After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 6 wins & 10 nominations total
- Anchorman
- (as Tom Brunelle)
- Reporter #2
- (as Archie Hahn III)
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
- Helicopter Pilot
- (uncredited)
- State Trooper Sherman Douglas
- (uncredited)
- News Photographer
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaStephen King was quite impressed with Kathy Bates' performance in this film, so much so that he later wrote two more roles for her. The title role in his novel "Dolores Claiborne" was written with Bates in mind, and Bates later starred in the film adaption of Dolores Claiborne (1995). King also wrote the script for the TV mini-series The Stand (1994). His original novel featured a (male) character named Ray Flowers; upon hearing that Bates wanted to be involved in the miniseries, King re-wrote the part as a woman (Rae Flowers) just so Bates could play the part (uncredited).
- GoofsWhen Paul takes the knife out of his arm sling there is the sound of the knife brushing against metal.
- Quotes
Annie Wilkes: I know I left my scrapbook out. I can imagine what you might be thinking of me. But you see, Paul, it's all okay. Last night it came so clear. I realized you just need more time. Eventually, you'll come to accept the idea of being here. Paul, do you know about the early days at the Kimberly diamond mines? Do you know what they did to the Native workers who stole diamonds? Don't worry, they didn't kill them. That would be like junking your Mercedes just because it had a broken spring. No, if they caught them, they had to make sure they could go on working, but they also had to make sure they could never run away. The operation was called hobbling.
[Annie places a piece of wood between Paul's ankles]
Paul Sheldon: Annie, whatever you're thinking about doing, please don't do it.
[Annie picks up a sledgehammer]
Paul Sheldon: Annie, for God's...
Annie Wilkes: Shh darling, trust me.
Paul Sheldon: God's sake...
Annie Wilkes: It's for the best.
Paul Sheldon: Annie, please!
[Annie swings the sledgehammer at Paul's left ankle, breaking it; Paul screams in agonizing pain]
Annie Wilkes: Almost done. Just one more.
[Annie swings the sledgehammer at Paul's right ankle, breaking it; Paul again screams]
Annie Wilkes: God, I love you.
- Crazy creditsMisery the Pig - Herself
- Alternate versionsThe France / United Kingdom Region 2 DVD and Region 4 Australia / New Zealand DVD is is missing the line "You crazy bitch!"
- SoundtracksShotgun
Performed by Jr. Walker and the All Stars (as Junior Walker & The Allstars)
Courtesy of Motown Record Company, L.P.
Written by Junior Walker (as Autry DeWalt)
Published by Stone Agate Music
A division of Jobete Music Co., Inc.
Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is the author of a successful series of romance novels about a character called Misery, who decides to take a more serious approach regarding his future novels. On his way to publish his new manuscript, Paul drives from his hotel in Silver Creek to New York. Due to the extreme weather conditions, he has an accident that leaves him severely injured and hopeless. A local nurse named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) finds Paul and brings him to her remote home in order to help him recover. Claiming to be his number one fan, Annie discovers that in his last Misery novel her favorite character dies and then her obsession about him takes a dark and twisted turn as a long story of captivity and abuse begins.
The direction by Rob Reiner is phenomenal and on a Hitchcockian level as the film has a plethora of perfectly crafted suspenseful moments that have the audience on the edge of their seats from the beginning till the amazing climax. The editing of the movie is also flawless, as the shots are specifically designed to induce tension in any moment they can. The cinematographer and Reiner both ace the perilous atmosphere of the picture, using close up shots of the moonfaced Wilkes both in her fits of rage and kindness which magnifies the polar extremes that Wilkes is prone to unexpectedly visit. What is also triumphed is the slow convergence of the audience and Paul Sheldon. The movie received a lot of critical acclaim, especially due to Kathy Bates' chilling and memorable performance as Anny Wilkes that earned her the 1990's leading actress Oscar award, which remains the only Oscar ever given to a Stephen King film adaptation. No matter how great Kathy Bates' Oscar-winning performance is, James Caan's cannot go unnoticed as it definitely qualifies as one of the best performances in his extensive career, despite how demanding and challenging his role as Paul Sheldon was.
In conclusion, Misery is a dark and tense masterpiece that is an amalgamation of excellent direction, skillful writing, taut editing, amazing cinematography and stellar performances, which succeeds into creating the feeling of captivity and helplessness that the thriller genre was purposefully built for, and that makes it one of the best movies of the 90's and one absolute classic in its genre.
- notoriousCASK
- Sep 7, 2017
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $61,276,872
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $10,076,834
- Dec 2, 1990
- Gross worldwide
- $61,277,597
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1