Review of Misery (1990) by Isaacj — 15 Mar 2019

Adapted from Stephen King’s 1987 novel, Misery tells the story of bestselling author, Paul Sheldon (James Caan), rescued from the wreckage of a near fatal car crash by his “No.1 fan” the seemingly solicitous Annie Wilkes. What follows is typical King fare, a psychological game of cat and mouse that ranges from the surprisingly droll to the disturbingly brutal.

As Stephen King adaptations go, Misery is fairly well done, a faithful if slightly pacified version of a story that naturally hooks us in. It’s really elevated by two fantastic lead performances with James Caan playing captive writer Sheldon with an understated brilliance. The real stand out, however, comes from Kathy Bates (an Oscar winner for her role), who plays the unpredictable Annie with a remarkable level of complexity and realism. A subplot involving Richard Farnsworth’s Sheriff meanders along, but the bulk of the film is a two-player game, complete with scenes of biting tension, sporadic violence and unnerving tenderness. Marc Shaiman’s score adds a chilling touch that suits the film’s slow build from the typical to the terrifying.

There are enough gems of excitement in Misery to keep us interested (even at a slightly stretched 107-minute run time), but the film lacks both the introspection and horror of its source material. There are moments of greatness (the famous ‘hobbling’ scene springs to mind), but much of the film is approached with a heavy-handedness, never as clever nor as scary as it seems to think it is. Nevertheless, the film remains pretty much consistently entertaining, with just enough surprises to keep it afloat. In the end, Misery may be rather uninspired, but it’s a loyal and well-crafted adaptation of a good story, elevated by a scintillating central performance from Kathy Bates.