Rating: 
Summary: THE BEST MOVIE EVER
Review: This is my favorite movie! Paul Sheldon (brilliantly played by James Caan) is in a horrible auto accident. Annie Wilkes (even MORE brilliantly played by kathy Bates) "saves" him from dying. Meanwhile, the rest of the world thinks he is dead. Ironically, Annie is Pauls "Number one Fan"Annie seems like the perfect nurse; cheerful, pleasant, great cook; until she finishes reading her newest Paul Sheldon book which kills of her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie throws a rage, saying Paul is "not good". She then leaves.
Annie is back the next day, cheerful as ever. Kathy Bates deservedly won an oscar for her role as Annie Wilkes. She goes from giggly happy woman to a monster in 0.0034 seconds. She is one of the scariest figures thought up by Stephen King, the one who wrote the book the movie is based on. This is scarier than other movies because it can really happen. I recommend this movie to anyone. I love it. It is full of suspense, horror, and twisted plot characteristics. A great movie to watch!
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of suspense!
Review: I would find it hard to believe that too many people haven't seen this Stephen King classic, but if you haven't this is an absolute must see. James Caan is a novelist struggling to make a break for the mold he has been placed in because of the success of his series of romance novels based on his character Misery. Caan goes on vacation in the mountains to finish his newest book, which is supposed to an edgy break from his previous work. After a terrible car accident Caan is rescued by Annie Wilkes (Played by Kathy Bates), a seemingly kind and sweet nurse who offers to get him back on his feet. Annie, as it turns out, is the world's biggest Misery fan, or should I say the world's biggest deranged fan. What ensues is some of the most shocking and frightening moments in cinema history. I promise that you will be sitting on the edge of your seat for this entire movie, and there will be times that you will not be able to watch. Kathy Bates deservedly won an Oscar for her portrayal of the devoted "Misery" fan. Her swing from one emotion to another is believable, and terrifyingly real. She does a tremendous job of making her character seem like your average next door neighbor, then like your worst nightmare. James Caan is perfect as the writer held captive in the home of this obviously unbalanced woman. He portrays a breadth of emotion as he tries to cope with his captivity. From the apprehensive beginnings, to the desperate attempts at freedom, to his eventual courage to fight back. (I also love the casting of Richard Farnsworth as the local sheriff. Has he ever played a character you didn't like?) Rob Reiner's direction is terrific and always keeps the action moving even in the most intricate of scenes. You can see that he let's both Caan and Bates play their respective roles, and move the film along like the consummate professionals they are. The screenplay adapted from King's novel is superb, and makes this movie a suspense classic. Of all of the Stephen King novels that have been turned into big screen features, this one is very true to the book, which is what gives it its intensity. If you have never seen this movie, you really should, and if you haven't seen it for a while pick up a copy. I bet it will still shock you.
Rating: 
Summary: "Dirty birdy..."
Review: Paul Sheldon, an author famous for his Misery Chastaine novels, always goes to the same hotel to complete his novels. After completing his latest novel, he leaves the hotel and heads back to New York to deliver it to his publisher. Unfortunately, he forgets to check the weather, and drives smack into a blizzard, and loses control of his car, which goes careening off the road. Luckily for him (or so it would seem), his number one fan happens to be following him, and manages to get him free of the car before he freezes to death. Annie Wilkes, a former nurse, takes him back to her farm, where she nurses him back to health. Sheldon gives her permission to read his latest novel before it's published as a thank you for saving him. But since it's not a book in the Misery series, she is less than thrilled with it. On one of her excursions into town, she picks up the latest book in the Misery Chastain series, where Sheldon kills her off. This sets Wilkes off, and she demands that he bring her back. What follows is something straight out of a Stephen King novel, who coincidently enough, wrote the book that MISERY was based on. You have murders, hobbling (not for the sqeamish), as well as revelations about Wilkes' checkered past. It has everything a good horror movie needs. But probably the two best things in the movie are it's two main stars, James Caan and Kathy Bates. Caan plays the role of a normal man thrown into a situation that is anything *but* normal to perfection. You can actually feel the pain of hobbling he goes through when Wilkes finds out that he has managed to get out of his room. The expression on his face in that scene is memorable. But Kathy Bates is the cast member who stands out heads and tails above the rest. Her portayal of Annie Wilkes's descent into insanity over what happens to a character is exceptional. She at first appears to be genuinely concerned for Sheldon's well-being, but slowly we realize that she is out for her own wants. Some of my favorite scenes are when she is angry and using foul language. Instead of using some of the more colorful language that most people are used to, she uses "cocka-doody" and "dirty-birdy". That just cracks me up every time I hear it. It's no wonder she won an Oscar for the role. MISERY is a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Steven King Movie Ever
