Misery

Review by Peggy Sugarman

Run time: 104 Minutes
Directed by: Rob Reiner, based on the novel by Stephen King
Stars: James Caan
Kathy Bates
Richard Farnsworth
Frances Sternhagen
Lauren Bacall

Misery. The very word brings up pain. We have all experienced an overwhelming sense of despair or physical pain to which we have attached this epithet. It is a word that is effective when describing the suffering attendant to victims both human and animal. Stephen King, however, uses the word in a most clever manner. It is the first name of Paul Sheldon’s (James Caan) heroine in a series of novels that has made his own name a household world a la Danielle Steele. Misery Chastain: A character that has him chained by golden handcuffs, interfering with his desire to expand into something more meaningful. It is also the word to be applied to what is about to happen to him as he finishes his new novel and descends from his mountain retreat with the typed pages safely tucked into a briefcase.

Caught in a blinding snow storm, he crashes but is rescued by Annie Wilkes, a demented recluse who proclaims to be Paul Sheldon’s “Number One Fan”. She counts the Misery series as one of the few highlights and many obsessions (yes, disorders) in her life. Stephen King’s ability to create deeply disturbed characters is showcased in Annie and skillfully played by Kathy there-isn’t-much-you-can’t-do Bates. Annie becomes Paul’s nurse and captor. The extent of Paul’s injuries keep him helpless and dependent on Annie’s seemingly never-ending supply of pain pills.

Annie is dangerously outraged when she finds that Paul has killed off Misery Chastain (free at last!) in his last book, Misery’s Child. This prompts her to retreat, then return with a typewriter and paper. He is going to write another book and bring Misery back.

Paul’s wheelchair is moved to a small table. He despairs over the enormity of his predicament: The world thinks he is dead. His overturned car has been covered by snow, and he has no way of knowing that his agent (Lauren Bacall) is making calls to the local sheriff (the late Richard Farnsworth) in an attempt to find him.

He descends, to the non-artist viewer’s surprise, into that retreat that writers occupy when the story becomes your entire world. The transition, however, is the much sought-after state to which writers aspire; the world where nothing else matters but the story; where words flow onto the page uninterrupted. James Caan portrays it beautifully. As Annie offers to read the chapters as he completes them, she forces him to make Misery’s rise from the dead be “fair”; meaning, it has to be plausible. Wracked with pain and fear, he tries again and produces what was likely to be his best writing ever.

The movie is very King-like in its ability to scare the pants off of you. Annie is your worst nightmare and shows herself capable of the most horrendous acts. We eventually find out that her murderous history is carefully chronicled in a scrapbook. The ending doesn’t disappoint, either. Rob Reiner stays true to the novel for the most part. If you like being frightened by something that could actually happen, this movie is for you. But for writers in particular, this movie will be even more intriguing. It shows how misery and despair can spur one’s genius and, conversely, how the act of writing can allow one to escape it.

Peggy Sugarman has spent 25 years working in California's workers' compensation system, having served 8 years as the Chief Deputy Director of the state's regulatory agency. She holds a Master's degree in Counseling and is currently consulting for the California Applicants' Attorneys Associa-tion -- an organization of attorneys who represent workers and fights for legislation to help workers who are injured on the job. She occasionally writes for on-line publications and is working on her first novel. She and her husband and two daughters reside in Oakland, California.

You can email Peggy with movies you’d like to see reviewed at Psugarman@earthlink.net