Misery (1990)
Directed by Rob Reiner • Written by William Goldman • Novel by Stephen King
With James Caan, Kathy Bates and Lauren Bacall.
Based on the Stephen King novel, Misery stars James Caan as a successful pulp writer, who as we meet him, has completed his latest novel and is preparing to drive home from the wintry Colorado haven he uses as a creative retreat, to deliver the final draft to his publisher. On the way, he runs into bad weather and plants his car in front of a tree. Luckily for him, Kathy Bates’s Annie Wilkes was just passing by. Insert sarcastic emoji face.
Without any ado, the film gets its weird on. Bates’s creepy home has a Norman Bates feel, as her skew-whiff diligence toward the badly injured Caan immediately sets off our creep sensors. As he lays there, utterly dependent, the movie quickly establishes itself as a survival thriller, as Caan’s vulnerability forces him into a psychological battle of wits with Bates. On this level, the film is never less than fascinating.
Under the Hitchcockian, psycho-thriller surface of Misery, there’s a sizeable amount of black humour in both Kathy Bates’s over-the-top delivery and James Caan’s dry placation of her. It’s hard not to see the humour when Bates exclaims – “YOU! YOU DIRTY BIRD!”. Her cartoon-like demeanour is accentuated by her characteristic contradictions; she’ll smash you with a sledgehammer but heaven forbid you use a curse word.
Rob Reiner summons Alfred Hitchcock at nearly every turn, managing to create levels of threat and suspense that the master himself would have been proud of. Bates conveys great danger, finding a rare edge in her performance that makes us fear the slightest misplaced word from Caan.
In a sense, Misery is a strange little film. It’s housed within the parameters of just a few performances and feels structurally akin to The Shining, sharing the popcorn-fun repeat watch-ability of Kubrick’s classic, if not the overall sense of otherness. Bates and Caan are excellent, though, and the deep reverence for Hitchcock doesn’t hurt. 4/5
Never had the chance to view this though I’ve always been intrigued with the plot summary. I may just blind buy one day.
If you like Alfred Hitchcock, you can’t go wrong.
I absolutely love this one. Misery is a classic in my opinion and I think everything about this movie is excellent. The acting is excellent and Bates’ performance makes this movie creepy.
Hi Bob, you’re right, the performances are very good. It’s often more about what isn’t being said, which makes it all the more interesting. Caan spends most of the movie placating Annie, like you would a child, hoping not to step on any emotional landmines. Like you say, a classic.
Probably the best Stephen King adaptation out there, and god -that- scene *shudders*
Yes, ‘that’ scene. I’ve seen the movie before, years ago, and for some reason, I thought the camera cut away at the moment of impact…I was shocked all over again. There are some fine Stephen King adaptations, and I wouldn’t like to single out a favourite. This is right up there with them, as you say.