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Movies / On DVD / Misery
Misery

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Misery (1990)

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Reviews Counted:8

Fresh:7

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7.2/10

Consensus: 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.

Runtime: 3 hrs 34 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: Romance author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) longs for parting with Misery. Sheldon's plucky heroine of seven novels has delivered Sheldon fame and fortune and recognition beyond the average writer's... Romance author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) longs for parting with Misery. Sheldon's plucky heroine of seven novels has delivered Sheldon 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 dimestore 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 knocked out 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. [More]

Starring: Kathy Bates, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen

Starring: Kathy Bates, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall

Director: Rob Reiner

Director: Rob Reiner
Screenwriter: William Goldman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Misery

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1 - 7 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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The dark duet between Paul and the frankly psychopathic Annie is played to tense perfection.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/25/07
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

From start to harrowing finish, it is blissfully apparent that Rob Reiner can indeed turn his hand to virtually anything.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/25/07
Philip Thomas
Philip Thomas
Empire Magazine
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Reiner captures just the right level of physical tension, but for the most part wisely emphasises the mental duels. Terrific.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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Where it is significantly elevated is in the terrifyingly convincing performance by Bates as a schizophrenic psychopath.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/01/00
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC
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Popular moviemaking -- elegantly economical, artlessly artful -- doesn't get much better than this.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
10/14/08
Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
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Bates has a field day with her role, creating a quirky, memorable object of hate.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
09/25/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
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Misery is a blunt instrument that fractures the kneecaps more often than it tickles the funnybone.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
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It is a good story, a natural, and it grabs us.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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1 - 7 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Misery

October 10, 2007: RT's Top 50 Horror Movie List Unmasked
Halloween is a great time for three of life's essential pleasures -- pigging out on candy, dressing up in a fun costume, and watching an obscene amount of horror movies.... More...

May 17, 2005: Bates, McDowell and Leigh to Hit the "Funny Farm"
From Cannes, The Hollywood Reporter brings news of an upcoming ensemble comedy that sounds pretty enticing: Kathy Bates ("Misery"), Malcolm McDowell ("A Clockwork... More...

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