural horror thriller) and romero is so damn good with these actors. jason beghe, john pankow, kate mcneil, and joyce van patten all give incredible performances. really, I think this could be a great stage play. the characterizations are rich and the dialogue snappy and realistic. kate mcneil is just wonderful as the love interest. and romero writes a real woman character. with her own agency and sexuality. that sex scene?? are you kidding me? that was the hottest mainstream movie sex scene possibly ever. and based upon my knowledge of how quadrapalegics have sex, it's realistic too. Pankow is excellent. I loved everything about this movie's characters and how they related to each other as people. the whole monkey thing, meh.