REVIEW: Misery (Released in 1990) [30th Anniversary]

DIRECTOR: Rob Reiner

PRODUCERS: Andrew Scheinman & Rob Reiner

WRITER: William Goldman (screenplay) (based on the novel by Stephen King)

PERFORMERS: James Caan Kathy Bates Frances Sternhagen and Richard Farnsworth

Special Apperance by Lauren Bacall

Stephen King has always been an impressive novelist to me, especially when it comes to horror. Very few of his books I was able to read in my lifetime growing up and this was one of them. But this film, however, was what introduced me to the book itself yet when I think back on those times, seeing films like this always felt like I was looking at a book being unfolded before me. I was introduced to this through a former acquaintance of my mother (may he Rest in Peace) when I was just in my teens and ever since then has held a strong effect on me even when I read the book. For it's 30th anniversary this year, we'll be reflecting on the film that brought a new light on the way entertainers are seen through the audience's eyes and how the ones on stage differ from the ones who are watching.

The name of the film is Misery and it tells the story of a successful novelist who is rescued from a car crash by a nurse who loves his work so much that she's overly (if not hopelessly) devoted to him. But when she reads his latest unreleased book that kills off her favorite character she shifts from this down to earth kind and compassionate woman to a deranged captor which sets the stage for the rest of the film and pretty soon, you're in for a devil of a show with this one. James Caan, who plays the novelist Paul Sheldon, gives an impressive performance for his part as he shows vulnerability, desperation and real fear as he tries to look for ways to escape from his safe haven turned prison. Once he realizes the situation he's in he knows he has to get away however he can and despite having two broken legs, he only has one body and one mind. He uses that to such a clever extent that you think, sooner or later, he's gonna make it out. Then there's Kathy Bates, who plays the nurse turned sociopath Annie Wilkes and my goodness, does she play her with such intensity and realism, it almost makes you afraid to even encounter someone like her character portrayed here. The way she transitions from nice to angry is very spot on, one would only wonder how could she have pulled that off so flawlessly. Watching these two masterful actors play off of each other and even compete against each other is such a real treat of this film. Even the film alone, frightens me with the build up to the second and third act of the film including the sledgehammer scene, something that to this day... makes me cringe in my seat or even look away in complete horror. Even when Bates declares her love for Cann after breaking his ankles it's just sadistic and disturbing you can't imagine the pain and suffering this guy had to endure.

Caan and Bates were putting on a real piece of theater that I had never seen played out before. It was like your average game of Cat and Mouse, only the victim was a mouse and the Cat was the one holding you by the tail or keeping you imprisoned while waiting for the right time to eat you up. In this case, Caan being the mouse caught in a trap and Bates was the Cat waiting to devour her prey. Much like the 'Tom and Jerry' shorts only horrifying. Imagine Tom having Jerry right where he wanted him and he could have his way with him? We all know that those were the good old days of animated shorts. But was their ever once an episode where this actually happened? Jerry always found a way out of Tom's claws and always came out the winner, yet regardless Tom kept chasing him over the years. In this one, we actually see the cat trap the mouse and the mouse is constantly looking for ways to make his getaway, but his options are limited because the outside world is looking for him, no one knows where he is except one person and on top of it all, he's physically wounded and under lock-down 24/7 by the same person who saved his life. How crazy is that? Even the most prolific people in the world can be the targets of the most unstable person, or people for that matter, in the world. Someone once told me that there's a reason you don't meet your idols and this could be one of them.

Although it's a fictional story I feel that this is a real portrayal of how certain successful individuals are seen as less than regular people and are seen as these gods we look up too and idolize because they represent something we all know and love and never want to see fade away. There was a time in my life when I had a strong admiration towards someone I grew up watching and listening to and despite the controversy surrounding him, I never stopped loving his work. But it was never to the point of obsession, instead rather a different point of view where it didn't matter what kind of piece of entertainment he was doing as long as he kept the show going from start to finish. The Bates character here has a hard time seeing her favorite writer move on from his well known craft of storytelling to different ventures and I can identify with that because as a talented man myself, I too am always on the lookout for something different and I never want to be stuck doing the same thing forever. no one wants to be in that position unless we don't see ourselves doing greater things than what were known for. It's like watching your favorite actor retire after a long time of playing character after character and at first it's hard to deal with, but then you get used to it because when you go through the same transition yourself, you start to realize why that other person did what they did. We don't truly see what goes on behind the scenes of a entertainer unless we take a deeper look into their world. When we do, we learn for ourselves that the grass isn't always greener, but rather just like ours trying to make it grow and stay fresh however they can.

This film does so much more than terrify those who have seen it or watched it, it even shows there's more to those certain someone's life than we know off the typewriter or off screen. The last time I met a celebrity turned out to be very sweet and down to earth, but I was very careful not to get all star struck. I treated her like any other human being because that's what I would have wanted had I been in her position. We all want to be treated equally regardless of our success or well known craft, but there are some people out there who are just unwilling to accept change and let go. I can imagine what King was thinking when he wrote this because all entertainers go through this stage. Nonetheless, he wrote the novel so well you almost either got entertained or cringed. The film did very well at the box office, the direction of Rob Reiner was most definitely his best work since the classic gem 'Stand By Me' as he directs the actors and the script by William Goldman in a way only he could have brought to the screen. He would do that again in 1992 with the military courtroom drama 'A Few Good Men', but this was the film that showed he could stand on his own two feet and bring any kind of story to life. This was his second collaboration with King and it's easy to see why they make such a good team here. Misery may have given one man that for months at a time, but it's given us 30 years of frightful moments of viewing pleasure and terror at nearly every turn of psychological torture. Bates won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her part in this film and that was a major thing because no one expected that to happen. This film made me appreciate her body of work and I ended up seeing her in other things without turning into her character in this one. For the most part I only hope and pray that anyone who's seen this film was entertained by it but not put off by it. Here's to 30 years of Misery and more! I'm tempted to watch this again after writing this review, but truth be told I'm afraid to. But that's what makes this film so great to have and remember anyway.

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