One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

Rating:
Summary: Perfect role, not terribly perfect movie, great acting
Review: Though the movie has some plot holes in it, it completely makes up for it with the action and range of emotions that run along with it. Everything from anger to happy to funny to sad. As to answer some of the questions that some people asked about the film such as: "is it legal to do labotomy?" Yes it was legal to do labotomy to problem patients, but that was a long time ago. Though I beleive the doctors would have thought long and hard for the treatment they would have provided it is not impossible for an aggressive clinic to give shock therapy to problem patients and labotomy. It just seems ridiculous nowadays because we know better, the law protects us and we simply understand such acts are inhumane. Shock therapy was given to patients who misbehaved frequently and as a control they would shock them. Some doctors did feel Jack was a problem so they shocked him. That was not unusual back then either. Neither was lobotomy and yes it was legal back then as well. It is not legal anymore. The idea of lobotomy back then was to have patients have less aggressive behavior. However, those who gave it less stars because of they are basing judgement on nowaday morals and laws they are wrong because labotomy was perfectly legal and so was shock therapy (which is still now I believe.) The point of the movie was to make you feel something and feel sympathy for Jack because of his character shows that you dont need all those shock therapy, labotomy, pills to make a person better mentally. Jacks character did it by providing happiness and friendship to the other patients in the clinc which kinda like Patch Adams accomplished in that movie. That was the point of the film.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed emotions on this one/ 2-3 stars
Review: I garee with the review below that said the point of the story is that, like the voluntary patients at the mental ward, we let ourselves be ruled by fear and allow our selves to be abused by Nurse Ratchet (s). The problem I have with the story is that the main character, a lively bonvivant, who encourages at least one of the others to abandon their fear ultimately lets himself become a victim. This is hard to believe for me, that a street-wise, life-loving person has so little sense of self-preservation.

The peformances are great here though all around and the movie is gripping and ultimately life affirming.

Rating:
Summary: Not Very Realistic
Review: This is a good movie and all, but there are too many scenes that just aren't realistic. To begin with, why would they keep Nicholson's character in a mental institute when they repeatedly say he's not crazy, and just doing it to get out of a work farm? And they even give him shock thearpy?! Why? That is only supposed to be given to the most violent and hopeless cases. Also, he repeatedly says that he wants to escape, but throughout the movie he gets about 1000 chances to do so, and never bothers, even taking the other patients fishing in one scene! He gets another big chance toward the end of the movie, hangs out at the hospital partying with the patients for hours instead, taking a chance on getting caught. Finally, he says that he's leaving for Canada, and then just falls asleep! It is finally understandable when he doesn't leave when he gets his final chance, because he has to see what happened to one of his friends, but by this point do we even care anymore? Then he attacks the nurse because of what happened to his friend, and he gets some kind of lobotomy or something?! Is that even legal?! All the doctors have pretty much confirmed that he's not crazy, so wouldn't they just send him back to prison? Even if he was crazy, wouldn't they just strap him down or something instead of turning him into a vegetable? It is obvious that this was just included to provide some drama and to shock and outrage the viewers, but I find it hard to feel sorry for someone who has had at least 50 chances to escape and didn't bother until the end. Then we get a very unrealistic ending, with the Indian patient walking into the sunset and supposedly living happily ever after after just murdering his friend, knowing in real life he would have been caught very quickly and taken back to the mental institute, possibly for a lobotomy. The movie also just drags on and on, especially during the scenes that you wish he would just hurry up and get away. Had the movie had a better ending, it would get a better rating, but the ending just puts an exclamation point on a very unrealistic film.

Rating:
Summary: The abomination of a wonderful book
Review: Frankly, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest wasn't a bad movie - it had a good deal of humor and drama (though something of an imbalance between the two). Unfortunately...it was based on a book that was so much better, and thus could have been that *much* better. Ken Kesey's novel was so rich in themes and symbols of society that still exist today; they seem to have been blatantly ignored in the film. Themes of invisibility, sacrifice, the question of diagnosed insanity, and the correlation between McMurphy and the Christ figure that the book cleverly implies are nonexistent. The movie only focuses on the ever-prevailing idea behind success in Hollywood - entertainment over substance. Everything that set the novel of ...Cuckoo's Nest apart from the rest of the literary world has been sacrificed. Aside from character names and a similar setting - the movie is too far from the great novel of which it was supposedly based for someone that truly appreciates [the novel] to enjoy.

