Rating: 
Summary: A "Real" Horror Story!...
Review: Talk about "Visceral!" This film does it, and Rob Reiner delivers the goods with this tale of a fan of a writer gone bad. You're gonna need a strong stomach and someone's hand to hold on to with this tale.James Caan is excellent in his role as the successful writer of the "Misery" novels (hints of King, maybe?) and Kathy Bates shines as the schizophrenic fan who doesn't know if she loves the guy or not, but she does love "Misery," and her wish is to have him write another Misery novel, which he reluctantly does, and brilliantly accomplishes. Of course there is some inner resistance and finally capitulation, but when they go "head to head," literally, it's a no holds barred to the end. The scene where she smashes his feet is not a nice one, so you're gonna wince, if you've got some humanity in you, but all in all, this is a chiller, with a capital "C". Highly recommended, but not for the squeamish!...
Rating: 
Summary: Region 2 Special Edition worth getting
Review: Just released as an MGM Special Edition DVD in Region 2 only. A very sharp picture transfer on this edition, and some great features including interviews with stars and production crew, as well as audio commentaries (if you go for that). Misery is a fine film with the right ingredients to make it a true suspense thriller. Kathy Bates shines as the looney devoted fan of author Paul Sheldon (played superbly by James Caan) who happens to rescue him from a car crash and keeps him prisoner. Nail biting stuff especially when it looks like he'll never escape her clutches. Great to finally see this film getting the DVD transfer it deserves ie. special edition! Avoid earlier DVD versions with poor film quality.
Rating:
Summary: It's more than great--it's perfect
Review: Misery is an exceedingly good adaptation of the original novel by Stephen King. The novel features one of King's most tightly-wound, increasingly suspenseful tales, and this movie faithfully brings the novel to life on the big screen. Paul Sheldon, America's best selling writer, creator of Misery Chastain and chronicler of her romantic and human struggles and successes, has just finished writing a "serious" novel he hopes will give him the stature he desires. On his trip home with the manuscript, a fierce blizzard causes him to lose control of his car. Annie Wilkes, his number one fan, finds his car at the bottom of a hill, pulls Sheldon out of it, and takes him home to nurse back to health. As Sheldon begins to adjust to his new surroundings, he is increasingly bothered by his caregiver's erratic mood swings. He soon finds himself a virtual prisoner in her house, essentially unable to move with his two mangled legs. When Annie reads his brand new book, she is exceedingly unhappy with it. When she gets the newly published Misery Chastain novel and finds out that her beloved Misty is dead, she begins unleashing her fury on Sheldon and insisting he resurrect Misty in a new novel written especially for her. All this time, the small mountain town's husband-and-wife police force search for any sign of the missing author (albeit halfheartedly). Eventually, Sheldon realizes escape is something only he can achieve for himself. James Caan is quite good as Paul Sheldon, but Kathy Bates simply is Annie Wilkes. Her performance as this complicated, mentally disturbed super-fan broods over this entire movie, making it the riveting thriller it is. Lauren Bacall, in what is an overlooked but rather amazing casting coup, lends her talents to the movie in the role of Sheldon's literary agent, while Richard Farnsworth and perennial King favorite Frances Sternhagen round out a truly excellent cast. King actually held out on this project until such time as it could be placed in the more than capable hands of director Rob Reiner. King had a special affection for this particular story, and he was not going to allow a second-rate adaptation of it to come to the big screen. The suspense of this story is basically psychological in nature, but there are two scenes of far more physical suffering. The hobbling scene is memorable to say the least, and another incident toward the end introduces a little blood to the film, but overall this is a movie that all lovers of suspense and human drama can appreciate. There are a lot of bad movies based on terrific Stephen King stories and novels, but this movie captures the powerful magic of the original novel as effectively as any King movie ever has.
