MISERY

Misery Movie Review

Acclaimed writer Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is knocked unconscious in a car accident. He awakens to find himself in the home of Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), his self-proclaimed number one fan. Wilkes, a nurse, helps Sheldon recover from his injuries, but when she reads Sheldon's latest, unpublished novel, and finds the title character has been killed off, Wilkes kind of loses her mind, and Sheldon realizes he is in more trouble than he suspected. This 1990 movie, based on the 1987 Stephen King novel, won critical acclaim upon its release, and landed Bates a much-deserved Oscar for Best Actress.

I'm not a dirty bird! I promise!

It had been years since I watched this movie--so many, in fact, that as my girlfriend and I were watching the show Castle Rock and she pointed how similar Lizzy Caplan's portrayal of the character Annie Wilkes on the show was to Bates', I couldn't remember. We continued watching the show (as a side note, I recommend checking that out), making a mental note to watch the movie when we could find it. Months later, we discovered it on Hulu and yes, the similarities between the two performances are impressive. This movie is one that will have you on the edge of your seat--early on, we realize Wilkes is not all there, and for the remainder of the movie you are just waiting for her to inevitably snap. Caan also turns in a nice performance as the helpless Sheldon. Director Rob Reiner (Meathead from All in the Family and director of Stand By Me) does a fantastic job setting up the tension in this film, creating an atmosphere that leaves the viewer mentally on edge the entire time. This movie is known for one scene in particular--I won't go into detail in case you've never seen it, but if you don't know it's coming, it is quite shocking and very brutal. The ending creates a bit of a conundrum--while you know Wilkes is insane and extremely dangerous, you may find a part of yourself feeling sorry for her, making it tough to know who to cheer for. In the unlikely event you have never seen the movie Misery, do yourself a huge favor and track it down. It is one of the better horror films from the 1990's, and one of the best screen adaptations of a Stephen King story.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 8

Misery Movie Trailer