April 19, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Film Review: The Monkey 

By Dolores Quintana

Writer and director Osgood Perkins’ follow-up to his acclaimed 2024 film Longlegs is another animal entirely. The Monkey is gob-stoppingly hilarious to behold and filled with existential thoughts about life and death. Even though The Monkey is brimming with bloody carnage and festive annihilation, it struck me as a very personal film. One that grapples with life’s basic unfairness and everyday terror that we all sublimate to survive. How does one deal with death, especially when it claims everyone you love? How does one live? 

Poor Chip.

It is a film-length expansion of the already scary short story by Stephen King that had the same name. I have to be honest and say that the short story actually scared me pretty badly when I read it much too early as a young child, but the thing that always stuck with me was the paperback cover illustration of that damned monkey. 

While the film does explore the existential dread that comes with living, it is truly more of a comedy with exceptionally gruesome gore. However, Perkins, a master of tone, has managed to make the deeply unsettling and horrendously creative deaths float lightly on the screen rather than be weighted down with sturm and drang. 

You may never see so many deaths enacted before your eyes seem quite so, er, life-affirming? Yes, it is life-affirming. Osgood Perkins is an incredible talent, and this is one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made because it understands the source material, including King’s macabre sense of humor, and adds to the story, enriching it with characters that compel you to keep watching. Those have always been King’s greatest strengths as a writer: his characters and the interesting side tales that he spins and Perkins has matched his talents.

The film stars an admirable cast, including Theo James in a dual role, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy, Adam Scott, and Elijah Wood. All of the actors work beautifully well while waiting for their assorted fates. I don’t want to spoil the deaths, but the actors make sure that they remain memorable, even with the smallest amounts of screen time, so that you, the audience member, feel their absence. 

Even when characters fundamentally misunderstand why a character is gone, there’s a whisper of the real reason that is just out of reach, almost tangible, tantalizingly held over their heads. Perkins is a gifted director on more than one level, probably because he is an actor himself and has cast actors capable of these subtleties and the work of comedy. One character has a moment of such roaring courage that you feel a pang for what might have been had other characters had the benefit of his presence. It also comes into play later when the actions of another character echo the first character. 

The Monkey’s ritual is exceedingly well played. The lifting of the arm, the crack of the smile, and the animatronic artificiality are frightful but fascinating. You want to see The Monkey play its instrument, even while you gasp when it finally does. That is the see-saw of attraction and repulsion that lies at the center of The Monkey itself. You don’t want to feel its wrath, but don’t you just want to see it perform in some sick and secret way? People talk about “survivors’ guilt,” but no one ever talks about survivors’ relief. Maybe it is the same thing, cast as a more palatable idea, but aren’t you always a little relieved when it’s not your time? 

The synopsis is delivered on screen in the most matter-of-fact and deadpan ways: “The monkey that likes killing our family is back.” But what Perkins has done that raises this film above many other King adaptations is that he has rooted it in mundane yet relatable reality. It is one of the most vicious sibling rivalries in film, and the comedic pain of being the kid who gets picked on constantly, no matter what he does, adds another dimension to farcical proceedings. That’s not fun, but Perkins makes it fun. 

Let the good times roll. 

But that is the core of the film. Life is what it is, and none of us can ever change our eventual fates no matter what we do, but what we do does matter. We never ask for what life chooses to dump on our heads, but how we manage the horror, with grace and humor or with anger and violence, makes us who we are, and since we are all interconnected, it shapes the fate of us all. How many hateful and vindictive people make others miserable, and what can the world be like when someone finds the strength to act out of love rather than fear?

<>Related Posts

Debris Cleared from Palisades Library in Six Days: Mayor Bass

April 18, 2025

April 18, 2025

The library, along with the nearby Recreation Center and playground, were prioritized in the city’s debris removal operation The site...

LA Women’s Fashion Brand Opens New Store on Abbot Kinney

April 18, 2025

April 18, 2025

The Venice opening follows the success of the brand’s first permanent store, which debuted in 2023 in the Arts District...

(Video) Malibu Discovery Party at Santa Monica Place

April 18, 2025

April 18, 2025

Desserts by Copenhagen Bakery. North Italia Restaurant. Rosenthal Winery. Bristol Farms. Beautiful Sea Creatures. Chrysalis. Desserts by Copenhagen Bakery. North...

Film Review: The Friend

April 18, 2025

April 18, 2025

FILM REVIEWTHE FRIENDRated R120 MinutesReleased March 28th   The Friend is a rarity in today’s cinematic landscape, a heartfelt story of...

Newsom, Bonta Seek Court Ruling to Void Trump’s Tariffs and Economic Crisis

April 17, 2025

April 17, 2025

Economic Fallout Prompts California Lawsuit Against Trump’s Tariffs California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit...

Input Sought on Future of Santa Monica Airport as Planning Enters Key Phase

April 17, 2025

April 17, 2025

The final phase of the planning process is expected to conclude in late 2025 The City of Santa Monica is...

Film Review: The Shrouds

April 17, 2025

April 17, 2025

By Dolores Quintana Canada’s cinematic maestro of body horror’s newest film is The Shrouds. While it is not a traditional...

Brazilian Steakhouse Fogo de Chão Opens in Santa Monica With Ocean Views

April 17, 2025

April 17, 2025

Santa Monica’s Newest Restaurant Serves Steak With a Side of Charity Fogo de Chão, the Brazilian steakhouse known for its traditional...

Over $2.4M in Recovery Grants Available for Wildfire-Affected Restaurants

April 17, 2025

April 17, 2025

To qualify, restaurants must have no more than five locations, generate less than $5 million in annual revenue, and be...

(Video) Matū Kai Brentwood Friends and Family Dinner

April 16, 2025

April 16, 2025

Matü Old Fashioned: Bourbon, Maple Syrup, Bitters, and a Burnt Orange Peel. Amazing 24-Hour Bone Broth. Look at that steam....

(Video) Nonprofits Break Ground for 78-Unit Affordable Housing Complex on 20th St.

April 16, 2025

April 16, 2025

Projected for a 2027 completion, half its units are reserved for those experiencing homelessness at the time of move-in Projected...

Santa Monica Police Identify Dog Owner in Fatal Poodle Attack

April 16, 2025

April 16, 2025

Authorities released surveillance footage of the man walking the dog and asked the public for assistance Police have identified the...

Malibu Discovery Celebrates 15 Years With Seaside Wonderland Bash in Santa Monica

April 16, 2025

April 16, 2025

Cocktails, Community, and a Cause: Seaside Wonderland Arrives April 17 Malibu Discovery will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a community-focused...

‘Bleak Week’ Film Festival Goes Global, Expanding to 8 Cities Including London

April 16, 2025

April 16, 2025

American Cinematheque’s Celebration of Despair in Cinema Draws Big-Name Guests American Cinematheque’s popular film festival Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair is expanding...