Stephen King “hated” the Denzel Washington movie

Stephen King may be best known for his horror stories involving monsters and murder, but he just as often deals with more current, mature topics alcoholism and domestic violence. King can speak from experience about the first, as he struggled with substance addiction in the 1980s. For the former, he fortunately has not experienced it himself, but is drawn to the stories of children who have suffered at the hands of their would-be caretakers. This was certainly the case with his summer epic It, which presented the children's turmoil at home as a parallel to the supernatural monster that haunts them.

As such, King is sensitive to stories that mishandle themes of abuse. There's a certain kind of Hollywood melodrama that explores the psychological trauma experienced by victims of abuse, but which wraps their stories in a neat little bow, declaring that abuse can simply be “dealt with” with a few trips to the shrink and some reconciliation.

This must be why King was hated Denzel Washington's directorial debut in 2002 “Antwone Fisher”. Based on the true autobiography of Antwon Fisher, this film was a survival story about a young man raised by an abusive foster family and sexually abused by his foster family's adult niece. For a few years he lived on the streets, making his way as a criminal. Antwon is wracked with guilt after witnessing a friend get killed during a robbery. He grew up angry, finding solace only in the US Navy. It was there that he was offered treatment by a Navy shrink, Dr. Davenport (Washington), who gently helped him overcome his anger and trauma.

“Antwone Fisher” was fairly well reviewed, earning a 78% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 148 reviews). It was also a minor success, earning $23 million on a $12 million budget.

It was also a film that Stephen King called a “sentimental piece of cake.” A 2007 article he wrote for EW.

The 2007 article in question was King's first for EW, and he more or less laid out a broad editorial about the current state of entertainment. He stated that he likes Jonathan Mostow's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and slightly less fond of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. However, he especially hated “Antwone Fisher” as well as the high-profile death penalty drama “The Life of David Gale”. Of these films, King wrote:

“Hate 'Antwone Fisher'; same as 'The Life of David Gayle.' Don't tell me the former is better than the latter, and don't throw a sentimental bunch at me and call it social commentary, which is particularly annoying in that respect. $9 Hallmark Card , which is “. Roses are red, Violets are blue, Life is hard, but you will get through. I already knew that, thank you, now go away.”

Despite generally positive reviews of “Antwone Fisher,” at least some critics sided with King. A review by Nev Pearce for the BBC was actually even harsher than King, saying that “there is not a single shocking, surprising, or even mildly diverting moment in this predictable, cliché-laden, bland, self-deprecating waste of time.” He said the story was more suited to a TV movie of the week and that Fisher's character, played by Derek Luke, was terribly one-dimensional. Indeed, most of the negative reviews of “Antwone Fisher” had similar complaints, calling the drama cheesy or treacly and recognizing Fisher as a bland protagonist.

However, King found plenty of company in his hatred of Alan Parker's The Life of David Gale. This movie only got a 19% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and inspired Roger Ebert to write zero star review. Few will jump to the defense of this film.