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{{short description|1990 film by Rob Reiner}}
{{Infobox_Film
{{use American English|date=November 2024}}
| name = Misery
{{use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
| image = Misery_Film.jpg
{{Infobox film
| caption = US mass market DVD cover (8-1-2000)
| image = Misery (1990 film poster).png
| imdb_id = 0100157
| alt = A lit-up cabin is surrounded in the dark by trees and a mountain, with the word "MISERY" faintly superimposed around the area.
| writer = [[William Goldman]]
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| starring = [[James Caan]]<br />[[Kathy Bates]]<br />[[Richard Farnsworth]]<br />[[Frances Sternhagen]]<br />[[Jem Sanlisoy]]<br />[[Scott Ernst Wilson]]<br />[[Chris Ogilvie]]
| director = [[Rob Reiner]]
| director = [[Rob Reiner]]
| producer = [[Rob Reiner]] & [[Andrew Scheinman]]
| screenplay = [[William Goldman]]
| based_on = {{Based on|''[[Misery (novel)|Misery]]''|[[Stephen King]]}}
| distributor = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| producer = {{Plainlist|
| released = [[November 30]], [[1990]]
* Rob Reiner
| runtime = 107 min.
* [[Andrew Scheinman]]
| language = English
}}
| music = [[Marc Shaiman]]
| starring = {{Plainlist|
| awards =
* [[James Caan]]
| budget = $20,000,000
* [[Kathy Bates]]
* [[Frances Sternhagen]]
* [[Richard Farnsworth]]
* [[Lauren Bacall]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Barry Sonnenfeld]]
| editing = [[Robert Leighton (film editor)|Robert Leighton]]
| music = [[Marc Shaiman]]
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* [[Castle Rock Entertainment]]
* [[Nelson Entertainment]]
}}
| distributor = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|1990|11|30}}
| runtime = 107 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 107:15--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/HVF062992 |title=''Misery'' (15) |work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |date=January 7, 1991 |access-date=August 15, 2015}}</ref>
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $18-20&nbsp;million<ref name=bo>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/67797 |title=''Misery'' (1990) |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |access-date=November 21, 2023}}</ref>
| gross = $61.3&nbsp;million<ref>{{Mojo title|id=misery}}</ref>
}}
}}


'''''Misery''''' is a 1990 American [[psychological horror]] [[thriller film|thriller]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/misery-am7142|title=Misery (1990) - Rob Reiner &#124; Synopsis, Movie Info, Moods, Themes and Related &#124; AllMovie|via=www.allmovie.com}}</ref> film directed by [[Rob Reiner]] from a script by [[William Goldman]], based on [[Stephen King]]'s [[1987 in literature|1987]] [[Misery (novel)|novel of the same name]], The plot centers around an author ([[James Caan]]) who is held captive by an obsessive fan ([[Kathy Bates]]) who forces him to rewrite the finale to his novel series. [[Richard Farnsworth]], [[Frances Sternhagen]], and [[Lauren Bacall]] also star.
'''''Misery''''' is 1990 American horror/ Thriller film, based on the novel ''[[Misery]]'' by [[Stephen King]]. Directed by [[Rob Reiner]], the film received critical acclaim for [[Kathy Bates]]' [[Academy Award]]-winning performance as Annie Wilkes.


The film was released in the United States on November 30, 1990, by [[Columbia Pictures]]. It received highly positive reviews and was a box office success. Bates' performance drew widespread praise from critics and won her the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] at the [[63rd Academy Awards]], making ''Misery'' the only film based on a Stephen King novel to win an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=151714 |title=The Best and Worst of Stephen King's Movies |website=MSN Movies News |date=October 20, 2012 |access-date=January 11, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203055217/http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=151714 |archive-date=December 3, 2013}}</ref> King himself has stated that ''Misery'' is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations.<ref name="Stephen King Goes to the Movies">{{cite book|first=Stephen |last=King |title=Stephen King Goes to the Movies |page=579 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-340-98030-9}}</ref>
==Plot summary==
{{spoilers}}
[[Image:Misery-annie.jpg|thumb|left|Annie Wilkes, portrayed by [[Kathy Bates]].]]
[[Image:Paulsheldon.jpg|thumb|left|Paul Sheldon, portrayed by [[James Caan]].]]
Paul Sheldon is the writer of the very successful "Misery" series of romance novels. When he is injured in a car accident, he is taken in by Annie Wilkes. His legs are injured, and he cannot walk. At first Annie, who says she is a nurse, seems to have Paul's best interests in mind. She brings him painkillers, feeds him, and rants on and on about how she is 'his number one fan'. But it soon becomes clear that Annie is mentally unbalanced. After getting Paul's permission to read his current, unpublished (and non-Misery) manuscript, she fails to appreciate the quality of the writing, as she prefers the mass-market pulp of the Misery series.


