An athletic young man, Allan (Jason Beghe) is rendered quadriplegic and reliant on wheelchair use after being struck by a truck. He struggles to adjust to his new life, dependent on his domineering mother and uncaring ex-girlfriend to assist him. Luckily, he is given a life line in the form of a Capuchin monkey, trained to perform basic tasks on his behalf. At first it’s an almost utopian solution, with Allan even embarking on a relationship with the monkey’s trainer, Melanie (Kate McNeil). However, things soon turn sour when it becomes apparent that the tinkering of Allan’s scientist friend Geoffrey (John Pankow) has made the monkey’s loyalty to Allen a fatal danger to others.
Monkey Shines has exactly the sort of ridiculous premise that I love – the high concept of ‘service monkey on a rampage’ is very appealing. It’s a bit of a shame, then, that the ridiculous monkey stuff is all embedded in something of a more tedious melodrama. A lot of time is spent on Allan’s situation – not only his new-found disability, but his relationships too. No doubt this is meant to be character building, but when what you’re after is monkey violence, it doesn’t make for the most engaging watch (‘Allan Man’ is at least an appropriately bland name for our hero). There are also some tonally uneven moments of comedy, which are confusing, though perhaps the aim was for Gremlins – only the humour here isn’t quite dark enough to come close to the giddy heights reached by that masterpiece.
When the monkey violence does kick in, it’s very entertaining. There’s a reassuring disclaimer at the start of the film letting us know that the monkeys were all fully trained and happy while filming, and the evident switch from ‘real monkey’ to dummy is just as reassuring in the film itself. There are a few outstanding moments – notably near the end of the film – that show off some trademark gore from Tom Savini and Greg Nicotero. The film could certainly have done with at least 20 minutes less melodrama and upping the ante on the ridiculous – and entertaining – central concept.
That being said, it’s to the film’s credit that it doesn’t shy away from its potentially bad taste premise. The difficulties faced by Allan are handled very neatly, without being patronising or pandering – those sentiments are placed squarely in the mouths and attitudes of characters in the film, not the film itself. Allan is laid bare, unashamedly, and it doesn’t ever seem all that exploitative (all things considered). Of course, all the science and medicine is dodgy, but it’d be no fun otherwise.
It’s strange seeing such a high-budget film from George A Romero, being his first and last studio production, and I suppose it might be easy to attribute the studio’s interference with the film for its lack of charm. The cast are all perfectly fine, but aside from a suitably sleazy Stanley Tucci in a small role, no one really stands out – except perhaps it’s fair to say that Jason Beghe’s more extreme moments with the monkey are impressive if only because he’s kept a straight face.
All in all, Monkey Shines is worth a watch, certainly, and I imagine if I’d watched this when I was younger and on VHS maybe I’d have loved it. But, for the most part, I’m glad primarily to have seen it for the sense of completion at ticking off another Romero from the to-watch list.
Monkey Shines is available now on dual format Blu-ray/DVD, from Eureka Home Entertainment.