Misery (film)

Misery (known as Miseria in Venezuela and Misery, between passion and danger in Argentina) is a 1990 American film directed by Rob Reiner. Starring Kathy Bates and James Caan in the lead roles. Based on the 1987 novel of the same name written by Stephen King.

In 1990 the film was awarded the Academy Award for Best Leading Actress (Kathy Bates); she was also a winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Movie Actress-Drama (Kathy Bates); and the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) Award for Best Actress (Kathy Bates).

Plot

Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is a successful writer of romantic novels tired of his character Misery Chastain, his greatest success, and decides to kill her. Freed at last, he isolates himself in a cabin in Colorado and writes a novel with a different plot that he hopes will be a critical success.

With his manuscript freshly finished, he drives back to New York in an impressive snowstorm and is in a very serious accident, in which he is practically immobilized; but he is rescued from certain death by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who discovers the accident and takes Paul to her house. Annie is a professional nurse and provides her with the medical care she needs. Also, she turns out to be a big fan of the character Misery and declares to be Sheldon's "number one fan". However, Paul suspects that the woman suffers from some disorder.

While Paul is convalescing, Annie makes him believe that they are snowbound, but it is all a complete lie to keep him in the house until he heals. Annie sees a copy in a bookstore on which Misery's death is written. She unknowingly buys it, and she kindly looks after (until reading the book) Paul. Paul's agent, Marcia Sindell (Lauren Bacall), puzzled by his long absence, decides to contact the local sheriff, Buster (Richard Farnsworth), and report Paul's absence.

Finally, Paul realizes that he has been kidnapped and that Annie has not informed either the authorities that are looking for him, her agent, or her relatives. Also, he discovers that Annie keeps him locked in her room when he leaves her house to go shopping. Paul tries to escape, but discovering that Annie keeps traps secure, and because Paul is unable to move due to his fractures, he decides to wait.

Annie, in turn, discovers that Misery dies in the final installment of the saga, and forces Sheldon to destroy his new work and write a new book in which Misery does not die.

Paul, knowing that until he's healed he won't be able to escape on his own, decides to follow Annie's wishes, knowing that she's the only one who can get him out and the police can't get in. Paul writes what he can. Annie gives him a wheelchair, but he fails to accommodate her. He finally succeeds and continues with the novel. Annie decides to celebrate with a dinner. Paul, who has saved the capsules that Annie gives him to heal her pains, tricks Annie into looking for candles and when Annie goes, Paul puts the capsules to put Annie to sleep in the wine; but (unbeknownst to her) he knocks over the glass and her plan doesn't work out. She locks Paul up again and he is disappointed, although he manages to put a knife under his bed.

After Annie has left the house, Paul decides to leave the room where he sees a scrapbook on the table, discovering in the process that the nurse is a serial killer accused of the murder of his father, neighbors, elderly and newborns while she worked as a nurse at the hospital. The press, who nicknamed her "the dragon lady", understood that she was guilty of it, but they could not arrest her for lack of evidence.

Annie, after discovering the knife and Paul having managed to get himself out of her room several times, trying to do some tricks to escape while she left the house, breaks his feet with a sledgehammer. Paul is physically lame and, after finishing the play for Annie, he burns it in front of her. Furious, Annie attacks him, they fight, Paul trips Annie and hits her head on the typewriter, leaving her apparently dead, Paul crawls out of the room. Annie surprises him and makes one last attempt to kill him, but Paul manages to reach a metal sculpture in the shape of a pig, hits her on the forehead with it and fractures her skull, killing her.

Paul escapes and manages to recover (although he is lame) and becomes paranoid. A year and a half later, Paul attends a restaurant dinner with his editor to celebrate the great success of his latest book. She suggests that he write a chronicle recounting what happened at Annie's house, but Paul considers that he is only asking for money. The film ends with Annie dressed as a waitress approaching him with a knife but Paul realizes that she is imagining it and that she is just an unknown waitress; she stands next to him and tells him that she is his number one fan.