==Plot==
During this time, the latest Misery book comes out (Misery's Child), and Annie eagerly dives in, not knowing that this book (and the entire series) will end with Misery's death. After screaming at Paul, she brings him his unpublished manuscript, and a box of matches. She forces him to burn his book.
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be set between 400 to 700 words. As of June 18, 2020, the word count for this plot summary is 664 words. -->
Famed novelist Paul Sheldon is the author of a successful series of [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[romance novel]]s featuring a character named Misery Chastain. Wanting to focus on more serious stories, he writes a manuscript that he hopes will launch his post-''Misery'' career. While traveling from [[Silver Creek, Colorado]], to his home in [[New York City]], Paul is caught in a blizzard and crashes his car. A nurse named [[Annie Wilkes]] finds him and brings him to her remote home.


Paul regains consciousness and finds himself bedridden with broken legs and a dislocated shoulder. Annie says she is his "number one fan" and offers to care for him until the telephone lines are re-connected and local roads re-open following the blizzard. Annie's somewhat disturbing behavior comes to a hilt when she reads the latest ''Misery'' novel and discovers that Misery dies at the end. She flies into a rage, revealing that she had never informed anyone she'd rescued Paul, effectively holding him prisoner.
The next day, she brings him a typewriter and typing paper, and tells him he must fix the book and bring Misery back. Seeing a fallen hairpin on the floor, he thinks of an excuse to get Annie out of the house and tells her he can't type on the type of paper she has because it smears. She angrily goes back to town to get him new paper. While she is out, he gets the pin and uses it to pick the lock on the door. However, this doesn't help, since it seems impossible to get out. So he begins working on the book.


Annie forces him to burn the only copy of his new manuscript, provides a typewriter, and orders him to write a new novel in which he brings Misery back to life. Paul uses a [[bobby pin]] to unlock his door and leave his room. He begins stockpiling his [[painkillers]] and tries drugging Annie but his plan is foiled. He finds a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about her past and learns that she was tried for the deaths of several infants in the hospital where she worked; the trial collapsed due to lack of evidence. She had quoted lines from his ''Misery'' novels during the trial. Annie discovers that Paul has been sneaking out of his room and breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer.
Later on, he escapes his room and explores the house, in which he finds a scrapbook that has incriminating evidence that Annie was a convicted serial killer. He goes back to his room, only to wake up in the night, just in time for Annie to inject him with a liquid that knocks him out. When he wakes up next, she has tied him to the bed, and informs him that she knows he has been out of his room. She then proceeds to break his ankles with a sledgehammer so he can't escape again. (In the book, she cuts off his foot.) Meanwhile, while many people have assumed that Paul is dead, a local law enforcement officer thinks that he is still alive, and, through various clues, tracks down Annie. Annie sees him coming and knocks out Paul, dragging him into a room. After searching for a bit, the officer finds him, only to be shot by Annie a few seconds later.


The local sheriff, Buster, is investigating Paul's disappearance. Clues lead him to pay Annie a visit, but she murders him with a shotgun when he finds Paul drugged in the basement; she then attempts to kill Paul in a [[murder-suicide]], but he convinces her to let him live long enough to finish the novel. When she goes to grab his wheelchair, he hides a can of lighter fluid inside his pants.
Annie then tells Paul that she loves him and that they must die together. Paul sees some lighter fluid on the floor next to him, and gets Annie to agree to let him finish the book first. She goes to get his wheelchair, and Paul stuffs the bottle of fluid down his pants. After he finishes his book, he gets Annie to bring him a cigarette, a match, a glass, and a bottle of champagne. He then tells her she needs to get two glasses. While she is gone, Paul pours fluid all over the manuscript and lights the match. When Annie comes back, he lights the book on fire, sending Annie over the edge. After a bloody fight, Paul manages to kill Annie. Eighteen months later, Paul has been found, and his new (non-Misery) book is popular (his editor tells him "this one might actually have a chance of winning you some awards"). Paul admits that he sometimes still sees Annie. The movie ends with a female food server telling Paul that she is "his number one fan".

{{endspoilers}}
When the manuscript is done, Paul uses the lighter fluid to set it on fire so Annie can never read it, stating to a horrified Annie that he learned it from her. With the manuscript destroyed, Annie breaks down into a rage and attempts to kill Paul, but Paul manages to fight back. They engage in a violent struggle, with Paul suffering a gunshot wound and Annie briefly getting knocked out when she falls head-first onto the typewriter. The struggle ends when Paul bashes Annie in the face with a metal [[doorstop]] shaped like her pig Misery, finally killing her.

Eighteen months later, Paul, now walking with a cane, meets his agent in a restaurant in New York City. The two discuss his first post-''Misery'' novel. Paul says he wrote it as a way to deal with the horrors of his captivity. His agent asks if he would consider a nonfiction book about his ordeal, but Paul—who suffers [[psychological trauma]] from the experience—declines. A waitress approaches him and he momentarily hallucinates that she is Annie, commenting that he still thinks about her once in a while. The waitress then says that she is his number one fan, causing Paul to meekly reply, "That's very sweet of you."


