What is the iRankMovies score for Misery?

Name: Misery
Director: Rob Reiner
Genre: drama, thriller
Released: 1990
Duration: 1 h 47 min
Rating: 7.8

Misery has an iRankMovies score of 79.4/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

Misery (1990)

Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now, he’s writing to stay alive.

Release:1990

Runtime:1h 47m

Country:United States

Director:Rob Reiner

Language:English

Genre

DramaThriller

See the best drama movies →

Keywords

Based On Novel Or BookNursePsychopathColoradoCar CrashAuthorSlasher Psychological Thriller

iRank79

Misery rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb7.8/10· 260K votes

Rotten Tomatoes86%

Metacritic75%

TMDb7.7/10· 5K votes

With 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.8/10 on IMDb and 75/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Misery

After an accident, acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon is rescued by a nurse who claims to be his biggest fan. Her obsession takes a dark turn when she holds him captive in her remote Colorado home and forces him to write back to life the popular literary character he killed off.

Cast of Misery

Kathy Bates
as Annie Wilkes
James Caan
as Paul Sheldon
Richard Farnsworth
as Buster
Lauren Bacall
as Marcia Sindell
Frances Sternhagen
as Virginia
Graham Jarvis
as Libby
Jerry Potter
as Pete
Thomas Brunelle
as Anchorman
June Christopher
as Anchorwoman
Julie Payne
as Reporter #1
Archie Hahn
as Reporter #2
Gregory Snegoff
as Reporter #3

Misery facts

Budget: $20M
Box office: $61.3M

Our take on Misery

Rob Reiner's psychological thriller follows acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon, who survives a car accident only to be rescued by a nurse claiming to be his greatest fan. Sheltered in her remote Colorado home, he slowly grasps that her devotion has curdled into obsession as she holds him captive and demands he resurrect the literary character he killed off. The film wrings unbearable suspense from a two-hander confined largely to one house, tightening the screws through dependency, dread and sudden violence. It's a strong choice for admirers of Stephen King adaptations and taut, character-driven terror. Squeamish viewers should be warned, but its slow-building menace is expertly controlled.

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Rob Reiner transforms claustrophobic premise into unbearable psychological terror
•Two-character dynamic sustains tension through subtle power shifts
•Psychological thriller avoids spectacle, relying on atmosphere instead