Director: Milos Forman (Amadeus, The People vs. Larry Flint)Cast: Jack Nicholson (The Departed, The Shining), Louise Fletcher (Cruel Intentions), Brad Dourif (Deadwood, Dune), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future, Taxi), Josip Elic, William Duell, Danny DeVito (Erin Brockovich, Matilda), Alonzo Brown, Will Sampson, Scatman Crothers (The Shining, Chico and the Man)
The Deal: R.P. McMurphy (Nicholson) pretends to be insane to avoid doing work in prison, but instead, they send him to a mental institution, which is a prison of its own. There, he clashes with Nurse Ratchet (Fletcher) despite his unique actions actually helping some of the patients progress. In his time there, he sparks bits of rebellion in the fellow patients, questioning many rules that don't seem to make sense, and all the while working to prove that they can break out and live their lives on the outside.
Thoughts: For a film held in such high regard by so many (for example, it's IMDb's #9 film of all time), I was hoping for a bit more from this. Please don't mistake me though, this is a very good film, but I wasn't blown away by it. It's fun and entertaining, and it's interesting seeing how McMurphy's presence challenges not only the rules, but also his fellow patients to progress mentally. He tries to add a fun element to their lives, and though it gets out of hand at times, it proved to be beneficial despite whatever Nurse Ratchet may have thought. It was great seeing the large progress some of the patients made by the time the film ended.
For me, I feel the reason I wasn't blown away was Nicholson. It's not that he did a bad job (he didn't), but I've never really cared for him as an actor. I'm not a huge fan of what he brings to the screen, and though he's quite good here as he does seem unhinged, his presence alone prevents me from loving the film and leaves me simply liking it. Louise Fletcher is a great choice for Nurse Ratchet. Early on, her character seemed rational and fair, but as she was challenged by McMurphy, it slowly became apparent she liked having power and doing things her way without any changes. She's the stern "villain" that the film not only needs, but thrives with.
One of the most interesting things with the film was watching McMurphy's surprisingly odd decisions. After hopping the fence and escaping, he doesn't run, but rather takes his fellow mental patients on a fishing trip. Later when he has a chance to escape out the window, he throws a party, gets drunk, and never escapes. For a character who talked so much of being able to escape whenever he wants, he never did when the opportunity presented itself. He seemed to be drawn to the hospital and people within it, despite his outwards actions that would hint otherwise.
Verdict: Though maybe overrated by many, the film is still very good and proves exceptionally interesting and fun. My feelings about Nicholson aside, this is a film everyone should see. ☆☆☆☆
No comments:
Post a Comment