==Cast==
==Cast==
* [[James Caan]] - Paul Sheldon
* [[James Caan]] as Paul Sheldon
* [[Kathy Bates]] - Annie Wilkes
* [[Kathy Bates]] as [[Annie Wilkes]]
* [[Richard Farnsworth]] - Buster
* [[Richard Farnsworth]] as Sheriff Buster
* [[Frances Sternhagen]] - Virginia
* [[Frances Sternhagen]] as Deputy Virginia
* [[Lauren Bacall]] - Marcia Sindell
* [[Lauren Bacall]] as Marcia Sindell
* [[Graham Jarvis]] - Libby
* [[Graham Jarvis]] as Libby
* [[Jerry Potter]] - Pete
* Jerry Potter as Pete
[[J. T. Walsh]] makes an uncredited [[cameo appearance]] as [[Colorado State Patrol|State Trooper]] Sherman Douglas.<ref name="Van Heerden 2008">{{cite book|last=Van Heerden|first=Bill|date=2008|title=Film and Television In-Jokes: Nearly 2,000 Intentional References, Parodies, Allusions, Personal Touches, Cameos, Spoof and Homages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4eACgAAQBAJ&pg=PA90|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|page=90|isbn=978-0-7864-3894-5}}</ref> Director Rob Reiner also makes an uncredited appearance as a helicopter pilot.<ref name="Van Heerden 2008" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/alfred-hitchcock-peter-jackson-quentin-tarantino-m-night-shyamalan-martin-scorsese-a9209666.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220515/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/alfred-hitchcock-peter-jackson-quentin-tarantino-m-night-shyamalan-martin-scorsese-a9209666.html |archive-date=2022-05-15 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The 21 best cameos in film, from Stanley Kubrick to Quentin Tarantino|last=Cripps|first=Charlotte|date=November 22, 2019|website=[[The Independent]]|access-date=June 8, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Thomas Brunelle]] - Anchorman
* [[June Christopher]] - Anchorwoman
* [[Julie Payne]] - Reporter 1
* [[Archie Hahn III]] - Reporter 2
* [[ Gregory Snegoff]] - Reporter 3
* [[Wendy Bowers]] - Waitress
* [[Rob Reiner]] - Helicopter Pilot (uncredited)
* [[J.T. Walsh]] - State Trooper Sherman Douglas (uncredited)
* [[Jem Sanlisoy]] - Turk Turkilton III
* [[Scott Ernst Wilson]] - Paul Young
* [[Chris Ogilvie]] - Some old women selling umbrellas


==Crew==
==Production==
Producer [[Andrew Scheinman]] read [[Stephen King]]'s novel ''[[Misery (novel)|Misery]]'' on an airplane, and later recommended it to his director partner at [[Castle Rock Entertainment]], [[Rob Reiner]]. Reiner eventually invited writer [[William Goldman]] to write the film's screenplay.{{sfn|Goldman|2001|p=37}}
*Directed by: [[Rob Reiner]]
*Produced by: [[Andrew Scheinman]] and [[Rob Reiner]]
*Written by: [[William Goldman]] and [[Steven King]] (novel)
*Co-Producers: [[Jeffrey Stott]] and [[Steve Nicolaides]]
*Associate Producer: [[Steven R. Molen]]
*Cinematography by: [[Barry Sonnenfeld]]
*Original music composed by: [[Marc Shaiman]]
*Production design by: [[Norman Garwood]]


In the novel, Annie Wilkes severs one of Paul Sheldon's feet with an ax. Goldman loved the scene and argued for it to be included, but Reiner insisted that it be changed so that she only breaks his ankles. Goldman subsequently wrote that this was the correct decision as the visual depiction of an amputation would cause the audience to hate Annie instead of sympathizing with her madness.{{sfn|Goldman|2001|p=40}}
==Awards==

