Who is in misery the movie

Fuller Robert Kurtzman Jonas Kirk Jerry Moss Landaker Mary Jo Lang Todd Henry Streapy Michael 'Dutch' Van Woert Tony Scarano Lenna Katich Lenna Kunkel David Keane Popelka Richard W. Getting Started Contributor Zone ». Edit page. Top Gap. See more gaps ».

Create a list ». My Favorite Films. Reiner lamented how Warren Beatty was initially supposed to take the lead role of author Paul Sheldon, who is held captive by his biggest fan Annie Wilkes Bates after he tries to divert from his romantic literary style. Superstar Beatty helped work on the script "for months" with Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman, Reiner recalled.

But then Beatty bailed from the production. A major loss. And he left. The director made it clear that the film persevered as the lead replacement ultimately succeeded. But Caan took time to find the character. On the first day of "Misery" shooting, Reiner had set up what seemed to be a simple scene. Caan's Sheldon tapped out the final page of his final "Misery" and took part in his usual novel-finishing ritual of lighting the cigarette — both items left at the side of his desk next to the celebratory flute for champagne.

He's written this book and gotten it out of him. But she somehow remains convincing inside her character's madness. The material in "Misery" is so much Stephen King's own that it's a little surprising that a director like Rob Reiner would have been interested in making the film.

Reiner has started with literary properties before - among them King's "Stand by Me" and William Goldman's " The Princess Bride " - but his strength is in putting a personal stamp on his films which also include the cross-country romance " The Sure Thing " and the fake documentary " This is Spinal Tap ". What he does with "Misery" is essentially simply respectful - he "brings the story to the screen," as the saying goes. It is a good story, a natural, and it grabs us.

But just as there is almost no way to screw it up, so there's hardly any way to bring it above a certain level of inspiration. Many competent directors could have done what Reiner does here, and perhaps many other actors could have done what Caan does, although the Kathy Bates performance is trickier and more special.

The result is good craftsmanship, and a movie that works. It does not illuminate, challenge or inspire, but it works. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from until his death in In , he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes. Richard Farnsworth as Buster.

Frances Sternhagen as Virginia.