Many actors declined Annie Wilkes and Paul Sheldon; several alternative Paul Sheldons are debated
In the discussion (7)
- Anjelica Huston and Bette Midler are identified as actors offered Annie Wilkes
- Richard Dreyfuss is proposed as a believable writer but possibly insufficiently physical
- Robin Williams is proposed for his sympathy, physicality, and caged energy
- Robert Duvall and Michael Douglas are proposed as strong alternatives
- Donald Sutherland is proposed as another alternative
- William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman, and Robert Redford are listed as having declined Paul Sheldon
- Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler are said to have later expressed regret
The dinner scene is selected as most rewatchable, while the hobbling is treated as the famous signature scene
In the discussion (11)
- The opening credits and car crash are nominated
- Annie’s tomato-soup outburst is nominated
- The wrong-paper confrontation and “Mr. Man” exchange are nominated
- Paul’s first trip out of the room is nominated
- The dinner and deliberately spilled wine are nominated, with debate about whether Paul planned the spill
- Annie’s suicidal-rain speech is nominated
- The hobbling is described as the most famous scene, though too painful to call most rewatchable
- Buster arriving and being shot is nominated
- The final fight and Paul’s concealed typewriter plan are nominated
- The dinner scene is selected as most rewatchable for its writing, acting, and the wine spill
- The manuscript-burning scene is added as one of the best and praised for setting up the ending
“Mr. Man,” supporting-character texture, period publishing details, and the softened hobbling choice have aged well
In the discussion (8)
- The “Mr. Man” line remains a long-running household joke
- Annie Wilkes and Hannibal Lecter arriving in consecutive years is praised
- Buster and Virginia’s marriage and Goldman-created sarcasm have aged well
- Paul Sheldon’s period-authentic book-jacket photograph has aged well
- Dom Pérignon and its associated line have aged well
- The broken N key evokes enduring writer frustration
- Paul Sheldon having Knicks floor seats is praised as a Goldman homage
- Changing the book’s amputation to the film’s hobbling is judged a smart adaptation choice
The publishing-business lunch, painful hobbling, typewriter workflow, and slower rewatch pace have aged poorly
In the discussion (5)
- A literary agent taking an author to the Four Seasons now feels implausible
- The hobbling remains painfully difficult to watch
- Writing and revising on a typewriter has aged poorly
- One host finds the first hour slow on rewatch
- Producer Craig says the movie did not feel slow on his first viewing
The cheerful opening-credit music wins
In the discussion (2)
- The happy opening-credit song is selected
- Marc Shaiman’s score is also praised
The fictional Misery novels win
In the discussion (1)
- The Misery novels are selected because their melodramatic mythology sounds compelling
Dom Pérignon beats the Spam meatloaf
In the discussion (2)
- The Spam meatloaf makes one host hungry
- Dom Pérignon is selected over the meatloaf
Annie’s basement is favored, with the Four Seasons restaurant as the alternative
In the discussion (2)
- The dark, Psycho-like basement is nominated
- The fancy Four Seasons restaurant is the only other choice
Annie’s lightning-lit face when Paul wakes wins
In the discussion (1)
- The rising camera revealing Annie’s face in lightning is selected without objection
The inadequate search for Paul Sheldon is the weak link
In the discussion (3)
- The search effort seems implausibly small for a famous author who vanished after checking out
- Buster knowing the Wilkes estate but failing to connect Annie’s criminal history sooner is criticized
- Buster going to Annie’s house alone is criticized
From immediately after the crash until Annie shaves Paul
In the discussion (1)
- A roughly four-minute break after the crash and before the shaving scene is selected
No; Misery is considered an excellent title
In the discussion (1)
- The existing title is retained, strengthened by the pig also being named Misery
Two Annie Wilkes lines are selected
In the discussion (2)
- “You’ll never know the fear of losing someone like you if you’re someone like me” is selected for expressing Annie’s dependence
- The Sistine Chapel insult is selected as the funniest and best-written line
Kathy Bates gives the best Best Actress performance from 1990 through the episode’s present
In the discussion (4)
- Kathy Bates is argued to have the best Best Actress performance across the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and early 2020s
- Frances McDormand in Fargo, Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball, and Emma Stone in La La Land are offered as winning comparators
- Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married, and Laura Linney in You Can Count on Me are offered as non-winning comparators
- Charlize Theron in Monster is raised as another major comparator
No award; Kathy Bates’s intensity is judged exactly right
In the discussion (1)
- The hosts conclude there is no overacting and would not change Kathy Bates’s performance
Frances Sternhagen edges Richard Farnsworth
In the discussion (2)
Frances Sternhagen wins
In the discussion (1)
Lauren Bacall is recast with Faye Dunaway or Jane Fonda
In the discussion (4)
- Lauren Bacall’s performance is criticized as too television-like
- The production’s intended cosmopolitan contrast with Annie is offered as context
- Faye Dunaway is proposed as a replacement
- Jane Fonda is proposed and preferred