* Oscar (1991): Best Actress in a leading role - Kathy Bates
The part of Paul Sheldon was originally offered to [[William Hurt]] (twice), then [[Kevin Kline]], [[Michael Douglas]], [[Harrison Ford]], [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Robert De Niro]], [[Al Pacino]], [[Richard Dreyfuss]], [[Gene Hackman]], and [[Robert Redford]], but they all turned it down.{{sfn|Goldman|2001|pp=42-44}} [[Warren Beatty]] was interested in the role, wanting to turn him into a less passive character,<ref>{{cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Patrick|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-29-ca-538-story.html |title=Rob Reiner Takes On 'Misery' : The director follows his hit comedy 'When Harry Met Sally . . . ' with a chiller, his second film taken from a Stephen King novel |work=Los Angeles Times |date=April 29, 1990 |access-date=January 11, 2014}}</ref> but eventually had to drop out as post-production of ''[[Dick Tracy (1990 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' extended. Eventually someone suggested James Caan, who agreed to play the part. Caan commented that he was attracted by how Sheldon was a role unlike any of his others, and that "being a totally reactionary character is really much tougher."<ref>{{cite news|first=Nikki |last=Finke |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-29-ca-7423-story.html |title=James Caan Enjoying His 'Misery' : Hollywood's Reputed Bad Boy Resurfaces in the Rob Reiner-Directed Psychological Thriller – Page 2 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 29, 1990 |access-date=January 11, 2014}}</ref> [[Anjelica Huston]] and [[Bette Midler]] were both offered the role of Annie Wilkes, but both of them turned it down.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Falcone|first1=Dana Rose| url = https://people.com/movies/anjelica-huston-kathy-bates-misery/| title=Anjelica Huston Reveals She Turned Down Kathy Bates' Role in ''Misery'' |magazine= [[People (magazine)|People]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627204726/https://people.com/movies/anjelica-huston-kathy-bates-misery/ |archive-date=2021-06-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/bette-midler-white-lotus-sister-act-1235530135/|title=Bette Midler on Wanting to Star in 'The White Lotus,' Why She Turned Down 'Sister Act' and Being Honored at the CDGAs|first=Marc|last=Malkin|date=February 21, 2023}}</ref> Midler would later say that she deeply regretted this decision.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/theater/bette-midler-back-on-broadway-in-ill-eat-you-last.html|title = After Years of Playing Bette, Another Role |newspaper = The New York Times |date=10 April 2013 |last1=Healy |first1=Patrick}}</ref> According to Reiner, it was Goldman who suggested that Kathy Bates, then unknown, should portray Annie Wilkes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/mvps-horror-misery-director-rob-reiner-cast-unknown-kathy-bates-really-tortured-james-caan-144515681.html|date=2018-10-30|title=MVPs of Horror: How 'Misery' director Rob Reiner cast an unknown Kathy Bates — and how she really tortured James Caan|website=Yahoo! Entertainment|last=Lerner|first=Will|access-date=2023-11-21}}</ref>
* Golden Globe (1991): Best Performance by an Actress in a motion picture (drama) - Kathy Bates
* CFCA Award (1991): Best Actress - Kathy Bates
* Saturn Award (1992): Best Actress - Kathy Bates
* Saturn Award (1992): Best Actor - James Caan
* Saturn Award (1992): Best Horror Film
* Saturn Award (1992): Best Supporting Actress - Frances Sternhagen
* Saturn Award (1992): Best Writing - William Goldman


==Music==
==Music==
{{Infobox album
The film's score was composed by Marc Shaiman. It was released on CD in January 1991, on the [[Bay Cities]] record label, to critical acclaim.
| name = Misery
| type = Film score
| artist = [[Marc Shaiman]]
| cover =
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|1991|07|01}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Soundtrack
| length = 29:55
| label = Bay Cities
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}


The film's score was composed by [[Marc Shaiman]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shelley |first1=Peter |title=Grande Dame Guignol Cinema A History of Hag Horror from Baby Jane to Mother |date=2009 |publisher=McFarland |page=280 |isbn=978-0786454853}}</ref> Three recordings by [[Liberace]], Annie Wilkes's favorite musician, are featured in the film, as is [[Shotgun (Junior Walker & the All Stars song)|"Shotgun"]] by [[Junior Walker|Junior Walker and the All-Stars]], which plays before Paul's car accident.
===Soundtrack track listing===
#Number One Fan
#She Can't Be Dead
#Open House
#Go To Your Room
#Buster's Last Stand
#Misery's Return


==Reception==
[[Category:Horror films]]
===Box office===
[[Category:Thriller films]]
''Misery'' grossed $10,076,834 on its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind ''[[Home Alone]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1990W48/ |title=Weekend Box Office Results for November 30 – December 2, 1990 |website=Box Office Mojo |date=December 2, 1990 |access-date=January 11, 2014}}</ref> It eventually finished with $61&nbsp;million domestically.<ref name=bo/>
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about mental illness]]
[[Category:1990 films]]
[[Category:Films based on Stephen King's works]]


===Critical response===
[[de: Misery (Film)]]
[[File:Kathy Bates 2006.jpg|thumb|upright|Kathy Bates' performance received widespread acclaim and won her the Academy Award for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]|alt=Actress Kathy Bates at the Giffoni Film Festival]]
[[hr:Misery (1990)]]

