Stephen King may be best known for his horror stories involving monsters and murder, but he just as often deals with more mainstream, more mature themes from alcoholism and domestic abuse. For the former, King can speak from experience, having struggled with substance addiction during the 1980s. For the former, he fortunately did not experience it firsthand, but he is drawn to stories of children who are victimized by their supposed guardians. This was certainly the case with his summer epic It, which portrayed the children's domestic turmoil as a parallel to the supernatural monster stalking 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 abuse victims, but wraps up their stories in a neat little arc, declaring that abuse can simply be "got over" with a few trips to the shrink and some sort. of pervading reconciliation.

That of course is why King hated it Denzel Washington's directorial debut in 2002, Antwon Fisher. That film, based on the real-life autobiography of Antwone Fisher, was the survival story of a young man raised by an abusive foster family who was sexually abused by his foster family's adult niece. He spent several years living on the streets, making his way as a criminal. Antwon is wracked with guilt after witnessing the murder of a friend in a robbery gone wrong. He grew up angry, finding solace only in the US Navy. There he was offered treatment by Dr. Davenport (Washington) of the Navy, who gently helped him through his rage and trauma.

Antwone Fisher has been fairly well reviewed, with a 78% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 148 reviews). It was also a modest hit, grossing $23 million on a $12 million budget.

It was also a movie Stephen King called a "sentimental tripe." a 2007 article he wrote for EW.

The 2007 article in question was King's first piece for EW, and he more or less posted a sweeping editorial on the current state of entertainment. He said he loved Jonathan Mostow's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and slightly less fond of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. Notably, however, he hated Antwon Fisher, as well as the high-profile death penalty drama The Life of David Gale. Of those films, King wrote the following:

"Hated Antwon Fisher"; so is "The Life of David Gale." Don't tell me the former is better than the latter, and don't throw me a bunch of sentimental tripe and don't call it social commentary Antwone Fisher is particularly boring in this regard, a $9 landmark card that amounts to “. Roses are red, violets are blue, Life is hard, but you will get through. I knew that already, thank you, now go."

Despite generally positive reviews of Antwone Fisher, at least some critics sided with King. Review by Nev Pearce for the BBC was, in fact, even more scathing than King's, saying that "There is not a single shocking, surprising, or even mildly diverting moment in this predictable, clichéd, bland, self-consciously cringe-worthy waste of time." He said the story was more suited to a TV movie of the week and that Fisher's character, as played by Derek Luke, was terribly one-dimensional. Indeed, most negative reviews of "Antwone Fisher" had similar complaints, calling the drama lackluster or sleazy, and recognizing Fisher as a bland protagonist.

King, however, found much company in his hatred of Alan Parker's The Life of David Gale. That film earned only a 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and inspired Roger Ebert to write zero star review. Few will jump to the defense of that film.