Misery

Rob Reiner's 1990 Misery, based on the chilling bestseller by Stephen King and brilliantly adapted by screenwriter William Goldman, turned the horror master's cautionary tale of fame and idolatry—inspired by King's experience with obsessive fans—into a mainstream masterpiece of escalating suspense. Kathy Bates deservedly won an Oscar for her performance as Annie Wilkes, an unbalanced devotee of romance novels by author Paul Sheldon (James Caan), whose books provide her with a much-needed escape from a lonely life and secret (violent) past. After Annie rescues the injured Sheldon from a car accident, she seizes the opportunity to nurse her favorite writer back to health, but her tender loving care soon turns twisted as she demands that Sheldon write his latest novel according to her wish-fulfillment fantasies. From this point forward, Misery percolates to a boil with equal parts mystery, thriller, and cleverly dark comedy, as the helpless author is pitched in deadly warfare against his number one fan. While Bates carefully modulates her role from doting kindness to horrifying ferocity, Caan is equally superb as the celebrated author who must literally write for his life. It's essentially a two-actor film, but Richard Farnsworth and Lauren Bacall are excellent in supporting roles as characters investigating the writer's mysterious disappearance. DVD extras on this collector's edition include two audio commentaries (one by Reiner; the other by Goldman), and seven featurettes on topics ranging from behind-the-scenes production stories to anti-stalking laws. (J. Shannon)[Blu-ray Review—Oct. 13, 2009—MGM, 2 discs, 107 min., R, $24.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1990's Misery sports a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Although this Blu-ray contains no special features, the accompanying DVD in this double-disc set carries over the original extras: two audio commentaries (one by director Rob Reiner; the other by screenwriter William Goldman), and seven production featurettes including: “Misery Loves Company” (30 min.), “Marc Shaiman's Musical Misery Tour” on the composer (15 min.), “Diagnosing Annie Wilkes” (9 min.), “Profile of a Stalker” (6 min.), “Advice for the Stalked” (5 min.), “Celebrity Stalkers” (5 min.), and “Anti-Stalking Law” (3 min.). Bottom line: a contemporary psychological horror classic looks wonderful on Blu-ray.][Blu-ray Review—Nov. 28, 2017—Shout! Factory, 108 min., R, Blu-ray: $34.95—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1990's Misery features a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras new to this release include interviews with director Rob Reiner (37 min.) and special makeup effects artist Greg Nicotero (26 min.). Carried over from the previous release are two audio commentaries (one by Reiner; the other by screenwriter William Goldman), and the production featurettes “Misery Loves Company” (30 min.), “Marc Shaiman's Musical Misery Tour” (15 min.), “Diagnosing Annie Wilkes” (9 min.), “Profile of a Stalker” (6 min.), “Advice for the Stalked” (5 min.), “Celebrity Stalkers” (5 min.), and “Anti-Stalking Law” (3 min.). Bottom line: an excellent edition of this contemporary classic, especially for those who don't already own the 2009 MGM Blu-ray release.]