On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Misery'' has an approval rating of 91% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "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."<ref>{{rotten-tomatoes|misery|Misery}}</ref> At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a weighted mean rating to reviews, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=Misery |website= [[Metacritic]]|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/misery|access-date=May 12, 2019}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |access-date=2021-05-10 |archive-date=1999-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991127210934/http://cinemascore.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film a rating of three stars out of four, stating that "it is a good story, a natural, and it grabs us."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/misery-1990|title=Misery movie review & film summary (1990)|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|date=November 30, 1990|website=[[RogerEbert.com]]|access-date=September 12, 2009|archive-date=April 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414124106/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/misery-1990|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "a very obvious and very commercial gothic thriller, a functional adaptation of the Stephen King bestseller."<ref>{{cite magazine |date= December 31, 1990 |title=Misery |url=https://variety.com/1989/film/reviews/misery-1200428326/ |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] }}</ref> [[Derek Malcolm]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' gave it a positive review, writing that it "plays enough tricks on us so that we don't ever treat anything quite seriously and Goldman's script has enough good lines and situations to keep one interested in exactly what is coming next", and praised the cast, especially Bates, writing that her "demented devotee in ''Misery'' is inspired casting."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/09/stephen-king-misery-kathy-bates-review |title=Stephen King's Misery on the big screen – archive, 1991 |work=The Guardian |last=Malcolm |first=Derek |date=May 9, 1991}}</ref> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised [[Kathy Bates]]' performance, calling it "a genuinely funny performance as the mad Annie, as gaudily written in Mr. Goldman's screenplay as it is in Mr. King's novel."<ref>{{cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |author-link=Vincent Canby |date=November 30, 1990 |title=A Writer Who Really Suffers |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=C1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/30/movies/review-film-a-writer-who-really-suffers.html |access-date=2023-11-21}}</ref>

King himself has stated that ''Misery'' is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations, in his 2009 collection ''[[Stephen King Goes to the Movies]]''.<ref name="Stephen King Goes to the Movies"/> In his 2000 memoir called ''[[On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft]]'', King references the movie adaptation of the book, saying:

<blockquote>In the early 1980s, my wife and I went to [[London]] on a combined business/pleasure trip. I fell asleep on the plane and had a dream about a popular writer (it may or may not have been me, but it sure to God wasn't [[James Caan]])...<ref>{{cite book|first=Stephen |last=King |title=On Writing |page=165 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-4391-5681-0}}</ref></blockquote>

In 2003, Annie Wilkes was ranked #17 on [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains]] list.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-heroes-villians/|title=AFI's 100 Greatest Heroes & Villains|website=[[American Film Institute]]|access-date=December 18, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201111351/https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-heroes-villians/|url-status=live}}</ref> The "hobbling" scene in the film, in which Annie breaks Paul's ankles with a sledgehammer, was ranked #12 on [[Bravo (US TV channel)|Bravo]]'s 2004 program ''[[The 100 Scariest Movie Moments]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Walsh |first=Mike |date=April 23, 2020 |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3614136/appreciation-bravos-100-scariest-movie-moments/ |title=An Appreciation of Bravo's '100 Scariest Movie Moments |website=[[Bloody Disgusting]] |access-date=December 7, 2022}}</ref> In 2009, Chris Eggertsen of ''[[Bloody Disgusting]]'' ranked ''Misery'' fourth place in his list of "10 Claustrophobic Horror Films".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/17769/a-look-at-the-top-10-claustrophobic-horror-movies/|title=A Look at the Top 10 Claustrophobic Horror Movies!|last=Eggertsen|first=Chris|date=October 20, 2009|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|access-date=August 9, 2015}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| [[63rd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| rowspan="6"| [[Kathy Bates]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1991 |title=The 63rd Academy Awards (1991) Nominees and Winners |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=October 20, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020005240/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1991 |archive-date=October 20, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 1990|Chicago Film Critics Association Awards]]
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://chicagofilmcritics.org/awards-blog/archives |title=1988-2013 Award Winner Archives |publisher=[[Chicago Film Critics Association]] |date=January 1, 2013 |access-date=August 24, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| Most Promising Actress
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association|Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards]]
| [[Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"|
|-
| [[48th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/misery/ |title=Misery |publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=July 28, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[1990 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/nyfccas?year=1990 |title=1990 New York Film Critics Circle Awards |publisher=[[Mubi (streaming service)|Mubi]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[18th Saturn Awards|Saturn Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Saturn Award for Best Horror Film|Best Horror Film]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="5"|
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[James Caan]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Kathy Bates
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| [[Frances Sternhagen]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]]
| [[William Goldman]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| colspan="2"| [[USC Scripter Awards]]
| William Goldman <small>(screenwriter)</small>; <br> [[Stephen King]] <small>(author)</small>
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://libraries.usc.edu/scripter/past-scripter-awards |title=Past Scripter Awards |publisher=[[USC Scripter Awards]] |access-date=November 8, 2021}}</ref>
|}