Review: One of the best psychological thrillers ever made, "Misery" is a tride and true adaption of the classic Steven King bestseller, white - knuckle tale filled with suspense that only someone as brilliant as King himself could ever provide Paul Sheldon (played flawlessly by James Caan) is the author of a very successful book series called "Misery". But after years of success, he decides to kill the character once and for all and get on with his life. He finishes his book, but disaster strikes on his way back to New York. He gets caught in a snow storm and crashes his car. He is on the verge of death when a seemingly harmless nurse named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates in an Oscar - winning role), who claims she's his number one fan. At first, Paul really enjoys Annie's company. Then Annie has several outbursts (including the now infamous ankle - breaking sequence), and Paul becomes suspicous of her past. From here on it's a tense battle between cat and mouse. And if you've never read the book before, then you're in for one of the creepiest endings in your life. No movie fan should be without "Misery". It is in a class of its own, different from other King classics like "Carrie", "Cuju" and "The Shining". If those films didn't do it for you, then "Misery" will get your blood pumping, your palms sweating and your heart racing in no time.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greatest Adaptations of a Stephen King Novel
Review: When he manned the filmed adaptation of Stephen King's great 1987 best-seller MISERY in 1990, Rob Reiner, known at that time mainly for hilarious comedies like THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1983), THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) and WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...(1989), showed that he could also direct a suspenseful thriller. He did a terrific job. Starring James Caan as injured, cynical romance novelist Paul Sheldon, and Kathy Bates as obsessed nurse and "Number-One Fan" Annie Wilkes, MISERY is perfectly cast and is one of the few truly successful Stephen King film adapatations. Indeed, in some ways it is even better than the book! It keeps the dark, cynical humor and concentrates more on the psychological cat-and-mouse game between Sheldon and Wilkes than on visual shocks. It definitely tones down the level of graphic violence from the novel; for example, Annie carries a sledgehammer instead of an axe. Also, she has no electric knife in the movie. Although the book's gore was effectively disturbing in written form, it would have been unnecessary and distracting in the film version. Better yet, Reiner focuses on the character-driven psychological horror and suspense, which draws you in right from the beginning and never lets up. James Caan strikes the right note for his portrayal of the bedridden Paul Sheldon. With his subtle, cynical, sarcastic, detached tone, Caan conveys a talented author whose whole world turned upside down, along with his car, on an icy road in the middle of nowhere. Being cared for/imprisoned by crazy, obsessed nurse Annie Wilkes, Caan creates a sympathetic character who refuses to accept himself as a helpless victim. Kathy Bates, in her first-ever filmic starring role, became the perfect embodiment of the Annie Wilkes that Stephen King had created in his novel, and as a result, deservedly won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1990 (unusual for a Horror/Suspense film). Up to that point, Kathy Bates had been mainly a stage actress and was very well known in those circles, but she was virtually unknown to Hollywood despite having appeared in over 15 movies. MISERY quickly put her on the map, and she subsequently starred in excellent and diverse films such as FRIED GREEN TOMATOES (1991), DOLORES CLAIBORNE (another Stephen King adaptation, it was released in 1995 and should have earned her another Oscar nomination, at the very least), TITANIC (1997) and PRIMARY COLORS (1998). Also notable in MISERY are the supporting actors: Richard Farnsworth as the town sheriff who gets involved in the search for the missing author, Frances Sternhagen as his cranky wife and assistant, and Lauren Bacall, in a welcome return to the screen as Paul Sheldon's agent, who initiates the search process. The story is well-paced, the dialogue priceless, the claustrophobic cinematography excellent. MISERY is one of the very best Stephen King adaptations, and was one of the best films of 1990. MOST RECOMMENDED
Rating:
Summary: KATHY BATES KATHY BATES KATHY BATES
Review: While the book by Stephen King paints the portrait of psychotic-obsessed fan with glee, Kathy Bates, in this film version of MISERY, brings a pathos and dimension to the character of Annie that drastically improves the story. Her performance, which is anything but predictable or one-note, as it is in the book, transforms a simple but compelling tale of obsession into a dynamic exploration into madness, much like PSYCHO. I loved the relative simplicity of this movie, which, by virtue of its claustrophic plot, rarely leaves Annie's house, and there are moments that actually had me writhing in my seat. Rob Reiner wisely leaves the movie mostly in the hands of his two big pros, and they are up to the challenge. James Caan is a perfect foil for Annie's affections/brutality - his age and flashing wit work well in the role of Paul Sheldon, an author with his own artistic baggage, but it is Bates who commands the movie from beginning to end. Her short monologue in the rain, a gun in her pocket, is so tragically sad that your fear of her actually melts. But watch out.
