The Stephen King Streaming Classic That Still Chills To The Bone
Stephen King is responsible for penning dozens of iconic literary works that have served as the basis for some of the best film adaptations of all time. One such movie, 1990’s Misery, is available to stream on Max.
The film serves as a cultural staple, and has been referenced, parodied, and paid homage by dozens of film and television mainstays since its release, including Family Guy, The Simpsons, and How I Met Your Mother.
Misery Streaming On Max
The plot of Stephen King’s Misery revolves around a fictitious famed novelist named Paul Sheldon, who wishes to expand beyond his current line of romance novels that made him famous.
After penning a manuscript for a genre-breaking piece which he hopes to launch the next phase of his career, Sheldon gets into a horrible car accident while traveling from Colorado to New York.
Once Sheldon regains consciousness after the crash, he realizes that he is in the care of a nurse named Annie Wilkes, who dragged him to her home in the remote tundra of Silver Creek, Colorado.
Misery Is Terrifying
Sheldon’s crash resulted in two broken legs and a dislocated shoulder, rendering him completely bedridden as Annie cares for him.
Before long, Annie reveals that she is a massive fan of Sheldon’s work, collecting all of his novels and following his career closely.
As Stephen King’s Misery progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that the nurse’s obsession with Sheldon and his work is far from the average fan support. In fact, it constitutes a strange and unhealthy infatuation.
Obsessed Fandom
Annie forces Sheldon to burn his new manuscript, citing the use of profanity and lack of familiar characters and romance tropes as an ill-advised deviation from his usual hits.
Though Stephen King’s Misery novel first hit the shelves in 1987, it seems to have perfectly predicted the state of obsessed fandoms seen in today’s social media age.
As the film progresses, Sheldon realizes that he must escape the clutches of the deranged nurse. This is all while she attempts to force him to continue writing a new book in the universe of her beloved romance novels.
Misery Screenplay And Directing
Stephen King is credited as a writer for Misery due to his penning of the novel, though the screenplay was ultimately crafted by All The President’s Men scribe William Goldman.
The film was directed by Rob Reiner, who is known as a talented multi-hyphenate for his filmmaking prowess, acting abilities, and keen producing eye.
Though Reiner has garnered a reputation in recent years for helming inoffensive films aimed straight down the middle to modern audiences, Misery represents a point in his filmmaking career which demonstrated that he wasn’t afraid to make bold cinematic choices while handling iconic material.
Stephen King’s Favorite Adaptation
Stephen King has specifically listed Misery as one of his best film adaptations to date, after famously disliking some of the other classic film versions of his work including Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
Misery stars James Caan, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall, and an incredible Oscar-winning performance from Kathy Bates.
To this day, Misery is the only Stephen King film to win an Academy Award, with Bates taking home Best Actress in 1991.
Misery Is A Classic
The film is widely regarded as a classic, even garnering a 91 percent certified fresh critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.
For fans who haven’t caught the film in a while or anyone who wishes to begin a deep dive into Stephen King’s work, Misery is currently available to stream on Max.