===Home media===
[[Nelson Entertainment]] and its parent company, [[New Line Home Video]], first released ''Misery'' on [[VHS]] on July 11, 1991, and New Line re-released it in 1992, after Nelson went bankrupt. The film was later re-released on VHS again by [[PolyGram Video]] and on [[DVD]] on December 22, 1998 by [[MGM Home Entertainment]]. A 25th anniversary edition DVD and [[Blu-ray]] was released on September 8, 2015 by [[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] and MGM Home Entertainment. Currently, [[Warner Bros. Home Entertainment]] (Castle Rock Entertainment's sister company) re-issued home video rights under the license from MGM.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stephenking.com/library/movie/misery.html |title=Misery |website=StephenKing.com}}</ref> The [[Shout! Factory]] released a collector's edition Blu-ray under their Scream Factory label on November 28, 2017. A [[4K Ultra HD]] Blu-ray was released through [[Kino Lorber]] on October 12, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3674698/kino-lorber-bringing-rob-reiners-misery-4k-ultra-hd-halloween/|title=Kino Lorber Bringing Rob Reiner's 'Misery' to 4K Ultra HD for Halloween|first=John |last=Squires|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|accessdate=February 3, 2022|date=July 20, 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Misery (play)|''Misery'' (play)]]
* ''[[Julie Ganapathi]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Goldman |first=William |title=Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade |year=2001 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday |isbn=978-0375703195 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QfzAAAAMAAJ}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|auto=yes}}
* {{IMDb title|0100157|Misery}}
* {{TCMDb title|83595|Misery}}
* {{mojo title|misery|Misery}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|misery|Misery}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=Misery}}

{{Media based on Stephen King works}}
{{Rob Reiner}}
{{William Goldman}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|United States|Film|Horror|1990s}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Misery}}
[[Category:1990 films]]
[[Category:1990 psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s horror drama films]]
[[Category:1990s horror thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s psychological horror films]]
[[Category:1990s serial killer films]]
[[Category:American horror thriller films]]
[[Category:American horror drama films]]
[[Category:American psychological horror films]]
[[Category:American psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:American serial killer films]]
[[Category:Castle Rock Entertainment films]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films about bipolar disorder]]
[[Category:Films about kidnapping in the United States]]
[[Category:Films about fandom]]
[[Category:Films about missing people]]
[[Category:Films about nurses]]
[[Category:Films about writers]]
[[Category:Films based on American horror novels]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Stephen King]]
[[Category:Films directed by Rob Reiner]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films set during snowstorms]]
[[Category:Films set in Colorado]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films scored by Marc Shaiman]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by William Goldman]]
[[Category:Two-handers]]
[[Category:English-language crime films]]
[[Category:English-language horror drama films]]
[[Category:English-language horror thriller films]]

Latest revision as of 08:52, 27 November 2024

Misery
A lit-up cabin is surrounded in the dark by trees and a mountain, with the word "MISERY" faintly superimposed around the area.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRob Reiner
Screenplay byWilliam Goldman
Based onMisery
by Stephen King
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBarry Sonnenfeld
Edited byRobert Leighton
Music byMarc Shaiman
Production
companies
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • November 30, 1990 (1990-11-30)
Running time
107 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18-20 million[2]
Box office$61.3 million[3]

Misery is a 1990 American psychological horror thriller[4] film directed by Rob Reiner from a script by William Goldman, based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name, The plot centers around an author (James Caan) who is held captive by an obsessive fan (Kathy Bates) who forces him to rewrite the finale to his novel series. Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, and Lauren Bacall also star.

The film was released in the United States on November 30, 1990, by Columbia Pictures. It received highly positive reviews and was a box office success. Bates' performance drew widespread praise from critics and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 63rd Academy Awards, making Misery the only film based on a Stephen King novel to win an Oscar.[5] King himself has stated that Misery is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations.[6]

Plot

[edit]

Famed novelist Paul Sheldon is the author of a successful series of Victorian romance novels featuring a character named Misery Chastain. Wanting to focus on more serious stories, he writes a manuscript that he hopes will launch his post-Misery career. While traveling from Silver Creek, Colorado, to his home in New York City, Paul is caught in a blizzard and crashes his car. A nurse named Annie Wilkes finds him and brings him to her remote home.

Paul regains consciousness and finds himself bedridden with broken legs and a dislocated shoulder. Annie says she is his "number one fan" and offers to care for him until the telephone lines are re-connected and local roads re-open following the blizzard. Annie's somewhat disturbing behavior comes to a hilt when she reads the latest Misery novel and discovers that Misery dies at the end. She flies into a rage, revealing that she had never informed anyone she'd rescued Paul, effectively holding him prisoner.

Annie forces him to burn the only copy of his new manuscript, provides a typewriter, and orders him to write a new novel in which he brings Misery back to life. Paul uses a bobby pin to unlock his door and leave his room. He begins stockpiling his painkillers and tries drugging Annie but his plan is foiled. He finds a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about her past and learns that she was tried for the deaths of several infants in the hospital where she worked; the trial collapsed due to lack of evidence. She had quoted lines from his Misery novels during the trial. Annie discovers that Paul has been sneaking out of his room and breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer.

The local sheriff, Buster, is investigating Paul's disappearance. Clues lead him to pay Annie a visit, but she murders him with a shotgun when he finds Paul drugged in the basement; she then attempts to kill Paul in a murder-suicide, but he convinces her to let him live long enough to finish the novel. When she goes to grab his wheelchair, he hides a can of lighter fluid inside his pants.

