At first, I didn’t realize it was an adaptation of a Stephen King short story.  Once you realize it, you can see the parallels with other adaptations of his work. It’s narrated in first person and while it seems like the narrator is understating ridiculous death scenes, it is really a theme in his books. Especially with those that start with main characters in their childhood, those characters expect the worst and react with little surprise as stories unfold. Was it great? No, but read a few King short stories before watching. Not the worst adaptation I’ve ever seen.

And the Tony goes to Joaquin Phoenix. Dude ate like a show choir champion. Wait, uh, this was a semi-serious film depicting the struggles of people with mental health in a non-caring system. Ahh, well then it sucked.

Someone please give James McAvoy a decent script. Dude actually ate in this, but he was forced to be so over the top just to keep it going. It felt like he was guest starring in a Lifetime movie.

Maika Monroe did a nice job salvaging a couple of stars out of this one. Love Nic Cage, but daaaaaaamn. Sometimes less is more.