Misery (film)
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| Misery | |
|---|---|
 Video poster for Misery |
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| Directed by | Rob Reiner |
| Produced by | Rob Reiner & Andrew Scheinman |
| Written by | William Goldman |
| Starring | James Caan Kathy Bates Richard Farnsworth Frances Sternhagen |
| Music by | Marc Shaiman |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (DVD) |
| Release date(s) | November 30, 1990 |
| Running time | 107 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20,000,000 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Misery is a 1990 United States horror/thriller film from Columbia Pictures and Castle Rock Entertainment, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. Directed by Rob Reiner, the film received critical acclaim for Kathy Bates' Academy Award-winning portrayal of psychotic ex-nurse Annie Wilkes. It was ranked #12 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
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[edit] Tagline
- Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now, he's writing to stay alive.
- This Christmas, there will be... MISERY.
[edit] Synopsis
Novelist Paul Sheldon, who is driving home from Colorado, crashes his car during a freak blizzard and is rescued by ex-nurse Annie Wilkes, who claims to be his “Number One Fan”. She takes care of him in her remote house near the mountains but does not tell anyone where he is. After some time, it becomes clear that she does not intend to let Paul go.
[edit] Plot
Former nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) saves the life of novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) after a car accident brought on by a severe blizzard. Wilkes, an obsessive fan of Sheldon's "Misery" romance series, takes him home and serves as his caretaker. Annie turns out to be severely mentally disturbed (very possibly suffering from erotomania), and she prevents him from leaving or contacting the rest of the world.
Once Annie finds out he kills Misery Chastain, the series' namesake, in his latest published book, she flies into a rage and nearly kills him. She also coldly tells him that she never called the doctors, Paul's agent or his daughter, as she'd previously said she'd done. After leaving for a few days, she forces him to burn the manuscript he had carried with him and write a new "Misery" story, Misery's Return, in which Misery is somehow brought back to life.
Paul eventually escapes from his room. He finds a photograph album with newspaper clippings of Annie's history; she had been acquitted on charges of infanticide while serving as head maternity nurse in a hospital. She has also killed several other hospital patients over the years, and also killed her father and college roommate. Annie discovers Paul's forays into the rest of the house and, to prevent further ones, cripples (or "hobbles") him in the infamous "sledgehammer scene" by breaking his ankles with a sledgehammer.
A local sheriff, Buster (Richard Farnsworth), who is investigating Sheldon's disappearance comes to suspect Annie. After a visit, a noise from inside the house leads him to find Paul in the basement, where Annie hid him when she saw Buster coming. However, Buster is immediately killed by Annie with a shotgun.
Upon completion of the "Misery" book, Annie is ecstatic and wants to celebrate by a murder-suicide with Paul. However, Paul acquires a chance and lights his finished novel afire. He takes advantage of her anguish by attempting to knock her unconscious with the typewriter he used. This fails, and the two engage in an intense brawl that ends in Annie's death. Paul is assumed to be rescued.
The movie then continues eighteen months after Paul was rescued; he is shown in New York City having a meal with his agent, Marcia Sindell (Lauren Bacall). They discuss his new novel, which is separate from the "Misery" series. Paul rejects a suggestion to write about his experiences with Annie because he is constantly haunted by them--he mistakes a waitress, another one of his fans, for Annie in a haunting, daydream-like vision.
[edit] Cast
- Paul Sheldon - James Caan
- Annie Wilkes - Kathy Bates
- Buster - Richard Farnsworth
- Virginia - Frances Sternhagen
- Marcia Sindell - Lauren Bacall
- Libby - Graham Jarvis
- Pete - Jerry Potter
- Misery the Pig - Herself
- Anchorman - Thomas Brunelle
- Anchorwoman -June Christopher
- Reporter (1) - Julie Payne
- Reporter (2) - Archie Hahn III
- Reporter (3) - Greg Snegoff
- Waitress - Wendy Bowers
- Helicopter Pilot - Rob Reiner
- State Trooper Sherman Douglas - J. T. Walsh
[edit] Cast notes
- Rob Reiner and J. T. Walsh are uncredited.
