Misery (1990)

I watched the film version of "Misery" the day after I finished reading the novel and typically that's a great way to ruin any enjoyment you may get from a film adaptation of a terrific book. That's not the case here with director Rob Reiner's film which I found to be both an excellent movie in it's own right, and yet stayed true to the feeling of the novel.

Best selling author Paul Sheldon, after an auto accident in the rural Colorado Rockies, is saved from death by his number one fan in Annie Wilkes, a hulking paranoid/psychotic ex-nurse. Waking up in Annie's rural and isolated farmhouse Paul soon learns of the dedication Annie has to his works. She's read each of his "Misery" novels numerous times and even has a little shrine in her living room dedicated to Paul. And much to Paul's chagrin, she plans on keeping Paul captive so he can write the best "Misery" novel of them all, dedicated of course, to Annie herself.

The film succeeds due to actress Kathy Bates excellent portrayal of Annie. It seemed as if the character had just jumped out of the book and onto the screen. I loved that they used all of Annie's little catchphrases (dirty bird, cockadoodie, etc.) that make the character uniquely her. Of course the movie can't go into all of the characters complexities that were in the book, but you get the idea that something just ain't quite right with the old girl. As in the book, one really starts to feel as if they were Annie's prisoner, and the movie does a good job of retaining a claustrophobic sense of paranoia. This flick is all about mood and tension between the two characters and here it works really well. The scares are mostly all on the psychological side of things, though if you don't squirm during that "hobbling" scene, you gotta be dead. That was really rough to watch and I'll admit this since you're all friends...I watched that scene through my fingers! "Misery" was just a very enjoyable flick all around and one of the best King adaptations in many years.