Rob Reiner’s 91% RT Rated “Masterpiece” Stephen King Adaptation Set To Chill Fans on New Streaming Home

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I was so saddened to hear about the passing of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele earlier this month. He gave us so many incredible films that I’ve loved for years – things like The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, This Is Spinal Tap, and A Few Good Men. It’s been comforting to see so many people revisiting his work while we all mourn. And I’m really excited that another one of his classics will be coming to Peacock soon, which will be a great way to remember him in 2026!

Directed by Reiner and released in 1990, Misery was his second and last film based on the work of Stephen King, following Stand By Me in 1986. The movie is widely praised for closely following King’s 1987 novel and offers a disturbing exploration of obsessive fandom. It centers on an author held captive by a devoted fan who forces him to rewrite a story to bring back a beloved character. Misery was a major box office success, earning $62 million, and famously won Kathy Bates an Academy Award for Best Actress – her only Oscar to date.

As a film buff, I’m a huge fan of Misery. Written by the incredible William Goldman and featuring a fantastic cast – James Caan, Frances Sternhagen, Richard Farnsworth, and the legendary Lauren Bacall – it’s consistently ranked among director Rob Reiner’s best, boasting a 91% ‘Certified Fresh’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics often call it a masterpiece, and honestly, I get why. It’s a really gripping blend of horror and psychological thriller, and I remember being completely hooked watching Caan’s character desperately try to outsmart his captor, Annie Wilkes. The story itself is about…

Okay, so this movie really gets under your skin. It centers around Paul Sheldon, a novelist, who’s in a terrible car accident and is luckily found by Annie Wilkes, a nurse who seems like his biggest fan at first. She takes him back to her incredibly isolated cabin to help him heal, but things quickly go south. Turns out, Annie is obsessed with one of the characters in Paul’s books, and when he decides to kill that character off, she loses it. It’s this really tense game of cat and mouse as Paul tries to figure out how to escape, and Annie becomes more and more controlling – and honestly, terrifying – forcing him to rewrite his story exactly how she wants it. It’s a truly gripping and disturbing thriller.

Stephen King Thinks Rob Reiner’s ‘Misery’ Is Even Better Than His Book


Columbia Pictures

Stephen King has often disliked film adaptations of his work, famously including The Shining and The Lawnmower Man. However, he feels very differently about the movie Misery. King was highly impressed with director Reiner’s take on the story, even claiming it surpassed the novel itself, largely thanks to the outstanding performances by actors Kathy Bates and James Caan. He shared this opinion with the New York Times in September 2025, stating:

Kathy Bates and James Caan had amazing chemistry, and their performance added a much-needed sense of humor that wasn’t present in the original story.

Among Rob Reiner’s many films, Misery is easily a top five pick, and it continues to be a powerful and memorable movie decades later. Even after 36 years, it’s just as gripping as when it was first released in 1990. You’ll be able to stream it on Peacock starting January 1, 2026.

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2025-12-31 23:03