Imagine waking up in a room that's not yours. You're a writer and you had an accident. A severe car accident. You instantly feel pain in your legs. You also hear a voice. The voice says "I am your number one fan. There's nothing to worry about. You're going to be just fine. I'll take good care of you." What would you think?
This happens to novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan). He's a very successful writer. He's well known for writing a series of novels about a woman called 'Misery'. But Paul is done with writing books about Misery. It might have given him a lot of success and money. but he wants to do something else. So he decides to write a final book about Misery. In this book, she'll die. He wrote the book and steps into his car to go to his publisher. But then he gets in this terrible accident. He doesn't remember anything. He just wakes up at the home of Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). She calls herself his 'number one fan'. Paul is one lucky man: His number one fan is a nurse! She took care of him after the accident. And now he's recovering in her house. She tells him that she couldn't take him to the hospital: The roads are closed and the phone lines are down. She tells him: As soon as the roads are open, I'll take you to the hospital.
I received this DVD for Christmas from Sigmund in 2015. We watched the movie soon because I really wanted to see it. I saw a vlog review about it and that drew my attention. And I must say: It's my favorite movie ever. Definitely one of the best movies I have ever watched. And I don't say that quickly. The movie is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name from 1987. When I watched the movie I wouldn't have guessed it was based on a Stephen King Novel. And Kathy Bates even won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Misery. And that's deservedly! Kathy Bates really does an incredible job in this movie. She portrays Annie in an incredible way.
Paul Sheldon - Misery
How would you feel if you were Paul? Lucky? You might have died out there if Annie hadn't rescued you. But.. think twice! Annie asks Paul if she can read the book he's working on. He is still recovering in her house. And after all, she's his number one fan! Sh assures Paul that she called his daughter and publisher. And she even spoke to a surgeon from the hospital. The roads are still closed and as soon as they're open they will send an ambulance. They told her Paul is no danger because she took good care of him! And then she starts reading the book. She starts to give Paul some criticism on what she reads. There's too much swearing. When Paul doesn't agree, she gets angry. That's where we start to see the real Annie. Later on, she regrets it and apologizes. Reassuring she thinks Paul is brilliant. But then she finds out that Misery dies in the book. This is where she snaps. She's terribly angry, which is really frightening! She admits that she never called anyone. No one Paul is with her. Here, the true misery starts for Paul. Annie is not letting him leave. She's his number one fan. She decides he's going to rewrite the book. As you can see on the cover of the DVD: "Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now he's writing to stay alive. "
My thoughts on Misery
I think this movie is incredible. It's a thriller. And the suspense is there, constantly! I sat on the edge of my seat the whole time. It's done brilliantly. You feel for Paul. So. Much. And Kathy Bates does an incredible job in portraying Annie. Annie is crazy! And so unpredictable. The whole movie you're just hoping Paul can get away. I've never seen a movie with so much suspense in it. (Without dropping bodies every 5 seconds). The characters are so relatable. The only thing you want is for Paul to get away from there. But he's tied to the bed. He can't walk. Can he escape his number one fan?
What I also love about the movie is the sheriff and his wife! Paul publicist calls the sheriff of the little village where Paul was writing his book. she hasn't heard from him in days and she's a bit worried. The sheriff and his wife aren't used to anything happening in their village. I think this conversation between him and his wife says it all: His wife says: "We got a phone call? Busy morning." The sheriff's answer is: "Yeah. Work, work, work." Like I said: they're not used to anything happening out there. But they are willing to help and try the best they can. Even though they're not used to it. Even though the movie is full of suspense and has me tied down to my chair it manages to add some funny part with this couple. I love their dialogs! It's a very good variation on the scenes in Annie's house.
Really, I recommend this movie to everyone! Check it out! I won't tell anything about the ending or how the story proceeds. You have to see it for yourself. I can just say.. calling yourself someone's 'number one fan' will sound very differently after you've watched Misery!
