MISERY

Year: 1990
Rated R
Genre: Book-to-Movie, Captive, Thriller
Language: English
​Runtime: 1:47:00
Director: Rob Reiner
Main Cast: Kathy Bates ★, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall

​Notable Mentions: Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes, James Caan as Paul Sheldon

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I like films that focus on one thing. Set in one location. In one day. Centered around one event. An example of a film that's set in one location, or mostly in one location, is this film. An example of a film that's set in one day is Happy Death Day. An example of a film that's centered around one event or task is 1917.

Directors. Film producers. Just do one thing and do it really well. Don't be a try hard. 

If you gonna do a lot, it has to be cohesive. There still needs to be a central theme, message, something that holds the pieces of the story together, something that grounds the film. An example of a film that bit off more than it can chew is Titane. The film starts with a car model having sex with a car. No. That's not a typo. Not in a car. With a car. She then goes on a killing spree. She comes home, burns down her house, locking her parents inside. Next, she pretends to be a missing teen. A man who's been looking for his long lost son takes her home, thinking she's his son. It's covering a lot of ground. It's all over the place. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Titane mixes drama, science fiction and slasher film elements. It was ambitious, but failed at providing a central theme that holds the stories together. Some say Titane is about unconditional love. How does the first half of the film, the serial killing fit into that theme? It doesn't.

Titane ended up being a hot mess of cool visuals. However, it was savable. It wasn't far from being cohesive. In fact, it could have been a masterpiece. What Titane should have done is make the main character's parents abusive. Make that the reason why she killed. Then this other man came into her life, showed her unconditional love and changed her for the better. See how there is now logic, a theme.

Misery kept it simple, thanks to its source material. There was no showy gimmicks, just good storytelling and all around great acting.

One standout from Misery is James Caan's character never seemed scared. I'd be terrified. He was reasonably composed through the entire ordeal. I guess that's one way to handle that situation. I wonder if that's how his character was written, if that's the director's choice, or if that's just James Caan's acting style. My favorite James Caan scene was when he was practicing pulling out the kitchen knife from under his bed sheet.

Kathy Bates won an Oscars for her performance. Very deserving.

Apr. 15, 25.