[edit] Crew
- Directed by: Rob Reiner
- Produced by: Andrew Scheinman and Rob Reiner
- Written by: William Goldman and Stephen King (novel)
- Co-Producers: Jeffrey Stott and Steve Nicolaides
- Associate Producer: Steven R. Molen
- Cinematography by: Barry Sonnenfeld
- Original music composed by: Marc Shaiman
- Production design by: Norman Garwood
[edit] Awards
- Oscar (1990): Best Actress in a leading role - Kathy Bates
- Golden Globe (1990): Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama) - Kathy Bates
- CFCA Award (1990): Best Actress - Kathy Bates
[edit] Music
The film's score was composed by Marc Shaiman. It was released on CD in January 1991, on the Bay Cities record label, to critical acclaim.[citation needed]
[edit] Soundtrack track listing
- Number One Fan
- She Can't Be Dead
- Open House
- Go To Your Room
- Buster's Last Stand
- Misery's Return
[edit] Production
- In William Goldman's book Which Lie Did I Tell?, he states that Stephen King was pleased with the final film. However, in King's On Writing, King states that Sheldon might or might not be an allegory for himself, but he certainly wasn't James Caan.
- Kathy Bates reportedly was disappointed that a scene was cut in which she kills a young police officer by rolling over him repeatedly with a lawnmower. Director Rob Reiner was afraid that the audience would laugh at it.
- Features a cameo by J.T Walsh as a State of Colorado Police Chief.
- In the novel, Annie cuts off Paul's foot to prevent him from escaping. Screenwriter William Goldman has stated that the reason he decided to adapt the book to film was because of this gruesome scene and the effect it would have on the audience. However, Rob Reiner and Andrew Scheinman's script revision changed the method of torture to Paul getting his ankles broken with a sledgehammer. Goldman was opposed to the change until viewing the film.
- The car Paul Sheldon drives in and wrecks in the movie is a Ford Mustang. But in the novel it is a Chevrolet Camaro.
- In the novel the title of Paul's book that Annie forces him to burn is titled "Fast Cars". But in the film version it is untitled.
- The main character Paul Sheldon's novels are published by Viking, the same publishing company that published Stephen King's books at that time.
- According to William Goldman's book Four Screenplays, the main character role, Paul Sheldon, was offered to Jack Nicholson, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, and Warren Beatty, all of whom declined.
- The part of Annie Wilkes was offered to Anjelica Huston and Bette Midler, both of whom declined. Huston reportedly wanted the role, but was forced to turn it down because of her commitments to the film The Grifters. Kathy Bates, who was unknown at the time, accepted the role and won an Academy Award for best actress.
- One of Stephen King's first typewriters had a malfunctioning "N" key, just like the one used by James Caan in the movie.
- A video of Reiner's movie When Harry Met Sally... (1989) is visible in the general store.
- When Annie demands that Paul burn his manuscript, she lights the paper and we see a close-up of the words on the paper, an article about Cameron Crowe and how he is an amazing scriptwriter. It talks about his movies, but mostly offers praise for Say Anything (1989).
- Director Rob Reiner can be glimpsed as the helicopter pilot during the search for Paul’s car
[edit] References in Popular Culture
- In a sketch called "Misery II" on a February 1991 edition of Saturday Night Live, Roseanne Barr portrayed Annie. The sketch begins with Dana Carvey leaving a Colorado comedy club after giving a farewell performance as The Church Lady. Carvey and Jon Lovitz crash in a blizzard and Annie rescues Carvey (and leaving Lovitz behind) so that she can have his Church Lady character all to herself. The sketch also features Lorne Michaels in place of Lauren Bacall's character.
- In the Drawn Together episode "Unrestrainable Trainable", Clara restrains Wooldoor in a similar manner. She also hobbles his ankles in the same way Annie does.