Rating:
Summary: Bates and Caan sublime in horror masterpiece
Review: This is one of the best horror movies ever made. The direction by Rob Reiner is just right, well-paced, and makes its way with superb unpredictibility. We get so caught up in James Caan's terrifying dilemma, we're left queasy at every turn as to what loony Kathy Bates will do next. Caan gives one of his very best performances. There's not a trace of phony melodramatics to be had as he takes in all that is happenening to his character, and makes his every move with utter believability. One gets the feeling this is the way such a man would behave in real life...not in the movies, where the lead character predictably descends to he-man heroics. When Caan's character finds the solution to his problems, the premise is believable, the resolution deeply satisfying...Bates, however, is an astonishing actress. Her Annie Wilkes is by turns creepy, ridiculous, sinister and crazy; but Bates doesn't "act" crazy...she inhabits the character from within and never falls back into schticky "movie madness" mannerisms(a la Olivia de Havilland in THE SNAKE PIT) Bates's Annie looms terrifyingly real, and the character is a horrifying persona; there's not one false move in any instance. This is a bravura performance, one of cinema's best, that was fully deserving of the highest honors in acting awards.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this movie, Mister Man!
Review: I'll tell you why "Misery" is my favorite movie of all time. They took a great novel (written by one of my favorite authors) and decided to make a movie about it. They decided to have James Caan (my favorite actor) and Kathy Bates (my favorite actress) star in it. They stuck very closely to the plot and atmosphere of the novel. Kathy Bates BECAME Annie Wilkes. You cannot ever read "Misery" without thinking of Kathy Bates. Rarely does anybody suit a role so perfectly. Her psychotic Wilkes is not over the top nor understated. She plays the role just perfectly. She's completely mad but her insanity simmers beneath the surface. The tension never lets up. Aside from the whimsical scenes between the local sherrif (the late Richard Farnsworth) and his wife (Frances Sternhagen), this film will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you haven't read the novel or heard about the plot, your nerves will be FRAYED by the end of this! I'm not exaggerating. See for yourself. I HIGHLY recommend this film.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: This movie kept me going better than any other movie I have ever seen. Being a Kathy Bates fan to begin with, I was thrilled to see her playing the role, although by the end I had ill feelings towards her. She is SUCH an extrordinary actress, and I feel that she totally deserved an academy award for her performance. Two thumbs up. James Caan also portrayed his character stupendoulsy, drawing you into the movie, making you forget that it is indeed a movie. I never did read the book, but I probably will, eventually. I highly recommend it to ANYONE who is ready for a good thriller/horror. Excelllent movie!
Rating:
Summary: still love this movie!
Review: I remember seeing this movie with my mom at a theater when i was about thirteen years old.....we were both captivated by the storyline and Kathy Bates' brilliant performance.....i knew that she was a shoo-in for the Oscar :-) Anyway, a few days ago, we both watched the DVD. Would you believe that we were still amazed with Kathy Bates performance? There were even a few points in the movie that made us laugh...... If you like a great suspenseful movie, then this is the movie for you! :-)
Rating:
Summary: Now this is suspense!
Review: Not knowing what will happen next! Kathy Bates is unbelievable good in her role as Annie. James Caan is also excellent in this film. This is one suspense drama that really keeps you on the edge of your seat. One of my favorite movies of all times.
Rating:
Summary: Take a moment to reflect in Kathy Bates' glory. (Spoilers.)
Review: I love, love, love Kathy Bates in this movie. When I think of it, she is what I think of. When it was playing in theaters, I was about 14, and I managed to see it at least three times. Rob Reiner's direction is competent. James Caan's acting is surprisingly subdued. Even Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall and Frances Sternhagen create sympathy for their barely shown characters. But, my God, Kathy Bates is brilliant, playing Annie as someone quirky, scary and even funny. William Goldman's script, which originally called for Annie to use a welding torch to remove Paul Sheldon's feet, does allow her the chance to go over the top, of course, but Bates' subtlety at key points in the film is what floors me. The little touches showing Annie watching "Love Connection" or dancing around to Liberace records. Through these scenes, Bates actually builds sympathy for Annie's character, her loneliness, her "morality" and her need to love a fictional character. As a viewer, I cared deeply for her, even after she went nuts, tied a man to a bed, took a sledgehammer to his legs, held him captive, let everyone around believe he was dead and then tried to shoot him to death. Kathy Bates has been uniformly great in films ever since this one, but this one is my favorite of hers. She's amazing.
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Summary: An aspect not previously mentioned regarding Misery...
Review: is that I have never been able to figure out what I would have done to have avoided Paul's ordeal. Most horror films fall short due to the stupidity of the victims. With Misery, I could have not done as well, and would probably have been worse off, than Paul.
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