Misery (1990)

Rest In Peace Rob Reiner

Commemorating not only the 35th Anniversary of an iconic adaptation of the popular Stephen King novel of the same name but the recent tragic loss of its director Rob Reiner who was in the middle of a sterling run of instant classics (When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, Stand By Me) at the time of this film's release.  It's the simple story of fictional best-selling author Paul Sheldon (Oscar-nominee James Caan) who gets severely injured and incapacitated after accidently driving off of a snow road one day in the mountains after finishing his latest novel.  Fortunately he's found by a local retired nurse named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates in the role which won her the Oscar for Best Actress) who gradually nurses him back to health....or DOES she? 😳 Well as it turns out, Annie is Paul's biggest fan and adores his novels about Misery Chastain....and she wants him to KEEP writing them even if he's run out of stories to tell.   What results is an increasingly brutal situation as Annie tries to keep Paul prisoner while he plots his escape. 

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

Transcript

MISERY - 1990

Directed by Rob Reiner       

Starring Kathy Bates, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall, and Frances Sternhagen

Genre: Horror Thriller (Audio clip)

Happy 35th Anniversary to what I think MIGHT be both my favorite Rob Reiner film and Stephen King film adaptation! Kathy Bates is just a blast to watch in this - you can see her roots as an acclaimed stage actress on full display, she's acting EVERY moment to the hilt. 🙂(Audio clip) 

Just watch Bates in that scene towards the end with Richard Farnsworth's Sheriff...she seems to be just slightly exaggerating her "Number One Fan" persona for him to craft a semi-believable story about the typing paper. But watching it this time after so many previous watches, I can't believe this is the first time I noticed that she really wasn't trying to throw him off....she was just trying to unnerve him enough to buy herself time to dose his hot cocoa. 😮 Annie Wilkes isn't trying to fool ANYONE at this point..she's basically pot-committed to this insane mission she has created for herself! You need someone with hard-core theatrical chops to pull off a character like this...(Audio clip) 

And beyond that, we have the late, great James Caan portraying the popular author (some one would say BASED on Stephen King himself?) Paul Sheldon whom Annie has now kept as her own prisoner.  He is AMAZING in this even with minimal dialogue – literally 90% of what he’s doing are various pained expressions but it’s just SO effective.  We can sense not only his fear but the wheels constantly turning with how he is hoping to escape.  On paper, it definitely seems like a pretty thankless role – spending most of your screentime LITERALLY lying in a bed – which is likely why SO many notable actors apparently turned it down from Warren Beatty to Harrison Ford to Richard Dreyfuss to Kevin Kline before Caan eventually took on the role.  And in retrospect, it was a smart decision as not only was this a bit of a comeback for the actor after a mostly lackluster ‘80’s but Caan just brings so much empathy AND wit to this performance.  His reactions are just PRICELESS especially when he has the privilege of first meeting Annie’s pet….a sow named Misery. (Audio clip)  

But make no mistake: despite this film containing a lot of humor, it IS at the end of the day a VERY effective horror thriller.  Even more brutal than I remember it being to upon rewatch…..SO many lingering shots of how jacked-up Paul's legs are post-accident - but still so much fun and a very rewarding rewatch!

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

What most folks DON’T’ remember about this film is the music but it’s actually sneakily effective at helping to build and maintain the tension throughout….the score was conducted journeyman composer, seven-time Oscar nominee, and a regular collaborator of Reiner’s, Marc Shaiman. (Audio clip) 

However as I’m always a sucker for a REALLY strong opening credits sequence which sets the tone for the film, I have to go back to the raucous pop song which OPENS the film as we watch Paul rather foolishly peel out in his Camaro on some genuinely treacherous snowy cliff-sides streets in Maine.  The song we hear comes from the legendary Autry DeWalt Mixon Jr. born out of Blytheville, Arkansas and one of the finest saxophonists for the Motown label in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s…I’m referring to Junior Walker.  I’m a bit torn on this as this would be even more prominently featured during a key sequence in Malcolm X just a couple of years later but it still works either way – it’s from Junior Walker’s debut album of the same name released in 1965, the eminently catchy, “Shotgun.” (Audio clip)

