Movie Review: Gerald's Game

Gerald's Game *** / *****

Directed by: Mike Flanagan.

Written by: Jeff Howard & Mike Flanagan based on the book by Stephen King.

Starring: Carla Gugino (Jessie Burlingame), Bruce Greenwood (Gerald Burlingame), Carel Struycken (Raymond Andrew Joubert), Henry Thomas (Tom Mahout), Kate Siegel (Sally Mahout), Chiara Aurelia (Young Jessie Burlingame).

 

I am a big fan of Stephen King – but even I have to admit that his track record is far from spotless, and his 1992 book Gerald’s Game is clearly one of those blemishes. Normally, I can read even subpar King rather quickly and easily – but I think it took me about three tries to get through Gerald’s Game (why did I try three times? No clue). It is a rather dull novel, with a ridiculous ending – but it does have a kinky premise which makes it at least somewhat readable. It is one of the few standalone King novels that no one has tried to adapt over the years – and there is a very good reason for that – the vast majority of the novel is an internal monologue of its main character, who spends the entire time by herself, handcuffed to a bed. For some reason, this is the King novel that director Mike Flanagan has most wanted to adapt for years. Flanagan is the talented horror director behind such films as Oculus, Hush and Ouija: Origin of Evil – none of those are great horror films, but they are all good, and all make me think he has a great horror film in him. The same can be said of his version of Gerald’s Game – which is probably as good of a version of this story as you can make without almost completely chucking King’s novel away.

 

The story is about Jessie and Gerald – a middle aged married couple, who decide to head up to their remote cabin for some privacy – a chance to add a little spark back to their marriage. Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) wants to add a little kink to their sex life – and it isn’t long before he’s handcuffed his wife Jessie (Carla Gugino) to the bed to begin his “game”. She doesn’t really want to, and soon is demanding to be let out – but he refuses. The threat of rape here is real, but then Gerald clutches his chest, and falls over – whether the Viagra he took contributed to his heart attack or not, it doesn’t matter – he’s now dead on the floor, and Jessie is trapped on a bed in the middle of nowhere. (Strangely, one of the most significant changes Flanagan makes from the novel is the idea that Gerald took Viagra – which wasn’t around in the early 1990s when King wrote the novel – and that is what gives him the heart attack. In the book, Jessie kicks Gerald is the nuts when the threat of rapes turns too real – and that is what ultimately leads to his death – it is a small detail, but a significant one – movie Jessie is less culpable than book Jessie for Gerald’s demise).

 

In the book, the rest of the story plays out as an internal monologue that Jessie tells herself. In the movie, Flanagan had to find a way to make things more cinematic – and does so by bringing Gerard “back to life” as it were, as Jessie talks to him throughout her captivity – and she also talks to a tougher, more competent version of herself as well. Gerald keeps pointing out how screwed Jessie is – and the other Jessie points out how strong she is. Eventually, there is a flashback that makes us see everything in a different light – and perhaps explains Jessie’s marriage, and sexual issues.

 

The key to this movie is working is the performances by Gugino and Greenwood. Carla Gugino is one of those actresses I always like in a movie – and never understand why she never broke bigger. She is at times the whole show here, and nicely plays Jessie a couple of different ways in reality, and her fantasy version of herself. Greenwood is also good as Gerald – playing an exaggerated version of her husband, with a cruel streak. Flanagan also does a good job of keeping this movie visually interesting from one scene to the next – especially as day turns to night and back again – utilizing shadows and darkness very well.

 

Flanagan never really figures out ways around the various issues with King’s novel. I have to wonder if King would write a female character like Jessie again today the same way he did in the 1990s – yes she is a “strong” woman, but she’s also rather retrograde in her outlook on her life. The godawful ending – which is the perhaps the worst ending to any novel King has ever written (and boy is that saying something – as even many of his best novels have suspect endings) – is for some reason kept in this version, even though Flanagan had to know it didn’t work. Overall, Gerald’s Game works as a film, even though it really shouldn’t. I wouldn’t really recommend reading King’s novel – unless you’re a completist. The movie though, is worth a look.