Rating: 
Summary: "Girl, Interrupted"-Jolie makes this a winner!
Review: Angelina Jolie is one of the best new actresses around. In "Girl, Interrrupted", she proves that she can play almost any type of character with this one being one of the craziest patients at a mental institution for young women. She really is the star even though the story is based around Winona Ryder's character. I liked the story, probobly would give it 3 stars, but Angelina was so great I had to give another one. I also liked it because I am around the same age as some of the chracters plus Whoopi Goldberg is also in it proving that she can do Drama as well as comedy. You really have to see this. At least make it a rental.
Rating: 
Summary: Not close enough to the book.
Review: I would probably have given the movie and the performers 5 stars if I had not read the book several times before having seen the film. I was really irritated in the theatre seeing how far the story line went away from the book. I had read many interviews with Winona Ryder, who was also a producer on the film, blah blah blah so concerned about protecting the integrity of the book, etc. Well, that's great - but it didn't work. Just for a beginning, in Kaysen's memoirs, she had taken the bottle of asprin over a year before she was committed to the hospital. Which really was important to the story, the doctor had just put her in for a "rest" feeling her to be depressed. And the thing with biting her hand to try to see if she had bones, that had happened after they found out Daisy was dead. Whose house they had of course never been to. And Lisa was NEVER allowed off grounds to the ice cream parlour. The list goes on and on and on.... I understand that all of this was needed for character development. And it did make a GREAT movie. But, if you are looking to buy this film, or rent it hoping it is a closer rendition of Kaysen's memoirs (as I did) you will be very dissapointed. The first time I saw it, I was almost fixated on the differences between it and Kaysen's book. The second time, I watched it just to see it as a movie and it was fabulous.
Rating: 
Summary: What world is this? On what shore?
Review: I saw this movie in an absolutely empty movie theatre in Hollywood on an overcast Wednesday afternoon. I sunk low into my chair and from the first note of the music I knew that I was about to be transported. Growing up in Pennsylvania in the 70's is one thing, watching it all over again on film can be disturbing, chilling and haunting. 'Girl Interrupted' captured that old world feeling that is now gone forever with amazing clarity. I am not an emotional person, but being there in that theatre alone, the close up after close up of Winona Ryder, the music and the hypnotic dialouge brought tears down my face on more than one occasion. Vanessa Redgrave's acting was flawless, listening to the sound of her voice against that music interpreting a Carl Jung existence for Winona's Susanna Kayson was worth the price of admission itself. The reality of institutionalised living has been captured. The people that get caught up in these 'total' environments are as far ranging as this film clearly describes. What a great message. I want to state for the record that I feel Winona Ryder should have won an award not just for her acting but her capable style in production. Wonders in Tinsel Town never cease to amaze me. The character's pain radiated from ever single cell of the film as stated in the title. I am so thankful that someone out there has the common sense to make good movies. So much detritus floats by endlessly that I have to wonder what the real message truly is. Purchasing this on DVD is a must. If you have the home theatre system to really turn this thing up, than do so. I suggest watching this more than once also. And, if you do, do it when no one's around, and when no one's going to interrupt. No pun intended.
Rating:
Summary: Closet Fan!
Review: I am a closet Winona Ryder fan. She and Angelina Jolie tore up the screen in this psychotic rendition of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It may be hard for some to believe that for such minute indescritions many were hospitalized in the 50's 60's and 70's and deemed lunatics because they didn't conform to societies norm. This movie was touching and gives you insight into the thinking minds of those whose lives are INTERRUPTED.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and sensitive look at life at mental institution
Review: I had my suspicions about this movie before seeing it, but once I saw it, I was hooked. This is an excellent story with dynamic characters and performances. It also seems real, because there's not a slew of "happy endings." Not every mentally ill person recovers, and the four main characters in here have various degrees of illness and recovery (or lack thereof) I do feel it might have exaggerated some of Susanna Kaysen's symptoms for entertainment, as I have read her memoir. However, I do recommend this movie. It is not a cheerful plot but not as depressing as one might think. It's life.
Rating:
Summary: A thought-inducing movie
Review: This is a movie which has great acting and an important central meaning. I think that's where most people find they don't like it, because they can't understand what the meaning behind it is. It isn't about Susanna's stay in the mental institution, it's not even about Lisa, it's about the contrast between what society thinks is crazy and who actually IS crazy. Another thing that I liked was the emotions that were played out in the movie. Maybe the movie was a little confusing to some, but the emotions help you understand it a lot more, especially with the two lead actresses' eyes, which conveyed fear, joy, sadness, and back around again over and over. Many quotes from the movie have to be thought about, but once you figure them out, you realize that the movie really is an important message to everyone. It truly deserves five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Girl Interrupted has a great cast.
