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Misery (1990)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
July 6th, 2007
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'Misery' is perhaps a visualization of Stephen King's darkest fear; that of the obsessed fan. The author has certainly acquired quite a following during his career, undoubtedly some of his most avid readers may be psychopaths with a latent desire to kidnap him and keep him for themselves. Or, perhaps commit murder or some other crime, inspired by one of his books or characters. Rapper Eminem dealt with these same concerns in his song "Stan".
'Misery' is the name of the female protagonist in a popular series of novels by Paul Sheldon (Caan). He gets in a car accident on a snowy road, and is pulled from the wreckage by former nurse Annie Wilkes (Bates). Wilkes claims to be Sheldon's number one fan. She owns everything he has ever written and awaits each new publication with childish glee. At first, he thinks this is all rather harmless. She seems genuinely interested in helping him recover, but has no intention of letting him leave. He is presumed dead. Annie wants him to write another 'Misery' novel, revive the character from her demise in the last book.
She serves as his editor, telling him what to keep and what to remove, until the work satisfies her completely. She gradually becomes tyrannical and insane, torturing and abusing him, in cruel ways, like the now famous scene where she places a wooden board between his feet and smashes them with a sledgehammer, as punishment for sneaking out of his room. He plots his escape, but is foiled at most every turn by the surprisingly clever Wilkes. Buster (Farnsworth), the local sheriff, begins to suspect something, and heads over to Annie's to investigate. The final showdown between Annie and Paul is perfectly paced, intense and exciting, and she gets the sweet comeuppance she most certainly deserves. The movie creates a consistently suspenseful and dreadful environment, as we wait anxiously to see what new horrors will be unleashed on the helpless Paul. '
Caan is terrific, but the movie is all about Kathy Bates, who deservedly won an Oscar for her disturbing and brilliant performance. She can effortlessly switch from lovable and kind to angry and psychotic. Bates captures the element of fury and eroticism King invests Annie with in his novel, and no one could have brought her to life more convincingly. Annie has an obvious sexual attraction to Paul, wants to keep him her prisoner, ready to kill him rather than give him up. She sees herself as Misery, and Paul as one of her male love interests. Rob Reiner and William Goldman deliver a superlative adaptation of one of King's best stories.
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 | Zara
Jul 7, 2007 1:24 AM
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| I love this flick. It's definitely the best of all the adaptations of King's work. |
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