A Rob Reiner Classic With 91% On Rotten Tomatoes Hit Streaming This Month, And I Can’t Wait For A Rewatch

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It was incredibly sad to hear about the death of Rob Reiner and his wife last month, confirmed as a homicide on December 14, 2025. Since then, Hollywood has been filled with tributes to the beloved director of films like When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, and Spinal Tap. But amidst all the remembrance, I feel one of his movies hasn’t gotten enough attention – it was recently added to a streaming service.

Rob Reiner’s Misery Just Became Available On Peacock

Rob Reiner’s 1990 film Misery, based on the Stephen King novel, stars James Caan, Kathy Bates, and Lauren Bacall. The movie tells the story of a popular romance author who is held hostage by an obsessive fan. It’s now streaming on Peacock, and also available on HBO Max. Peacock offers a more affordable monthly plan at $7.99, compared to HBO Max’s basic plan at $10.99.

The film Misery is incredibly well-received, earning a 91% rating from critics and a 90% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s unusual for critics and viewers to both love a movie this much, making it a highly recommended watch – whether you’re discovering it for the first time or revisiting it.

Peacock TV subscriptions start at $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Now you can stream Misery, plus two other popular Stephen King stories – The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption – with a Peacock subscription. See the deal here.

It’s A Great Time To Rewatch The Acclaimed Classic

I’ll never forget seeing Misery. I was too young to appreciate horror when it first aired on cable, but Kathy Bates’ performance as Annie Wilkes was truly terrifying—it’s what she’s most famous for. Stephen King was so impressed with Bates that he actually created two more characters specifically for her in The Stand (1994) and Dolores Claiborne (1995).

While Reiner is famous for his comedies, I particularly admire Misery because it highlights his versatility as a director. It’s no surprise people have trouble picking his best film – he clearly excelled at many different genres.

I haven’t rewatched Misery since I first saw it on cable as a kid. Now that I’ve seen a lot more great horror films, I’m looking forward to seeing how director Rob Reiner approached the genre with this movie. With so many Stephen King adaptations coming out – six just in 2025! – it’s a good time to revisit some older ones by different filmmakers. Speaking of Reiner, he also directed the beloved Stand By Me from 1986, which you can currently watch on Netflix.

Happy viewing!

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2026-01-03 05:38