Barnes & Noble

Horror novelist Stephen King often tells the story of how he once took a picture with a fan whom he learned was Mark David Chapman, after Chapman had murdered John Lennon. It is that very kind of celebrity anxiety that fuels the film Misery, based on King's novel. James Caan plays Paul Sheldon, a romance novelist injured in a bone-breaking car wreck in the middle of nowhere and rescued by nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates, in her Oscar-winning breakthrough role). For better and for worse, Annie happens to be Sheldon's "number one fan," and she turns from motherly rescuer to sadistic captor after learning that Sheldon will kill off her favorite character, Misery, in his next book. Director Rob Reiner, in his second King adaptation (Stand By Me), explores both the horror and the humanity in Bates's tragically deranged nurse, who is torn between her compulsions to nurture and destroy. William Goldman's script is sublime storytelling in what is essentially a one-location, two-character tale, both of whom by the end have brutally blurred the lines between insanity and the struggle for survival. Although slightly tamer than King's novel, Misery never once fails to shock, scare, or disturb. Tony Nigro

All Movie Guide

Adapted from a Stephen King novel, Rob Reiner's Misery cast James Caan as a writer at a career crossroads. The film opens with Paul Sheldon (Caan) completing work on his latest novel, a break from his popular series of novels featuring the character Misery Chastain. He gets into a severe car accident and is saved by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), a reclusive woman who nurses him back to health. Annie is a huge fan of the Misery novels, and she finishes reading the new one while Paul is convalescing. She becomes enraged when she discovers that Paul has killed off Misery. Annie injures Paul's foot severely so that he is unable to leave her house, and forces him to write a new Misery novel. A local sheriff (Richard Farnsworth) and Paul's agent (Lauren Bacall) both attempt to track down what happened to the missing author. Misery shot the relatively unknown Kathy Bates to stardom, winning her one of the few Best Actress Oscars ever bestowed for portraying an evil character. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Product Details

• UPC: 027616089885
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Special Edition, Subtitled, Dubbed, Special Packaging
• Time: 1:47:00
• Sales Rank: 14,593

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Stephen King Giftset
• Hell Hath No Fury Triple Feature

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