Misery (1990)

13 January 2020

The book Misery, from 1987, is a powerful book from Stephen King, and of the books I've read this is currently my favorite standalone novel of his. The movie takes us through the life of Paul Sheldon (James Caan) as he gets into a car accident and is nursed to health by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), his "number one fan". Directed by Rob Reiner, it's really faithful to the book, and has been one of the more horrific and cringeworthy movies I've seen in a while. There were some slight modifications to the story, but the pacing is really good and suspenseful.

James Caan seems a little odd for the writer role, and the near-cameo status of Lauren Bacall seems like a lost opportunity. Kathy Bates stood out in the story, and got a Best Actress win for her very intense role in the film. That was Misery's only nomination and win at the Academy Awards: it came out at the same time as Dick Tracy, Goodfellas, Dances With Wolves, and Ghost. It is also a book adaptation Stephen King liked, which is high praise considering he didn't always feel that way (for example, with The Shining (1980)). It's a really good adaptation but feels a little old and worn, but that could've only been a first impression. In the future it's possible my rating of this will do up a little, but we'll see. 8/10