Write a comment
Fenrile (Saturday, 07 January 2017 23:23)
This is movie is SO amazing. Most of Stephen King's adaptations are really incredible. I remember I first watched a few scenes of it when I was kid and I was actually scared, especially by Kathy Bates. But when I got older I watched in full and I loved it. There's so much tension and suspense in it. Kathy Bates is such an amazing actress and she's amazing in American Horror Story as well. If you like Stephen King's adaptation, I don't know if you didn't yet, but I recommend you The Mist. It's not very known and it feels a bit cheap than other movies. But it's a really good one and you feel Stephen King's universe. The ending of the movie is actually very much different from the book. But Stephen King said he loved the ending of the movie and I did too. It's so harsh and goes beyond any imagination I think!
Mary (Monday, 09 January 2017 11:01)
Well, I definetly must see this one....honestly, didin't hear about it, till now. Thank you for the tip!
harsh (Monday, 09 January 2017 18:13)
I am definitely watching this one - love mystery and thrillers!
Vibeke (Monday, 09 January 2017 20:18)
I love how you introduced this review. I can't imagine what I would think if I was in that situation! I really want to watch that movie after reading this. I wonder how I would react when watching the movie I get really affected when the movie is really good, either cry or get really scared. I am not a big book reader, but I think the novel would be a good one. I just watched the trailer, the music even gave me chills. Thanks for sharing this awesome review!
Борка Шаула (Monday, 09 January 2017 20:49)
From the moment I started reading this post I knew that Annie didn't call anyone. I instantly felt it! I mean, it scares me a bit that I assumed this because she said she is his number one fan. I mean, fans nowadays don't know what control is and celebrities aren't aware of the power of fans. I hope I will watch this movie since I would feel relief to know Paul escaped, but I think tragedies are greater than happy endings, so maybe if he dies, people would learn some lesson.
La French Connection (Tuesday, 10 January 2017 19:09)
I watched this movie a few times when I was little. I have very vivid memories of it although I'd actually like to watch it again with my adult brain. It is definitely a masterpiece, isn't it?
Mika
Gryselle Mae (Wednesday, 11 January 2017 13:46)
I haven't watched this yet but the story line is simply brilliant! It seems really interesting. No cliche intended. As much as I love to watch this movie, I don't think I can. Haha. I'm like a child who can't sleep at night when I watch a thriller, suspense or horror movie. Lmao. There is a Korean drama that is very similar to this movie. A mangaka (someone who draws manga) decided to kill the main guy in his own manga. But then he was suddenly pulled inside the manga's world. I think the Korean drama is called W. It isn't horror though, it's actually a romance drama between the writer's daughter and the manga's main guy.
Bhushavali (Wednesday, 11 January 2017 19:45)
The movie was remade in the Indian language Tamil, as Julie Ganapathi. I loved the movie. I was horrified on how psychotic she can get!!! As I read your review, I thought it sounds similar to Julie Ganapathi and just checked. Yeah, its the remake indeed!
Laveena Sengar (Friday, 13 January 2017 16:06)
That was one great review. This story seems a little familiar to me. I might have seen it sometime before.
Imran (Sunday, 24 September 2017 22:17)
i heard from my friend, that its too horror .. but now i have to watch this Amazing movie :) thanks
Hang Around The World (Sunday, 24 September 2017 22:20)
We have seen this movie thanks to a suggestion of one of our friends so it's easy for us understand what you wrote. It is not our kind of movie but we liked it, it was a good surprise.
How much did we like it? As we have just said... a lot :)
Joanna (Sunday, 24 September 2017 23:01)
I didn't hear about this movie before but your review actually made me think of a book I've read which has quite similarities in the plot. I remember loving that story so much, fact which I didn't knew when I bought it from a book signing at a book fair (so I have the author's dedication on it). Anyway, coming back to the movie, I would love to see it, the story is fascinating and I can imagine the tension just by reading your review. I can imagine the agony and the mystery culminating with a surprising ending.
Irma (Sunday, 01 October 2017 09:30)
I didn't watch the movie, and this is the first time I hear about it. However, it draws attention and makes me guess what will next happen. Somehow, I always expect best solutions, even though I know they won't come, most certainly. Misery is surely tense, so I will have to find someone to watch it with.