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Misery
1990
Romance author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) longs to be rid of Misery, his plucky heroine of seven novels. She has delivered him fame and fortune and recognition beyond the average writer's dreams, but she is also interminably linked to him. Determined to escape an eternal role as pulp novelist, he kills her off in the eighth .. Read more
| Starring | James Caan, Kathy Bates, Frances Sternhagen, Richard Farnsworth |
|---|---|
| Director | Rob Reiner |
| Genres | Thriller |
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Misery
Romance author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) longs to be rid of Misery, his plucky heroine of seven novels. She has delivered him fame and fortune and recognition beyond the average writer's dreams, but she is also interminably linked to him. Determined to escape an eternal role as pulp novelist, he kills her off in the eighth novel and heads to his New England cabin to work on his own Great American Novel. Upon completion, Sheldon excitedly sets out for his New York City publisher in the midst of a raging blizzard and within minutes veers into a desolate snowbank. From the brink of death, he is rescued from the snow by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who just so happens to be Misery's self-professed biggest fan. At first, she nurses him back to health in her remote cabin, telling him the roads and phones are damaged by the storm, fawning over his literary accomplishments. However, things change when she purchases his eighth Misery book and reaches the point of Misery's death. Annie's psychotic underbelly swiftly surfaces as the unfortunate author is held clandestinely captive in her home. Meanwhile, a wily small-town sheriff (Richard Farnsworth) circles in...
Director Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's novel is an eerie tale of obsessiveness and isolation. The film features an excellent turn by Caan and an Oscar-winning performance by Bates.
| Starring | James Caan, Kathy Bates, Frances Sternhagen, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall |
|---|---|
| Director | Rob Reiner |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 43 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Feisty Females, 100 Horror Films, 100 Top Thrillers |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 28 Jul 2003 Production year: 1990 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (4)
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This superb adaptation of Stephen King's bestseller from director Rob Reiner deals with the trappings of celebrity, fanatical devotion, artistic dilemmas and the worthiness of commercial fiction within a psychological suspense context. Kathy Bates deservedly won an Oscar for her monstrously scary performance as novelist James Caan's “Number One Fan”, turning from caring nurse to insane “Baby Jane” torturer after learning he's killed off her favourite literary character. While not a true-blue horror movie, Reiner's adept exercise in chilling claustrophobia nevertheless contains numerous jolts, with the sledgehammer “hobbling” scene certain to evoke screams of revulsion.
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The gore is toned down and the psychology played up in this darkly humorous adaptation of Stephen King's novel. Paul... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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13 out of 13 people found this review helpful
If you ain't seen this movie, you should rent it now. Thrillers don't come any better than this. I'm not sure who to thank for makin this a great movie, Stephen King for writing the book, Rob Reiner for directing it or Kathy Bates for playing a nutter, but who ever, this is a truly scary movie. It's dosen't stop from beginning to end, and kathy Bates is really scary. She deserved her oscar for this performance and James Caan is on top form as well. In fact stop reading this and rent it now.
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Most recent members' review
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
TOP MOVIE !!!
When I saw this movie, I understood why it was called 'Misery.' Kathy Bates, who plays the role of the psychotic protagonist, Annie Wilkes, has, in my opinion, real potential. In the movie she rescues the romance novelist, Paul Sheldon (played by James Caan) from a car accident. She then brings him to her house to nurse him back to health. Annie Wilkes claims to be Sheldon's number one fan and is in love with his writing. But as the movie progresses we find that she is obsessed and is truly in love with Sheldon himself. Sheldon, who is locked up in his room and stuck in bed all day because of badly injured legs, is totally spooked by this weird lady who calls him Mr. Man. He attempts to escape a number of times, but his attempts fail. And since Annie's real intention is to keep Sheldon to herself forever, she has no choice but to use a sledgehammer to slam his ankles.
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News and features
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King not a fan of Twilight author
- 04 Feb 2009
Horror writer Stephen King has served up a fright for Twilight author Stephenie Meyers, insisting she "can't write worth a darn". King, the writer of classics like Carrie and Misery, has gone public with his critique of in-vogue Utah-based novelist Meyers in the upcoming issue of USA Weekend magazine. He starts by complimenting J.K. Rowling on her Harry Potter books, and then slates Meyer. He says, "Both Rowling and Meyer, theyre speaking directly to young people... The real difference is that Read more
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