When the manuscript is done, Paul uses the lighter fluid to set it on fire so Annie can never read it, stating to a horrified Annie that he learned it from her. With the manuscript destroyed, Annie breaks down into a rage and attempts to kill Paul, but Paul manages to fight back. They engage in a violent struggle, with Paul suffering a gunshot wound and Annie briefly getting knocked out when she falls head-first onto the typewriter. The struggle ends when Paul bashes Annie in the face with a metal doorstop shaped like her pig Misery, finally killing her.

Eighteen months later, Paul, now walking with a cane, meets his agent in a restaurant in New York City. The two discuss his first post-Misery novel. Paul says he wrote it as a way to deal with the horrors of his captivity. His agent asks if he would consider a nonfiction book about his ordeal, but Paul—who suffers psychological trauma from the experience—declines. A waitress approaches him and he momentarily hallucinates that she is Annie, commenting that he still thinks about her once in a while. The waitress then says that she is his number one fan, causing Paul to meekly reply, "That's very sweet of you."

Cast

[edit]

J. T. Walsh makes an uncredited cameo appearance as State Trooper Sherman Douglas.[7] Director Rob Reiner also makes an uncredited appearance as a helicopter pilot.[7][8]

Production

[edit]

Producer Andrew Scheinman read Stephen King's novel Misery on an airplane, and later recommended it to his director partner at Castle Rock Entertainment, Rob Reiner. Reiner eventually invited writer William Goldman to write the film's screenplay.[9]

In the novel, Annie Wilkes severs one of Paul Sheldon's feet with an ax. Goldman loved the scene and argued for it to be included, but Reiner insisted that it be changed so that she only breaks his ankles. Goldman subsequently wrote that this was the correct decision as the visual depiction of an amputation would cause the audience to hate Annie instead of sympathizing with her madness.[10]

The part of Paul Sheldon was originally offered to William Hurt (twice), then Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman, and Robert Redford, but they all turned it down.[11] Warren Beatty was interested in the role, wanting to turn him into a less passive character,[12] but eventually had to drop out as post-production of Dick Tracy extended. Eventually someone suggested James Caan, who agreed to play the part. Caan commented that he was attracted by how Sheldon was a role unlike any of his others, and that "being a totally reactionary character is really much tougher."[13] Anjelica Huston and Bette Midler were both offered the role of Annie Wilkes, but both of them turned it down.[14][15] Midler would later say that she deeply regretted this decision.[16] According to Reiner, it was Goldman who suggested that Kathy Bates, then unknown, should portray Annie Wilkes.[17]

Music

[edit]
Misery
Film score by
Marc Shaiman
ReleasedJuly 1, 1991 (1991-07-01)
GenreSoundtrack
Length29:55
LabelBay Cities

The film's score was composed by Marc Shaiman.[18] Three recordings by Liberace, Annie Wilkes's favorite musician, are featured in the film, as is "Shotgun" by Junior Walker and the All-Stars, which plays before Paul's car accident.

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

Misery grossed $10,076,834 on its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind Home Alone.[19] It eventually finished with $61 million domestically.[2]

Critical response

[edit]
Actress Kathy Bates at the Giffoni Film Festival
Kathy Bates' performance received widespread acclaim and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Misery has an approval rating of 91% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "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."[20] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating to reviews, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[22]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a rating of three stars out of four, stating that "it is a good story, a natural, and it grabs us."[23] Variety called it "a very obvious and very commercial gothic thriller, a functional adaptation of the Stephen King bestseller."[24] Derek Malcolm of The Guardian gave it a positive review, writing that it "plays enough tricks on us so that we don't ever treat anything quite seriously and Goldman's script has enough good lines and situations to keep one interested in exactly what is coming next", and praised the cast, especially Bates, writing that her "demented devotee in Misery is inspired casting."[25] Vincent Canby of The New York Times praised Kathy Bates' performance, calling it "a genuinely funny performance as the mad Annie, as gaudily written in Mr. Goldman's screenplay as it is in Mr. King's novel."[26]

King himself has stated that Misery is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations, in his 2009 collection Stephen King Goes to the Movies.[6] In his 2000 memoir called On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, King references the movie adaptation of the book, saying:

In the early 1980s, my wife and I went to London on a combined business/pleasure trip. I fell asleep on the plane and had a dream about a popular writer (it may or may not have been me, but it sure to God wasn't James Caan)...[27]

In 2003, Annie Wilkes was ranked #17 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains list.[28] The "hobbling" scene in the film, in which Annie breaks Paul's ankles with a sledgehammer, was ranked #12 on Bravo's 2004 program The 100 Scariest Movie Moments.[29] In 2009, Chris Eggertsen of Bloody Disgusting ranked Misery fourth place in his list of "10 Claustrophobic Horror Films".[30]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Actress Kathy Bates Won [31]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Won [32]
Most Promising Actress Nominated
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Won [33]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress Nominated [34]
Saturn Awards Best Horror Film Nominated
Best Actor James Caan Nominated
Best Actress Kathy Bates Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Frances Sternhagen Nominated
Best Writing William Goldman Nominated
USC Scripter Awards William Goldman (screenwriter);
Stephen King (author) 		Nominated [35]