- In an episode of The King of Queens, Arthur is heard calling his daughter, Carrie, "the fat broad from Misery." This is in reference to the Annie Wilkes character portrayed by Kathy Bates.
- In the FUNimation dub of the anime Shin Chan, the character Maso believes Shin's neighbor is a murderer. He passes out and wakes up in her bed. The neighbor walks in and she says "Do you remember that scene in Misery where the lady breaks the guy's legs with a sledgehammer? Not sure why I remembered that just now."
- The British comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders made a parody of the movie on their show, French and Saunders.
- An episode of The Critic has Jay becoming romantically involved with a woman who fanatically idolizes him, and then restrains him to a bed with reels of film in order to "always know what's good and what's bad."
- In the seventh season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy threatens to do to Andrew what Kathy Bates did in Misery. Andrew makes a comparison of the book and the film before he realizes what she is talking about.
- Rapper and Political Activist Immortal Technique in his song "Dominant Species," references the movie with the line: "My enemies are obsessed with me like the bitch in Misery."
- In the Simpsons episode "Dude, Where's My Ranch?", an injured David Byrne lands in Moe's car and asks to be taken to a hospital.
- Moe: "Have you seen the movie Misery?"
- Mr. Byrne: "Actually, no."
- Moe: "Then this'll all be new to you..."
- The Abdoujaparov song "Hit Her With The Pig" depicts a demented fan trapping the singer in his home and forcing him to write an album of "songs of love for my sweet Misery". The lyrics reference her breaking his legs and him killing her in the end.
- The movie was parodied in a skit entitled "Misery II: with Rick James" from the 3rd season of the early 1990's sketch comedy show, In Living Color, in which Keenan Ivory Wayans portrays "superfreak" Rick James as the psychotic Annie Wilkes-esque character.
- In the episode of Friends, "The One After the Super Bowl, Part 1" in season 2, when Chandler tells Rachel and Monica about Joey's date with his crazed stalker, he says, "You remember Kathy Bates in Misery?... Well, she looks the exact opposite of that."
- The episode of Robot Chicken, "Robot Chicken's Half-Assed Christmas Special" in season 3, features the Peanuts characters Linus and Sally in a parody of Misery, where Sally ties Linus to a bed and makes him write her a love letter, mimicking scenes from the film. In the end, Linus distracts her with a decoy letter and strangles her with his blanket; she survives this, however, though he later smashes her head with a lamp.
- Anthrax's 1987 album "Among The Living" has a song called "A Skeleton in the Closet" with the lyrics, "Tell me a story--will ya, will ya, A real good story, I wont leave till ya, Spill your guts old man, Leave out any secrets, hiding in the..."
- There is a commercial for DirecTV based on the "sledgehammer scene." As Annie is lifting her sledgehammer, she says, "I was going to unplug my DirecTV so he couldn't watch all their fancy sports in hi-def, but that'd be cruel. DirecTV has way more sports in HD than cable. Watching anything but DirecTV? Now that would be painful."
- A Mexican rock band "Division Minuscula" has a song called "Tinta y Papel" (Ink & Paper) based in the series of events of the movie "Misery" in their second album "Defecto Perfecto"
- In the first R.O.D manga, a crazed fan writes letters to Paul S., and sends them to Nenene Sumiregawa. Yomiko Readman explains the novel to her. The fan kidnaps Nenene and tries to make her write a new book.
- In an upcoming Family Guy episode, Three Kings (which will retell three Stephen King novels), Misery will be retold with two of the show's main characters, Brian and Stewie Griffin, as the lead characters. It can be assumed that Brian and Stewie will play roles similar to Paul and Annie, respectively, due to a running gag on the show that involves Stewie taunting Brian about how he can never finish a single novel he has been writing.
[edit] External links
- Misery at the Internet Movie Database
- Misery at Rotten Tomatoes
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