Cast

• James Caan is Paul Sheldon.
• Kathy Bates is Annie Wilkes.
• Richard Farnsworth is Buster.
• Frances Sternhagen is Virginia.
• Lauren Bacall is Marcia Sindell.
• Graham Jarvis is Libby.
• Jerry Potter is Pete.
• Rob Reiner is the Helicopter pilot.
• J. T. Walsh is a state cop.

Awards

Oscar 1990

Golden Globe 1990

Differences between the movie and the book

• In the film Paul's manuscript of his new novel has no title, while in the book it is entitled Speed cars.
• In the book, Paul depends a lot on the pills for leg pain until supplicating, while in the film he does not need them.
• In the book, Annie makes Paul take the pills with dirty water.
• In the novel, discovering that his favorite character "Misery" has died, Annie punishes Paul by leaving him for almost three days without eating and without his pain pills, while in the movie this does not happen.
• Annie, getting angry with Paul for complaining about the role that's prone to staining, hits him with the blade drows on his legs in the movie, while in the book he does it with his own hands.
• In the book, Annie discovers that Paul has escaped from the room because of the threads that she left around the house to make sure that no one has entered or left, while in the film she realizes by the ceramic penguin of her study that according to her has changed place.
• In the movie, Annie fractured Paul's ankles with a sledge, while in the novel he cut his foot with an axe and cauterized the stump with a blow.
• In the book, Annie cuts a thumb off Paul with an electric knife for his complaints about the typewriter, to which the keys fall, while in the movie this does not happen.
• In the movie, Annie kills a shot cop with the shotgun, while in the book he kills him by breaking it with a lawn mower.
• In the film, Paul burns the book already finished for Annie, while in the novel he burns only sketches and white leaves and hides the novel under his bed.

Misery in popular culture

• Mexican Music Group Minuscule Division pays tribute to Misery in his song "Tinta y papel", from the album Perfect defect.
• The film is referenced in episode 18 of season 14 The Simpsons"Dude, Where's My Ranch?"
• The film is also satirized in a chapter The Criticwhere a woman is obsessed with Jay Sherman.
• The Spanish rap group SFDK names the film on the theme "Peliculists 2".
• The tape is parodyed in a chapter The time of José Mota, being La Blasa who abducts him, forcing José Mota himself to write a script in which she appears herself.
• In the music video of the simple "Please Don't Leave Me", by the American singer P!nk, the plot is similar to the novel and the film.
• In an episode of Family FatherStewie kidnaps Brian and makes him write about his book.
• Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian refers to this film, in a chapter in which a writer's fanatic keeps him in jail until he finishes his story.
• In the seventh episode of Suburgatory the plot of the book and the film is paroled when Sheila keeps George under his care after he gets hurt. However, rumors begin to run in the neighborhood where it is said that Sheila did the same with a former resident of the area and it ended up killing him.
• In the last chapter of the 1st season What do I do now? The plot of the film is paroled. In this chapter, Adal runs out of gas, falls into a ravine, a nurse picks him up and has him kidnapped.
• In the anime Gintama There is a brief reference to the film in chapter 67.
• The American musical group Green Day has a song with a theme similar to that of the film, and possibly based on this and the book. This song, "Pulling Teeth", is also based on an experience that the band bass player had with his girlfriend. Curiously, the band also has a song entitled "Misery".
• In the series Friends the film is mentioned in episode 12 of the second season. In this, Chandler ironically compares Joey's fan (Erika Ford) to Kathy Bates, saying that the fan is the opposite to her, but not to be mad.
• The plot of episode 16 of the third season Pretty Little Liars, entitled "Misery Loves Company", is inspired by the film.
• In the Korean drama W, two worlds, the protagonist mentions the film as a result of his father, who is a cartoonist, also wants to kill the protagonist of his work, and the protagonist of the work believes that the woman who saved him is a crazy fanatic.
• The plot of episode 18 of the third season iCarly, entitled "iPsycho", is inspired by the film.
• The British band Muse refers to the film in the music video and lyrics of his simple "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween", from his album Will of the People. In the video clip you can see a representation of the penguin, while the letter says "...I'm in misery (I'm you number one fan)".