Review: The movie itself lacks quality and meaning. I can't fathom how bad it would be to sit through if it didn't star Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder. If you're huge fans of either, than it's worth watching. However, if you want to see an excellent movie about psycho therapy and the mental ward, then see 'One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest' staring Jack Nicholson. I give Girl Interrupted two stars, one for Angelina and one for Winona.
Rating: 
Summary: Sleep, Interrupted
Review: Just when I thought I could drift off, someone would make a loud noise in Girl, Interrupted and wake me up. Too bad. In typical "let's-make-a-star" fashion, the Angelina Jolie bandwagon has kicked into high gear, enough to generate an Oscar for her portrayal of your typical bad-girl-with-good-heart character in this film (despite SO many more worthy supporting turns this year). And, as usual when compared with Jolie, no one else is quite given any credit. The only reason to give this film a try is to watch the rest of the supporting cast. When they are onscreen, this otherwise typical tale of finding oneself comes alive...and unfortunately, those moments are far too brief and few and far between. Winona Ryder is far more impressive than Jolie in her portrayal of an unsick girl who is labeled because she is indecisive. It is her character that is worth caring about in this film, not Jolie's, who is entirely one-dimensional here. You can see her "Great Change" coming a mile away. This film is far too on-the-nose to resonate in any way.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and well-done, but not as deep as it seems
Review: I enjoyed "Girl," which offers some really wonderful performances by Angelina Jolie, Brittany Murphy, and Whoopi Goldberg, but at the same time it was kind of annoying. Why? Because it's not really a story worth telling -- it's about a main character who's not nuts in any way, who doesn't belong where she is, but who's there out of apathy and boredom. Because of this, the movie never feels on-kilter. The alternate title for this film could have been "How I went slumming for a few years in a mental institution for kicks." Meanwhile, the script is competent, the direction is competent, the photography's beautiful, and the soundtrack is lovely. It's not a bad movie, just a self-important one (the overdramatic voiceover track combined with some really annoying jump-cuts don't help either). Angelina Jolie is great as the psychopathic Lisa, but it's her quiet moments, not her loud ones, that sold me on her Oscar. The film is worth seeing, but really doesn't deal with 'real' mental illness above Jolie's hot-cold Lisa, and a bit part by the really wonderful Brittany Murphy, as a girl who hides chicken bones under her bed, as well as a pretty yucky little secret. Ryder is quiet and thoughtful and provides an interesting counterpoint to all of Jolie's seething and histrionics. Overall though, it's as if Ryder, as good as she is in this, does get bogged down in the occasional overdramatic stare. On the other hand, she always seems to be sending us a covert wink, just to make sure we know she's not "really" crazy. Meanwhile, Whoopi Goldberg, as always, puts in a lovely and understated performance as a sympathetic nurse, and Vanessa Redgrave is a wry and surprising boost as a chief therapist. "Girl, Interrupted," is better as a portrait of the end of an era, as the end of the age of Aquarius, than as a portrait of mental illness -- and in those moments, it does have some quiet and sweet poignance. Bottom line? Goldberg's character says it best, when she tells Ryder: "You are a spoiled selfish little girl who is driving herself crazy." It's well-titled -- an interruption, not an interlude, as if it ultimately had little effect on the character's life. This isn't a bad thing to watch, mind you, if there's nothing else on.
Rating:
Summary: 70's insane asylum, fascinating...
Review: There is a reason why this movie is one of my most often viewed. The overall atmosphere of this movie is absolutely engaging. A complete study alone could be done on all the different characters themselves. Most importantly, there is Susanna Kaysen (winona ryder), who is seen in a doctor's office being bombarded with questions. Due to a recent incident there is reason to believe she is of questionable mental health. So after a brief interview and what seems like an inconclusive review by the doctor, she finds herself on the way to the local hospital. At first one might think from here on the movie is a freak show exploiting retards and their outlandish behavior. Well, yes it is, but it is also a fascinating story of the common curious adolescent. After meeting lisa (angelina jolie), susanna assumes she doesnt belong. Eventually she is forced to accept her situation and even befriends tha aforementioned loony, and loonies. Some scenes in this movie are what make it priceless and give it such a high review. It is here that the real unity of the asylum is captured. Basically, a scene where the group takes a trip to the local ice cream shop. Here susanna encounters a prissy neighbor, flaunting her outwardly perfect life in public and they eventually lock horns. I dare to say any more as I have given away too much already, but that is the impact this movie has on the viewer. Every scene makes you want to discuss the feelings and emotions that were just observed. This should be a must have. The only reason it has not been awarded that final star is because it is long. It may seem unnecessary to some, but others may find it perfect. Either way give this movie a chance.
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