How Stephen King Really Feels About Rob Reiner's Misery Adaptation
by Debopriyaa Dutta · /FilmLegendary filmmaker and sitcom actor Rob Reiner has died at 78, an incredibly tragic loss for us all. Reiner rose to prominence as a director with his 1984 cult mockumentary, "This is Spinal Tap," and went on to helm a slew of Hollywood classics, including "The Princess Bride," "When Harry Met Sally," and "A Few Good Men." Such genre variety should be indicative of the director's incredible ability to tell powerful stories without being constrained by rules or conventions. This sense of flexibility is reflected in his treatment of two distinctly different Stephen King stories — "Stand by Me" and " Misery" — that tap into worlds that couldn't be more dissimilar.
While Reiner's "Stand By Me" manages to be more hard-hitting than King's evocative novella, his Oscar-winning "Misery" is an unforgettable experience, thanks to Kathy Bates' mercurial turn as Annie Wilkes. Also, Reiner's film maintains tension and intrigue throughout its 107-minute run, as it understands how to keep us hooked. King also agrees that the 1990 "Misery" is a fine-crafted thriller, and even goes on to brand the adaptation as the superior version (via The New York Times):
"The combination of Kathy Bates and James Caan [who plays famed novelist Paul Sheldon] was magic. And it had a touch of humor in it that was really missing from the book."
In the same interview, King opines that while adaptations should grow beyond the framework of the source material, they should remain somewhat faithful to the core of the story. This approach is a fine balancing act, and it is one that Reiner excelled in, as his embellishments in "Misery" do not take anything away from the novel's central themes. Let's take a closer look at Reiner's beloved psychological horror thriller.
Rob Reiner's Misery is one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date
Spoilers for "Misery" ahead.
At first glance, Reiner's background in comedy might feel ill-suited for a brutal horror story like "Misery." On closer inspection, however, Reiner emerges as the perfect candidate for translating the novel's gallows humor into something more campy. Paul's predicament certainly evokes fear, but it is also deeply absurd in the way it exposes fandom toxicity and the anxieties of an artist. Reiner's version might not be faithful to every story beat in King's novel, but it captures Paul's sense of claustrophobia/terror with great skill. We are also allowed to move away from Paul's one-tracked headspace, which adds a layered dimensionality to the film's inner world.
Bates' Annie isn't a one-dimensional hyper-obsessive either. The character alternates between adoration and all-out revenge for the same individual, accurately portraying the noxious echo chamber of fandom spaces and the moody parasocialism that creeps in. Annie's hyperfixation is taken to comic extremes, but we aren't laughing when she smashes Paul's ankles with a sledgehammer (and without remorse). Death threats culminate in actual bodily harm, as Annie wants to mold Paul's fictional world into her own and exert control in ways nobody else should be able to. In an incredibly twisted way, Annie is Paul's "number one fan" indeed.
Reiner's ability to juggle sentiments of campy horror with visceral sadism makes "Misery" the wildly popular King adaptation that it is. This innate talent is the reason King finally agreed to sell the film rights to "Misery" after being impressed by Reiner's tender treatment of "Stand by Me," as he had faith that the director would do it justice.
Perhaps the best way to pay respect to Reiner's memory is to celebrate his art, which will never be forgotten.