Misery (1990)

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (novel)
William Goldman (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 November 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

This Christmas there will be... Misery.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Fan | Blizzard | Obsessed Fan | Novel | Ceramic

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
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

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Netherlands: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:

The "guy who went mad in a hotel nearby" is a reference to The Shining (1980), also based on a novel written by Stephen King.

Goofs:

Continuity: The soup changes from red to orange when Annie throws it on Paul.

Quotes:

Annie Wilkes: [turning to Sheldon] And don't even think about anybody coming for you. Not the doctors, not your agent, not your family. 'Cause I never called them. Nobody knows you're here. And you better hope nothing happens to me. Because if I die... you die.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)

Soundtrack:

MOONLIGHT SONATA

Suspenseful!

Misery has to be the best adaptation of a Stephen King novel. A close runner up is Stand By Me, but for suspense and tension that just gets tighter and tighter, watch Misery. Kathy Bates can go from nice and cheerful to downright crazy like someone turning on a light switch. While watching James Caan suffer through the torture that Bates puts him through, you can't help but sympathize with the guy. Rob Reiner presents us with the problem, and he slowly escalates the tension and the dread that creeps over the movie. Even though the book was different in the "hobbling" process, Annie Wilkes' method of hobbling still gives me the chills whenever I watch it.