Monkey Shines poster

Movie

Monkey Shines

1988R1h 53m6.3 / 10

Once there was a man whose prison was a chair. The man had a monkey, they made the strangest pair. The monkey ruled the man, it climbed inside his head. And now as fate would have it, one of them is dead.

A quadriplegic man is given a trained monkey help him with every day activities, until the little monkey begins to develop feelings, and rage, against its new master and those who get too close to him.

Streaming, rental and purchase options

Where to watch in United States

Checked Sep 2, 2026

Monkey Shines is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand, MGM+, MGM+ (Via Amazon Prime), Philo, Prime Video, Fubo, Pluto TV, and Tubi in United States. You can also rent or buy it from Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.

Availability and prices can change. Confirm the details on the streaming service before you subscribe, rent or buy.

Synopsis

A quadriplegic man is given a trained monkey help him with every day activities, until the little monkey begins to develop feelings, and rage, against its new master and those who get too close to him.

More about Monkey Shines

Cast

Jason BegheAllan Mann
John PankowGeoffrey Fisher
Kate McNeilMelanie Parker
Joyce Van PattenDorothy Mann
Christine ForrestMaryanne Hodges
Stephen RootDean Burbage
Stanley TucciDr. John Wiseman
Tom QuinnCharlie Cunningham

Credits

Directed by
George A. Romero
Written by
George A. Romero, Michael Stewart

Production details

Status
Released
Original language
English
Budget
$7M
Box office
$5.3M

Production

  • Orion PicturesUnited States

Themes

animal researchanimal testingbased on novel or bookdisabilityexperimentmonkeyparalysisrage