Misery (1990)
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 52
Fresh: 47 | Rotten: 5
Elevated by standout performances from James Caan and Kathy Bates, this taut and frightening film is one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date.
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Critic Reviews: 8
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 2
Elevated by standout performances from James Caan and Kathy Bates, this taut and frightening film is one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date.
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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 152,311
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Movie Info
Adapted from a Stephen King novel, Rob Reiner's Misery cast James Caan as a writer at a career crossroads. The film opens with Paul Sheldon (Caan) completing work on his latest novel, a break from his popular series of novels featuring the character Misery Chastain. He gets into a severe car accident and is saved by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), a reclusive woman who nurses him back to health. Annie is a huge fan of the Misery novels, and she finishes reading the new one while Paul is
Nov 30, 1990 Wide
Dec 22, 1998
Columbia Pictures
Watch It Now
Cast
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James Caan
Paul Sheldon -
Kathy Bates
Annie Wilkes -
Frances Sternhagen
Virginia -
Richard Farnsworth
Buster, Buster Sheriff -
Lauren Bacall
Marcia Sindell -
Graham Jarvis
Libby -
J.T. Walsh
Park Ranger (uncredited... -
Wendy Bowers
Waitress -
Tom Brunelle
Anchorman -
June Christopher
Anchorwoman -
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Julie Payne
Reporter #1 -
Jerry Potter
Pete -
Greg Snegoff
Reporter -
Rob Reiner
Helicopter Pilot (uncre... -
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Misery Trailer & Photos
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (5) | DVD (18)
Popular moviemaking -- elegantly economical, artlessly artful -- doesn't get much better than this.
Bates has a field day with her role, creating a quirky, memorable object of hate.
A skillfully pared-down (if psychologically thin) horror thriller.
Reiner captures just the right level of physical tension, but for the most part wisely emphasises the mental duels. Terrific.
Top CriticMisery is a blunt instrument that fractures the kneecaps more often than it tickles the funnybone.
A weak handshake of a movie, it is slightly repellent -- hardly gripping, much less knuckle-whitening.
A quality film of suspense and manipulation.
Director Rob Reiner creates an atmosphere of tense horror wrapped around rich dialogue ("Cockadoodie dirty birdie!"), and in the process, he gets sterling performances from Caan and Bates.
Kathy Bates brilliantly portrays Annie as someone with absolutely no sense of her own monstrosity.
The Collector DVD contains significant comments from helmer Reiner, who claims that while Kathy Bates was always his first and only choice, James Caan was not (most stars turned him down) and trivia too, like Advice for the Stalked or Diagnosing Annie.
a horrorshow of close-ups
Except for the flat, compromised ending, Reiner's smooth direction and Goldman's nicely structured script make this version of King's novella enjoyable as a horror flick and psychological thriller, not to mention Kathy Bates' superb turn as the wacko fan
The dark duet between Paul and the frankly psychopathic Annie is played to tense perfection.
From start to harrowing finish, it is blissfully apparent that Rob Reiner can indeed turn his hand to virtually anything.
Director Rob Reiner is clearly more comfortable with the humor and humanity than the gory horror in King's grisly tale.
Rob Reiner builds Stephen King's tale with clean, effortless strokes.
Sweat-inducing suspense thriller.
It's a definite KEEPER!!
Superb!
Horrifying tale with deserved Oscar performance by Kathy Bates.
Audience Reviews for Misery
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Paul Sheldon: Eat it till ya choke, you sick, twisted fuck!
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- Annie Wilkes: He didn't get out of the COCKADOODIE CAR!
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- Annie Wilkes: He didn't get out of the COCKADOODIE CAR!
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- Annie Wilkes: I call it 'operation hobble'.
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- Annie Wilkes: It's the swearing, Paul. It has no nobility.
- Paul Sheldon: These are slum kids, I was a slum kid. Everybody talks like that.
- Annie Wilkes: THEY DO NOT! At the feedstore do I say, 'Oh, now Wally, give me a bag of that F-in' pig feed, and a pound of that bitchly cow corn'? At the bank do I say, 'Oh, Mrs. Malenger, here is one big bastard of a check, now give me some of your Christ-ing money!' THERE, LOOK THERE, NOW SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!
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- Annie Wilkes: Oh, Paul. What a poet you are.
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