Rating:
Summary: The best Stephen King movie
Review: This is, by far, the best Stephen King movie of all time! I have one small complaint, which is one I have about MANY classic movies on DVD: WHERE ARE THE BONUS FEATURES?! For a movie this great, I would expect a documentary about it, maybe a commentary. But that's my only complaint about it. I love this movie so much. I could watch it over and over again. We are given perfect performances by James Caan and Kathy Bates. It's hard to believe that MGM originally wanted James Caan for the part of Rocky instead of Sylvester Stallone.
The movie begins with writer Paul Sheldon finishing his book at a lodge that he travels to, but on his way home he gets caught in a blizzard and crashes his car.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, he is rescued by Annie Wilkes, his "number one fan", who feels that she has found a prize and will do anything she has to to keep it.
I will not tell the whole story, I don't want to ruin it. All I can say is this: If you love every Stephen King movie you have seen, BUY THIS!!!; and, if you HATE every Stephen King movie you have seen, BUY THIS!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Steven King Movie Ever
Review: One of the best psychological thrillers ever made, "Misery" is a tride and true adaption of the classic Steven King bestseller, white - knuckle tale filled with suspense that only someone as brilliant as King himself could ever provide Paul Sheldon (played flawlessly by James Caan) is the author of a very successful book series called "Misery". But after years of success, he decides to kill the character once and for all and get on with his life. He finishes his book, but disaster strikes on his way back to New York. He gets caught in a snow storm and crashes his car. He is on the verge of death when a seemingly harmless nurse named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates in an Oscar - winning role), who claims she's his number one fan. At first, Paul really enjoys Annie's company. Then Annie has several outbursts (including the now infamous ankle - breaking sequence), and Paul becomes suspicous of her past. From here on it's a tense battle between cat and mouse. And if you've never read the book before, then you're in for one of the creepiest endings in your life. No movie fan should be without "Misery". It is in a class of its own, different from other King classics like "Carrie", "Cuju" and "The Shining". If those films didn't do it for you, then "Misery" will get your blood pumping, your palms sweating and your heart racing in no time.
Rating:
Summary: Hello Mr. Sheldon? I'm Your #1 Fan!
Review: In this really engaging story (movie), a popular novelist gets in a car accident and is rescued and privately nursed by--you guessed it--his "#1 fan" Annie at her remote home in the woods. Of course, what he doesn't realize is that Annie is a little, shall we say... mentally disturbed! She doesn't like the manuscript to his new novel, and forces him to start a new one from scratch. It soon becomes evident that this madwoman will do anything, including cripple him, to keep him all to herself. So, ironically, his rescuer turns out to be his captor! The rest of this suspenseful story involves his desperate attempts to free himself. But of course I won't spoil it for you by giving anything away, sorry! :) David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"
Rating:
Summary: I'm This Movie's Number 1 Fan!
Review: MISERY is one of those movies that gets better with each screening. A genuine edge-of-your-seat, suspense nail-biter by Rob Reiner (STAND BY ME) based on the novel by Stephen King. James Caan in one of his best roles in recent memory pays hommage to Jimmy Stewart in REAR WINDOW. He's the bed/wheelchair-ridden Paul Sheldon, a romance novelist whose car crashes near a remote Colorado town in the dead of winter. He is saved and nursed to health by his so-called number 1 fan (Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes) of his series of romance novels whose main character is a woman named 'Misery Chastain'. Annie Wilkes is one of moviedoms greatest characters in the history of cinema. Kathy Bates deserved her Oscar Winning Best Actress nod as the obsessed fan whose good Samaritan personality turns into that of jack the ripper. Her obsession with Sheldon and 'Misery' keeps him secretly locked up in her home to w(right) what was wronged (in her own obsessed opinion) to her favorite literary character. He is literally a prisoner forced to write while he is nursing his injuries. There are many memorable scenes in this film especially the 'hobbling' scene. Annie finds out that Paul has been sneaking out of his locked room and snooping around while she's out. In order to keep him at bay, she literally has to break his ankles. It is one of the most harrowing parts of the film. Caan and Bates are both excellent. However, the forgotten standout performance is that of Richard Farnsworth as Buster, the small town sheriff whose investigative tenacity of the disappearance of Paul Sheldon was another bright spot in the film. Overall, a well crafted suspense film with three outstanding performances, good direction, and great production values (the wide outdoor winter scenes were a great contrast to the claustophobic indoor scenes).
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