Home media

[edit]

Nelson Entertainment and its parent company, New Line Home Video, first released Misery on VHS on July 11, 1991, and New Line re-released it in 1992, after Nelson went bankrupt. The film was later re-released on VHS again by PolyGram Video and on DVD on December 22, 1998 by MGM Home Entertainment. A 25th anniversary edition DVD and Blu-ray was released on September 8, 2015 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment. Currently, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (Castle Rock Entertainment's sister company) re-issued home video rights under the license from MGM.[36] The Shout! Factory released a collector's edition Blu-ray under their Scream Factory label on November 28, 2017. A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray was released through Kino Lorber on October 12, 2021.[37]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Misery (15)". British Board of Film Classification. January 7, 1991. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Misery (1990)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Misery at Box Office Mojo
  4. ^ "Misery (1990) - Rob Reiner | Synopsis, Movie Info, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
  5. ^ "The Best and Worst of Stephen King's Movies". MSN Movies News. October 20, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  6. ^ a b King, Stephen (2009). Stephen King Goes to the Movies. Hodder & Stoughton. p. 579. ISBN 978-0-340-98030-9.
  7. ^ a b Van Heerden, Bill (2008). Film and Television In-Jokes: Nearly 2,000 Intentional References, Parodies, Allusions, Personal Touches, Cameos, Spoof and Homages. McFarland & Company. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-7864-3894-5.
  8. ^ Cripps, Charlotte (November 22, 2019). "The 21 best cameos in film, from Stanley Kubrick to Quentin Tarantino". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  9. ^ Goldman 2001, p. 37.
  10. ^ Goldman 2001, p. 40.
  11. ^ Goldman 2001, pp. 42–44.
  12. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (April 29, 1990). "Rob Reiner Takes On 'Misery' : The director follows his hit comedy 'When Harry Met Sally . . . ' with a chiller, his second film taken from a Stephen King novel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  13. ^ Finke, Nikki (November 29, 1990). "James Caan Enjoying His 'Misery' : Hollywood's Reputed Bad Boy Resurfaces in the Rob Reiner-Directed Psychological Thriller – Page 2". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  14. ^ Falcone, Dana Rose. "Anjelica Huston Reveals She Turned Down Kathy Bates' Role in Misery". People. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021.
  15. ^ Malkin, Marc (February 21, 2023). "Bette Midler on Wanting to Star in 'The White Lotus,' Why She Turned Down 'Sister Act' and Being Honored at the CDGAs".
  16. ^ Healy, Patrick (April 10, 2013). "After Years of Playing Bette, Another Role". The New York Times.
  17. ^ Lerner, Will (October 30, 2018). "MVPs of Horror: How 'Misery' director Rob Reiner cast an unknown Kathy Bates — and how she really tortured James Caan". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  18. ^ Shelley, Peter (2009). Grande Dame Guignol Cinema A History of Hag Horror from Baby Jane to Mother. McFarland. p. 280. ISBN 978-0786454853.
  19. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for November 30 – December 2, 1990". Box Office Mojo. December 2, 1990. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  20. ^ Misery at Rotten Tomatoes
  21. ^ "Misery". Metacritic. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  22. ^ "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on November 27, 1999. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  23. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 30, 1990). "Misery movie review & film summary (1990)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  24. ^ "Misery". Variety. December 31, 1990.
  25. ^ Malcolm, Derek (May 9, 1991). "Stephen King's Misery on the big screen – archive, 1991". The Guardian.
  26. ^ Canby, Vincent (November 30, 1990). "A Writer Who Really Suffers". The New York Times. p. C1. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  27. ^ King, Stephen (2001). On Writing. Simon & Schuster. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-4391-5681-0.
  28. ^ "AFI's 100 Greatest Heroes & Villains". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  29. ^ Walsh, Mike (April 23, 2020). "An Appreciation of Bravo's '100 Scariest Movie Moments". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  30. ^ Eggertsen, Chris (October 20, 2009). "A Look at the Top 10 Claustrophobic Horror Movies!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  31. ^ "The 63rd Academy Awards (1991) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  32. ^ "1988-2013 Award Winner Archives". Chicago Film Critics Association. January 1, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  33. ^ "Misery". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  34. ^ "1990 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". Mubi. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  35. ^ "Past Scripter Awards". USC Scripter Awards. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  36. ^ "Misery". StephenKing.com.
  37. ^ Squires, John (July 20, 2021). "Kino Lorber Bringing Rob Reiner's 'Misery' to 4K Ultra HD for Halloween". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 3, 2022.

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]
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