Misery (1990)
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The story
Famed novelist Paul Sheldon, who writes a popular but unwanted romance series, is traveling to New York City after finishing a new manuscript. During a blizzard, he crashes his car and is rescued by Annie Wilkes, a nurse and self-proclaimed 'number one fan.' Annie takes him to her remote home, where he awakens with broken legs and a dislocated shoulder. As the storm continues, Paul realizes that Annie's behavior is increasingly disturbing. He finds himself trapped in her home, forced to comply with her demands as she insists he continue writing his popular series while she cares for him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a car accident in a blizzard, novelist Paul Sheldon is taken in by Annie Wilkes, an obsessive fan who becomes his captor. Annie forces Paul to burn his new manuscript and write a new installment of his popular 'Misery' series. While trapped in her home, Paul discovers Annie's history of medical malpractice and attempts to escape, but she discovers his actions and breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer. Meanwhile, Sheriff Buster investigates Paul's disappearance and is killed by Annie. Paul eventually manages to burn the manuscript and strike Annie with a typewriter, leading to a violent struggle where he ultimately kills her with a heavy iron doorstop. Eighteen months later, a recovering Paul meets his agent in New York City to discuss his new, critically acclaimed book, briefly hallucinating Annie's presence when a waitress calls him her 'number one fan'.
- First release year
- 1990
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Reiner
- Writers
- William Goldman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- James Caan · Paul Sheldon; Kathy Bates · Annie Wilkes; Richard Farnsworth · Sheriff Buster; Frances Sternhagen · Deputy Virginia; Lauren Bacall · Marcia Sindell
- Genres
- psychological horror; thriller
- Themes
- obsession; captivity; fandom
- Tone and mood
- tense; frightening; gothic
- Setting
- A remote home in Silver Creek, Colorado, during a blizzard.
- Premise and plot tags
- survival; medical_drama; psychological_thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Stephen King's 1987 novel
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, particularly praising the performances of the lead actors and the adaptation of the source material.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · scale: percentage · review count: 156
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Actress · win
- Production trivia
- The film is the only adaptation of a Stephen King novel to win an Academy Award.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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