Misery

Rating: 5/5

Misery is an exercise in how to make a claustrophobic horror masterpiece.

Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is a writer, famous for his "Misery" series. Upon leaving the Silver Creek Lodge after finishing his latest novel, he drives through a blizzard and gets in a horrible car crash. A stranger pulls him from the wreckage and takes the unconscious Sheldon back to their home to recover. When Paul awakens, he discovers his savior is a woman named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who just so happens to be his number one fan. At first, Paul thinks he will just be under Annie's care for a short while until the roads are clear, but soon he begins to realize that being rescued by Wilkes may not have been as fortunate as he first thought.

Stephen King is an author who has had his works adapted time and time again, and there generally seem to be more misses than hits. Misery is one of the adaptations that falls into the "hit" category along with movies like Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, IT (2017), The Shining, and a handful of others. Everything about Misery is brilliantly done. The acting is top notch, the sense of tension is incredibly palpable, and its few but famous moments of gore are nauseatingly realistic. No matter how many times you watch this movie, you can't help but to instinctively cringe when you see that sledgehammer appear.

I have been a huge fan of Kathy Bates for many years, and this film is definitely one of her crowning achievements. There are so many ways that the portrayal of Annie Wilkes could have gone terribly wrong. Her character has to appear kind, albeit a little bizarre and naive, at first, and then slowly reveal the true insanity that lives within. I've seen this story done live as a play, and though the woman who played Wilkes did a fine job, she pushed the crazy factor just a bit too far beyond the point of believability, and couldn't even come close to holding a candle to the original. Kathy Bates created a character, that, as mad as she may be, you couldn't help but sympathize with her, even if it was for the briefest of moments. Sure, after everything she does to Paul you aren't exactly hoping she doesn't receive her comeuppance, but I always feel bad for her when she has dinner with Paul and truly believes he could be romantically interested in her. Bates' performance is just absolutely phenomenal.

Misery is one of the rare occasions where I've seen the movie easily a half a dozen times, but I still always find myself being completely roped into the story, hoping for certain character's fates to not happen. I get so invested, that I sometimes can almost trick myself into thinking that, maybe I remembered that part of the movie wrong, but I know I'm only fooling myself. Every character, even the side ones, are so wonderfully portrayed, that it's incredibly easy to get quite attached to them. There are very few movies that have the ability to make me think this way, and it is a testament to the actors and writing that Misery is able to get into the minds of its viewers in such a strong way. It never ceases to amaze me when a story practically takes place in one setting manages to be incredibly engaging from beginning to end.

Now, being from Maine, I've read my fair share of Stephen King novels, but I've actually never read Misery, so I don't know how the comparison from the book to the film adds up, but I'd have to imagine that given how great this movie is, it has to be pretty darn close.

1991 Best Actress in a Leading Role Winner-Kathy Bates