Misery (1990)

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (novel)
William Goldman (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 November 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

This Christmas there will be... Misery.

Plot:

A famous novelist is "rescued" from a car crash by an obsessed fan.

Plot Keywords:

Stephen King | Revenge | Bipolar Disorder | Fight | Profanity

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

James Caan	...	Paul Sheldon
Kathy Bates	...	Annie Wilkes
Richard Farnsworth	...	Buster
Frances Sternhagen	...	Virginia
Lauren Bacall	...	Marcia Sindell
Graham Jarvis	...	Libby
Jerry Potter	...	Pete
Thomas Brunelle	...	Anchorman (as Tom Brunelle)
June Christopher	...	Anchorwoman
Julie Payne	...	Reporter #1
Archie Hahn III	...	Reporter #2
Gregory Snegoff	...	Reporter #3
Wendy Bowers	...	Waitress
Misery the Pig	...	Herself

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

Kathy Bates reportedly was disappointed that a scene was cut in which she kills a young police officer by rolling over him repeatedly with a lawnmower. Director Rob Reiner was afraid that the audience would laugh at it.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Paul is looking at Annie's scrapbook, her name in one of the news headlines reads "Anne M. Wilkes," but the accompanying photo gives her name as "Anne C. Wilkes."

Quotes:

Annie Wilkes: Now that's an oogie mess.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Best! Movies! Ever!: Rants (#1.4)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

TCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO #1

Kathy Bates Is a Sight to Behold

"Misery" is one of those films that over-achieves. The material is not very good, the plot is somewhat thin, and most of the characters are one-dimensional. However, with that said Kathy Bates takes the material and runs with it all the way to the bank. This film made her a household name and provided her with a Best Actress Oscar in 1990. She stars as a crazed fan who cares for author James Caan after he's involved in a near-fatal auto accident in the middle of nowhere. Quickly her mood goes from cheerful to downright frightening when she learns that Caan's fictional heroine "Misery" will die in his newest novel. Caan's character is not very well developed and this somewhat stalls the film, but it really does not matter because of Bates's performance. All in all, "Misery" is one of Stephen King's novels that actually plays well on film. If Bates were taken away, I am not sure how this film would fare. Thank goodness we do not have to find out. 4 out of 5 stars