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

I had been hoping to review this and it almost got squeezed out of this year’s schedule….and then something happened which convinced me that we HAD to do this.  Sadly the world of entertainment lost a TRUE legend last week and under extremely tragic circumstances which I’m NOT going to delve into….but he remained one of the more influential entertainers of my lifetime.  And I am 100% certain that I’m NOT the only one…..I’m referring to Robert Reiner who was born in New York City in 1947 and left us on December 14 in Los Angeles. (Audio clip) 

I guess I was JUST the right age but Rob Reiner has been a pop culture fixture for me since the get-go and yes first enjoying him as an actor early in his now iconic turn as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on CBS’ “All In the Family.” (Audio clip)  

And when he made his transition into being a film director in the ‘80’s, and into the ‘90’s he embarked on ONE hell of a legendary run of films, several of which became instant classics and defining different genres for decades to come….the mockumentary with This is Spinal Tap, the rom-com with When Harry Met Sally, the courtroom drama with A Few Good Men, genre-blending Stephen King adaptations like Stand By Me and THIS film Misery, and even self-aware fantasy comedy with The Princess Bride….I mean SERIOUSLY that film walked so that future films like Shrek or Frozen could RUN….. (Audio clip) 

What all of these films had in a common was confident direction, consistent tone, good pacing, clever humor, and of course HIGHLY relatable characters at their centers….he really had a knack of bringing out THE best in his actors.  In fact my PERSONAL introduction to Reiner was likely his most forgotten film from that sterling ‘80’s run….a little teen road comedy gem which I would rewatch exhaustively on HBO, featuring a breakout performance from some one who would be one of my FAVORITE actors from this era, John Cusack….The Sure Thing. (Audio clip) 

By the ‘90’s, Reiner would also start his own production company called “Castle Rock Entertainment” and even beyond the films he directed, they would release SEVERAL top-flight films including In The Line of Fire, City Slickers, Richard Linklater’s BEFORE trilogy, Waiting for Guffman and SEVERAL previous episodes including Miss Congeniality, Michael Clayton, Music & Lyrics, Malice, and The Shawshank Redemption  Looking this up, I was just blown away by that catalog - that’s just a murder’s row of great films spread across every possible genre!  Castle Rock’s imprint spread to television as well as they ALSO produced and championed a little sitcom named “Seinfeld”….my all-time favorite. (Audio clip)

Just think of HOW many great careers were kick-started thanks to this guy?  And no wonder because Reiner was a true mensch who could not only recognize talent but got along with every one he encountered.  He was an outspoken activist for SO many worthy causes….RIGHT up until the day he died, he was out there speaking out for freedom and the truth.  It’s truly difficult to overstate just how unique of a talent Rob Reiner was – he will be missed though his legacy will never go away.  RIP Meathead….and here’s hoping that wherever you are, you’ll never miss another episode of The Equalizer. (Audio clip)  

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Yeah this is a no-brainer even though I KNOW this sequence still makes many folks extremely uncomfortable….even though it’s not quite as bloody as the sequence from the the original Stephen King novel.  THIS version actually isn’t bloody at all….but it’s effective, it occurs about 80 minutes into the film.  I’m of course referring to The Hobbling Scene…. (Audio clip)  

The build-up is great, Annie has now figured out Paul’s recent attempts to escape and has a NOVEL solution for ensuring that he doesn’t make any additional attempts to do so.  BOTH performances are just spot-on and you undoubtedly FEEL Paul’s pain even though the camera doesn’t actually linger on what’s happening.  Coming just a few years after the foot trauma of the first Die Hard film, this just takes it another level with what remains of THE best “shit just got real” moments you’re ever going to see! (Audio clip)  

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

And SPEAKING of Annie….. what drives SO much of the tension of this film is the lingering dread that NOBODY is stopping Annie and the best you can do is maybe DELAY her by playing along..which is how Paul finally beats her. As initially silly as her character might seem - the marmy wardrobe, the lilting upper Midwestern inflections, and of course using expressions like "cock-a-doodie" - Bates makes her determination VERY convincing and the actress definitely deserved her Oscar.  For delivering one of THE all-time villain performances, Kathy Bates is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5

HOW is this only the first Rob Reiner film which has been reviewed on this podcast?  Considering just how many of his films have been perennial rewatches of mine, you’ve got me….it’s a true oversight on my part.  But rest assured, more Reiner reviews to come!

Streaming on HBO Max & crunchyroll

And that ends another COCK-A-DOODY review!