Product Details

• Actors: JAMES CAAN, KATHY BATES
• Format: VHS
• Studio: NEWLINE
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (219 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AM30LY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,976 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now he's writing to stay alive! Great thriller.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's more than great--it's perfect, February 17, 2003

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Misery (DVD)

Misery is an exceedingly good adaptation of the original novel by Stephen King. The novel features one of King's most tightly-wound, increasingly suspenseful tales, and this movie faithfully brings the novel to life on the big screen. Paul Sheldon, America's best selling writer, creator of Misery Chastain and chronicler of her romantic and human struggles and successes, has just finished writing a "serious" novel he hopes will give him the stature he desires. On his trip home with the manuscript, a fierce blizzard causes him to lose control of his car. Annie Wilkes, his number one fan, finds his car at the bottom of a hill, pulls Sheldon out of it, and takes him home to nurse back to health. As Sheldon begins to adjust to his new surroundings, he is increasingly bothered by his caregiver's erratic mood swings. He soon finds himself a virtual prisoner in her house, essentially unable to move with his two mangled legs. When Annie reads his brand new book, she is exceedingly unhappy with it. When she gets the newly published Misery Chastain novel and finds out that her beloved Misty is dead, she begins unleashing her fury on Sheldon and insisting he resurrect Misty in a new novel written especially for her. All this time, the small mountain town's husband-and-wife police force search for any sign of the missing author (albeit halfheartedly). Eventually, Sheldon realizes escape is something only he can achieve for himself.

James Caan is quite good as Paul Sheldon, but Kathy Bates simply is Annie Wilkes. Her performance as this complicated, mentally disturbed super-fan broods over this entire movie, making it the riveting thriller it is. Lauren Bacall, in what is an overlooked but rather amazing casting coup, lends her talents to the movie in the role of Sheldon's literary agent, while Richard Farnsworth and perennial King favorite Frances Sternhagen round out a truly excellent cast. King actually held out on this project until such time as it could be placed in the more than capable hands of director Rob Reiner. King had a special affection for this particular story, and he was not going to allow a second-rate adaptation of it to come to the big screen.

The suspense of this story is basically psychological in nature, but there are two scenes of far more physical suffering. The hobbling scene is memorable to say the least, and another incident toward the end introduces a little blood to the film, but overall this is a movie that all lovers of suspense and human drama can appreciate. There are a lot of bad movies based on terrific Stephen King stories and novels, but this movie captures the powerful magic of the original novel as effectively as any King movie ever has.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "It's more than great. It's perfect.", September 25, 2007

By 

R. Pepper "DaysFan79" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Misery (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

Finally a special edition of Misery! This has been previously released on Region 2 DVD but this is the first official Region 1 release of the special edition. Kathy Bates won a much deserved Best Actress Oscar for her performance. This is one of Stephen King's best and while there are a few humorous moments most notably through Kathy's dialogue, the horror and suspense never fizzle in any way. This is one of the best horror/suspense pictures out there and should be in any fans collection for multiple viewings. Here are the special features:

DVD Features:

Region 1

Keep Case

Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

Dolby Digital Surround - Spanish

Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French

Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

Audio Commentaries - 1. Rob Reiner - Director

2. William Goldman - Screenwriter

Featurettes - 1. "Misery Loves Company"

2. "Marc Shaiman's Musical Misery Tour"

3. "Diagnosing Annie Wilkes"

4. "Advice for the Stalked"

5. "Profile of a Stalker"

6. "Celebrity Stalkers"

7. "Anti-Stalking Laws"

Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer

2. Original Theatrical Teaser

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loaded With Thrills and Suspense, January 23, 2005

By 

Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Misery [VHS] (VHS Tape)

James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, and Kathy Bates star in this thrilling adaptation of Stephen King's excellent novel. Caan stars as Paul Sheldon, a very successful author of the "Misery Chastain" series of books. After finishing his latest installment of his series, he sets off to deliver the manuscript to his editor. Unfortunately, he encounters a terrible snowstorm, and his car slides off the road and over a cliff. He is trapped inside with numerous injuries and unable to escape.

Fortunately for Paul, Annie Wilkes (Bates) comes along and pries his car door open with a crowbar and frees him. Annie takes Paul to her house to nurse him back to health. As Paul is beginning to convalesce, Annie reveals that she is his "number one fan", and has read every book in the Misery series several times over. She also has authgraphed pictures of Paul throughout her house. At first, Paul is flattered by Annie's kindness, but he also suspects something is wrong with this good samaritan.

Annie also managed to retrieve Paul's manuscript from the wreckage, and she begs Paul to let her read it. After a while, he relents. But after reading it, Annie goes completely nuts because Paul has killed off Misery. Paul now realizes that Annie is insane and the only way for him to survive is to give in to her wishes and write a new novel which brings Misery back to life.

Meanwhile, the local sheriff (Farnsworth) has become aware of Paul's disappearance and has begun an investigation into his whereabouts.

Paul continues to work on his new novel and as he writes, he's realizing that he's creating his best work yet. However, he still has Annie to deal with. He's continually locked up in his room, but he does manage to unlock his door by using a paper clip in the lock. He discovers many things about Annie, including her scrapbook, which has newpaper clippings implicating her in a hospital baby death scandal.

Unfortunately for Paul, Annie figures out that he has been out of his room, and she takes measures to ensure he won't leave again, courtesy of a piece of wood and a large sledgehammer. Will Paul be able to escape? Will the sheriff uncover the truth about Annie before its too late?

This is an excellent movie. The plot is thrilling and will keep you on edge throughout the movie. James Caan and Richard Farnsworth give solid performances, but Kathy Bates is truly the star of this film. Her portrayal of the obsessed "number one fan" is impeccable. She won the Academy Award for her performance in this movie. I highly recommend this thrilling and suspenseful film. Watch and see how one person's admiration of another can turn into a fatal obsession.