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

Release Year: 1990

Rating: 7.8/10 (60,708 voted)

Director: Rob Reiner

Stars: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth

Storyline
Best-selling novelist Paul Sheldon is on his way home from his Colorado hideaway after completing his latest book, when he crashes his car in a freak blizzard. Paul is critically injured, but is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes, Paul's "number one fan", who takes Paul back to her remote house in the mountains (without bothering to tell anybody). Unfortunately for Paul, Annie is also a headcase. When she discovers that Paul has killed off the heroine in her favorite novels, her reaction leaves Paul shattered (literally)...

Writers: Stephen King, William Goldman

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 - Reporter #2 (as Archie Hahn III)
Gregory Snegoff - Reporter #3
Wendy Bowers - Waitress
Misery the Pig - Herself

Taglines: The Tide Has Come.

Release Date: 30 November 1990

Filming Locations: California, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $10,076,834 (USA) (2 December 1990) (1244 Screens)

Gross: $61,276,872 (USA)

Runtime: 107 min

Trivia:
One of Stephen King's first typewriters had a malfunctioning "N" key, just like the one used by James Caan in the movie.

Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the scrapbook paragraphs in many of the clippings are repeated several times.

Quotes:
Annie Wilkes: I am your number one fan. There is nothing to worry about. You are going to be just fine. I am your number one fan.

Gripping...

Rating:

Misery is a dark, but witty venture into Stephen King territory. It's about a popular novelist who crashes his car on a snowy mountain road and is rescued by a nurse who claims she is his number one fan. As the time goes by, he realizes she has no intention of letting him leave.

The film moves with a brisk, taut pace thanks to director Rob Reiner, who helmed another excellent Stephen King film, Stand By Me. Tension is kept mostly throughout (there are some predictable moments...but who cares?) And the performances are also a major plus. James Caan is very easy to empathize with, and he manages to keep his cynical sense of humor. Richard Farnsworth, as a grizzled sheriff was a nice addition to the film since his character didn't exist in the book. He also has a nice sense of humor, and he's the kind of guy who you want to root for. But the most amazing performance is from Kathy Bates, who treads a fine line alternating between sweet and lovable to amazingly evil. She won an Oscar for this movie, and whole-heartedly deserved it.

Side note: This is one of the few films which took an Oscar, that you can actually say the Academy had the guts to give out. Can anyone name another horror film which won such a notable prize?

ANyway...by the end, the novelist and the viewer or put through some torturous activity. We sometimes feel his pain, and it is so much fun to hate this woman................the book is excellent.....the movie is just as good in about 1/6th of the time it would take to read. Either way, enjoy!

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