‘Misery’ is Terrifying
A 1990 thriller playing on our deepest fears.
Misery is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. When famous author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is in a car crash, he is rescued by a fan named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). As time passes, he realizes that his savior might have less than benevolent motivations.
I would be remiss if I didn’t start by discussing the great performances in this film. James Caan is so solid as Paul. He embodies the arrogance and intelligence of this best-selling author but also understands the hopelessness and fear that Paul experiences as his fate continues to go from bad to worse. He is so engrossing and engaging to watch.
But Kathy Bates is absolutely perfect in this. As good as Caan’s performance is, Bates is just better. She outshines him in every scene as we learn more and more about Annie. There’s way more to this woman than initially meets the eye. While she is riddled with multiple mental illnesses and is capable of incredible violence, there’s also a tenderness and naivete about her. Bates brought complexity to this character and absolutely deserved the Academy Award for this performance.
This movie is so incredibly entertaining over thirty years later because it continues to play on our very human fears. We hate the idea of being isolated and incapable of…
