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

Color:

Color

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:

In a recent interview with Melvyn Bragg, William Goldman revealed that few actors wanted the role of Paul Sheldon because Annie Wilks overshadowed him so much as a character. Warren Beatty commented before declining that the hobbling scene made Paul Sheldon "a loser for the rest of the film". Goldman was determined to keep that scene in the film as it was his favorite from the Stephen King novel.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Annie shoots the Sheriff toward the end of the movie, he falls down the stairs, face first, and stops partway down. However, Annie immediately begins to speak to Paul and heads down the steps, walking where the corpse would have been. There's also no blood left behind from the gaping wound in his chest.

Quotes:

Paul Sheldon: You know I never tasted meatloaf quite like this, what's your secret?
Annie Wilkes: My secret is, I always use fresh tomatoes, never canned. And to give it that extra zip, I mix a little Spam with the ground beef!
Paul Sheldon: Can't get this in a restaurant in New York.
Annie Wilkes: Oh, no.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Saturday Night Live: Roseanne Barr/Deee-lite (#16.13)" (1991)

Soundtrack:

TCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO #1

Stephen King was the author, Paul Sheldon was the hostage, Anne Wilkes was the psycho

Misery is my favorite Stephen King thriller. Misery displays a writer held hostage by his #1 fan. Misery is a spectacular movie because it keeps you wondering what will happen next. Kathy Bates' performance was the best and I'm glad she won an Oscar. Misery is one of King's real-life situation novels. I think that's what he's nest at, writing about real things. Yet, his horror books are still pretty scary and wild. Reiner impressed me with his direction in this film. Highly recommended, if you have any comments for me, please e-mail me at [e-mail].