Production anecdotes cover Caan, the actors’ rehearsal conflict, adaptations, effects, and King’s addiction metaphor
In the discussion (9)
- James Caan reportedly had unusable footage after arriving hungover and reimbursed the studio
- Some dialogue is suspected of having been looped, though the reason is uncertain
- Stephen King is reported to have called Annie Wilkes his favorite character
- Caan preferred discovery during filming while Bates preferred rehearsal; Reiner found a middle ground
- A 2015 Broadway adaptation starred Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf and used a Goldman script
- Castle Rock season two also adapted Annie Wilkes material
- A DVD feature described Annie as a broad catalog of mental illness
- The hobbling prosthetics used gelatin legs, wires, and openings in the bed for Caan’s real legs
- King later explained Annie and the hobbling as metaphors for his drug dependence and inability to escape it
Kathy Bates and the 1974 Jeep Cherokee are clear peaks; several other subjects are debated
In the discussion (8)
- Kathy Bates is an immediate Apex Mountain choice
- King of Comedy is selected as the apex movie about an obsessed fan
- The Overlook Hotel is selected for Colorado
- The Shawshank Redemption is favored as the apex Stephen King film, with The Shining and Stand by Me discussed
- A Few Good Men is proposed for Rob Reiner, with When Harry Met Sally, The American President, and The Princess Bride also discussed
- The 1974 Jeep Cherokee is judged at its apex
- The 1966 Ford Mustang is judged not at its apex
- Liberace is raised with the film’s memorable record-player line
Kathy Bates would enter with Annie Wilkes on her plaque
In the discussion (2)
- Annie Wilkes is selected as Kathy Bates’s Hall of Fame plaque role
- Bates is praised as an invariably excellent, first-team Hall of Fame actor
Misery, Annie Wilkes, Dragon Nurse, and Sheldon’s Misery are proposed
In the discussion (3)
- Misery is proposed
- Annie Wilkes and Dragon Nurse are proposed
- Sheldon’s Misery is proposed and praised
The pursuit, scrapbook, housing, legal history, knife plan, and bodily-care logistics draw objections
In the discussion (11)
- Annie says she followed Paul, but the wide opening shots show no vehicle behind him
- A snowmobile hidden in the woods is offered as one way Annie could have followed Paul unseen
- Keeping an incriminating scrapbook openly in the living room is challenged; hiding it is proposed
- A defense notes that real serial killers sometimes retain trophies
- Paul is so successful that he should own a Colorado home instead of repeatedly using a lodge
- Annie’s apparent release after multiple infant deaths seems implausibly lenient
- Paul should stay awake with the knife rather than doze off
- Paul’s injuries and exhaustion are offered as a defense for falling asleep
- The movie largely avoids the practical toilet and bedpan needs of a bedridden captive
- The practical burden of staging and shooting bedpan material, only to cut it in editing, is offered as a defense for omitting it
- A small toilet in the room is proposed as a simple fix
A limited-series remake with two women is favored, with disagreement over whether it must remain period-set
In the discussion (4)
- A seven-episode limited series with gender-flipped or same-sex leads is proposed
- Two women are preferred as the remake’s leads
- One view says it must remain a period piece because modern people are too findable
- The opposing view says modern surveillance and devices could become part of the story
J.T. Walsh already satisfies the category; Philip Baker Hall is proposed for Buster
In the discussion (2)
Kathy Bates wins
In the discussion (1)
Questions focus on Annie’s nursing history and which Knicks season Paul missed
In the discussion (2)
- Earlier questions about Annie’s nursing history are acknowledged as already covered
- Paul may have missed the Knicks season containing their Boston Garden comeback
The King of Comedy ultimately wins over three alternatives
In the discussion (4)
- Stand by Me is proposed for a Rob Reiner or Stephen King pairing
- The Dead Zone is proposed
- Something Wild is proposed for Ray Liotta’s reversed pursuer role
- The King of Comedy is selected as the best pairing
Paul’s escape and the ensuing publicity are debated
In the discussion (5)
- Paul might crawl to a vehicle and attempt to drive despite his damaged legs
- Police are expected to retrace the missing sheriff’s route and reach the house
- A radio in the sheriff’s truck might provide another rescue path
- An alternate ending has Paul crash again because his legs prevent him from driving
- His ordeal is expected to become a People cover and major television interview story
An unfiltered cigarette and the bloodied typewriter are chosen
In the discussion (3)
- An unfiltered cigarette is selected
- The typewriter, specifically with fake blood from the final fight, is selected
- Brian Koppelman explains that his cigarette choice connects to a day spent with Stephen King, who rationed four cigarettes daily
Check the weather, avoid a Mustang in a blizzard, own a local home, and maintain check-in routines
In the discussion (5)
- “Do not have fans” is offered as the easy but impractical lesson
- Check the weather and do not drive a 1966 Mustang in a blizzard
- Mustangs are endorsed for California driving instead
- A successful repeat visitor should buy a Colorado home
- Travelers should check in before and after journeys so searches begin sooner
Kathy Bates wins, with Rob Reiner also credited
In the discussion (2)
- Kathy Bates is the unambiguous single winner
- Rob Reiner is also credited for the film’s contribution to his continuing run
Casting What-Ifs
