Hey everyone! Welcome back to another installment of “31 Movies for Halloween.” If you haven’t been following along, I’m talking about movies that get me into the Halloween mood. For those that need a recap, I talked about one of my all time favorite movies, and not just for Halloween. Mel Brooks’ classic “Young Frankenstein” was the post de jour. Today, I’m discussing another Stephen King novel turned movie that has a liberal heaping of dark humor.
The Movie:
MiseryReleased: November 30
th, 1990
Directed by Rob Reiner
MPAA Rating: R
The Main Players:
James Caan as Paul Sheldon
Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes
Richard Farnsworth as Sheriff Buster
The Synopsis:
After finishing his manuscript for his latest book in his Misery series, author Paul Sheldon departs to meet his editor and publisher. Snowy conditions and icy roads impede his progress; ultimately causing him to veer of the road and down a steep embankment. Coming to his rescue is Annie Wilkes, a local nurse who just so happens to be Paul’s self proclaimed number one fan.
Thankful for the help and care that Annie has provided, a bruised and broken Paul Sheldon lets Annie read his soon to be published novel.
While in recovery, Paul’s agent hasn’t heard from him in several days, so she gets in touch with the local sheriff who begins to search for the missing author.
As soon as Paul’s new book hits the stores, Annie picks up a copy and feels betrayed with how it ends. She demands that Paul rewrite the story because his life now depends on it.
Why I like this movie:
I love this film. Even if I’m not in the mood to watch it and I pop in the DVD just to have something on, or if it’s playing on TV, I get sucked right in all the time. There’s just something with how Rob Reiner made the film and I really wish I had read Stephen King’s novel because the suspense and dread just keep building and building up to the end. What I can say about Stephen King from seeing him give a private reading as well as a campus wide lecture when I was at the Univ. of Vermont, is he has a great sense of humor which is very twisted and hope I am right in my conclusion that Rob Reiner pulled the black comedy from King’s novel. There are some very funny parts but the humor involved is very dark.
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| Cringe worthy moment |
Up until I saw “Misery” I have never seen Kathy Bates in a movie before, but regardless, I was blown away by her performance as Annie Wilkes. Some of the best and funniest lines of the movie come out of her mouth with great skill. You’re either laughing your head off or you’re thinking “Man, this is one messed up chick.” The stuff she put’s James Caan through is horrible and she does it well, such as the entire hobbling scene from her history lesson on the practice to her completing the procedure. One of the most brutal movie scenes and the way Kathy Bates carries herself through it, you can’t look away. I also love how James Caan feeds off of Bates and one of my favorite scenes with Caan is his exploration of the house. The suspense of the entire sequence is through the roof and it’s just him as Kathy Bates has gone into town to get writing supplies. Adding to the suspense is the subplot of the Sheriff conducting his investigation of Caan’s whereabouts. Every time I watch I’m always thinking “HURRY UP BUSTER!” Another thing I love about the film is the majority of it takes place in one room with two actors.
All in all this is a very solid, well done fleshed out story. I wish I could compare it to the novel to see how true to the book Reiner stayed, so I’m putting it on my list of must reads.
I hope this was helpful and until tomorrow, happy viewing!
Tags: halloween, Misery, movies, reviews
