Misery (A or 4/4 stars)
'Misery' (adapted from a Stephen King novel & directed by Rob Reiner) has the power to keep you up at night; it's that disturbing. The film opens with acclaimed writer, Paul Sheldon (James Caan) finishing his latest novel - taking a break from writing his popular series of novels featuring the character Misery Chastain. He gets into a horrific car accident on a snowy Colorado highway & is saved by former nurse, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), a reclusive woman who quietly brings him back to her remote house in the mountains & nurses him back to health. Annie is a HUGE fan of the Misery novels (obsessively so), & she finishes reading the new book while Paul heals. Things appear to be going swell.
However, she becomes enraged (to say the least) when she finds out that Paul kills off Misery. Paul gets tortured by wackadoo Annie until he corrects all the errors of his ways. And she even hobbles his legs so much so that he is unable to leave her home; forcing him to re-write the Misery novel so that the female heroine lives. A local sheriff (Richard Farnsworth) & Paul's agent (Lauren Bacall) both try to track down what happened to Paul Sheldon. But Annie won't be happy until everything goes her way. And Paul's life hangs in the balance. Nail-biting attempts of Paul's escape ensue.
What can I say? This film is a winner. The atmosphere is potent. The story grabs us. The characters are memorable; one, being iconic. There's some great dark humor. Annie Wilkes' nutso dialogue will be legendary: "I am your number one fan". "You! You dirty bird, how could you?!". "He didn't get out of the Cockadoodie car!". "I thought you were good, Paul ... but you're not good. You're just another lying 'ole dirty birdie" – love it! The scares are a plenty. And the levels of suspense/tension are off the charts; mostly because you don't know what Annie Wilkes is going to say or do next.
Kathy Bates is marvelous as charismatic nut job, Annie Wilkes. You'll smile at her quirky, cheerful nuttiness. But with the flip of a switch (within the same scene, even) ... you'll be terrified of her. Keep all hammers, mallets & knives away during one of her hissy fits. She doesn't know how monstrous she actually is; which is all the more disturbing. I also liked Rob Reiner's decision to film her in many disorienting close-ups, as well. Also impressive is James Caan. You can't help but feel his dire desperation in escaping from Annie's Hell bound house. And his scenes with Annie are hypnotic to watch. 'Misery' is, quite simply, a high quality film that will leave you thinking & talking about it for years to come. It's one of 'those'.
However, she becomes enraged (to say the least) when she finds out that Paul kills off Misery. Paul gets tortured by wackadoo Annie until he corrects all the errors of his ways. And she even hobbles his legs so much so that he is unable to leave her home; forcing him to re-write the Misery novel so that the female heroine lives. A local sheriff (Richard Farnsworth) & Paul's agent (Lauren Bacall) both try to track down what happened to Paul Sheldon. But Annie won't be happy until everything goes her way. And Paul's life hangs in the balance. Nail-biting attempts of Paul's escape ensue.
What can I say? This film is a winner. The atmosphere is potent. The story grabs us. The characters are memorable; one, being iconic. There's some great dark humor. Annie Wilkes' nutso dialogue will be legendary: "I am your number one fan". "You! You dirty bird, how could you?!". "He didn't get out of the Cockadoodie car!". "I thought you were good, Paul ... but you're not good. You're just another lying 'ole dirty birdie" – love it! The scares are a plenty. And the levels of suspense/tension are off the charts; mostly because you don't know what Annie Wilkes is going to say or do next.
Kathy Bates is marvelous as charismatic nut job, Annie Wilkes. You'll smile at her quirky, cheerful nuttiness. But with the flip of a switch (within the same scene, even) ... you'll be terrified of her. Keep all hammers, mallets & knives away during one of her hissy fits. She doesn't know how monstrous she actually is; which is all the more disturbing. I also liked Rob Reiner's decision to film her in many disorienting close-ups, as well. Also impressive is James Caan. You can't help but feel his dire desperation in escaping from Annie's Hell bound house. And his scenes with Annie are hypnotic to watch. 'Misery' is, quite simply, a high quality film that will leave you thinking & talking about it for years to come. It's one of 'those'.