I have to admit, though, that Jack Nicholson is one of the most amazing actors of our time and does quite a job of portraying the addictive character of Randle McMurphy. However, again, symbolic deaths and suicides that are supposed to give dramatic impact are entirely rejected, save one (that I won't spoil); characters with entire notions of human behavior behind them are trivial to the movie. Bromden, the narrator in the novel, is portrayed as an insignificant side man to McMurphy's endless antics. The significance of McMurphy's past is never mentioned; the way he starts to feel exhausted as the patients begin to feel the spirit of rebellion more and more is never even hinted at. The crucifix-shaped electroshock therapy table, along with the amusing scene with his Moby Dick boxer shorts and Nurse Ratched - are stripped and cast aside.

The film had swept the five major Oscars that year - only four of which I feel it truly deserved: best picture, actor, actress, director, and adapted screenplay. You could probably guess, after all, which ones it did. If you don't like reading (and *especially* don't like reading when you could watch the film instead), this movie is for you. It has that quality and level of entertainment for you to feel that you've just experienced some deep and thoughtful movie, when you could read the novel and actually experience the deep and thoughtful side of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Rating:
Summary: "Why are you here?"
Review: I agree with many of the other reviews-- great acting, compelling story, excellent picture and sound quality.

However, what I found most intriguing was the parable that lies just below the surface. When McMurphy discovers that almost all of the other "crazies" were there *voluntarily*, he can't believe it. Why would anyone give up their power and freedom for the humiliation and abuse that Nurse Ratched dishes out?

The asylum is not a physical prison-- it is easy enough to get in and out. It is a mental prison, a prison of the mind. The other characters are there because they believe they *need* to be there, that they are not normal because of the fears and insecurities that bind them. Even the Chief, who is physically dominating, believes that he is powerless, until McMurphy comes along.

This is the parable. People who live with fear and insecurity, people who do not accept themselves for who they are, are living in their own mental prison. As a result, they become powerless and victims of abuse. Only when they start believing in themselves again, just as the Chief does, can they experience the freedom to soar with their own God-given powers. "I feel as big as a mountain." This message of hope is what draws me back to the movie time and again.

Rating:
Summary: A modern classic finally gets a proper release.
Review: If I had to pick any three DVDs to take with me to a desert island, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" would for sure top the list. It is an electrifying and compelling story of one man against the system, and unlike a lot of other 70's dramas, never seems dated.

Since most people interested have already seen the movie, it would be pointless for me to give a synopsis. But what cannot be over emphasized is the strong performances from both Jack Nicholson in the lead role as a petty crook commited to a mental institution, and Louise Fletcher as the cold and blunt nurse. Much of the movie centers around the duality between them, and it makes for some great dialogue. Nicely rounding out the cast is a young Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd, obviously in the springtime of their careers.

I held off from getting this movie on DVD because the earlier version was bare-bones and was a mediocre transfer. This newly released 2 DVD set is a fantastic buy, with a whole new video and sound transfer that makes you forget that 25 years have passed since it was made. This is by far the best print ever released. The extras also add good measure, such as the documentary (which is a shorter version of the one found on the laserdisc edition) and full-length commentary from the Director and Producers. While the extras aren't exactly overflowing in this edition, they are worth the price of admission.

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" remains one of the most entertaining and important films ever made, and like other classics such as "Citizen Kane" and "The Godfather", will stand the test of time. It is funny, moving, and tough-provoking, which is a rareity in modern cinema. This new DVD edition is what movie buffs have been waiting for, and is so far the only thing coming close to a definative version.

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Rating:
Summary: "NO HAPPINESS WILL BE TOLERATED" NURSE RATCHED
Review: Since every professional reviewer in the business has probably reviewed this movie, there's not much new that I can come up with in the categories of acting quality, plot analysis, or technical quality that hasn't already been discussed.

Then, what new can I bring to the table? My emotional reactions to ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST is what I have to offer. Did I like it or not? Did it make me laugh? Did it make me want to weep? Was I emotionally attracted to, or repulsed by, any of the characters? In a nutshell, the answer to all of these questions is yes. It's the why of these emotional reactions that makes me want to review it.

First of all, it works on multiple levels. It works as a comedy and it works as a tragedy. It makes you love and it makes you hate. It puts your empathy to work, and it makes you hate.

Blind rigid authority is here in the person of Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched. (My friends and I referred to her as Nurse Rat S..t. It's been a while, but I think McMurphy did too.) Her authoritarian, uncaring, by the rules, mentality harmed, in one way or another, every one of her patients. With Nurse Ratched on duty there would be no happiness tolerated.

Love of life, and "in your face" rejection of authority is what Randle McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson, is made of. Amazingly, his rebellion, coupled with comaraderie did more for his fellow mental ward patients than years of Nurse Ratched's untender unloving care.

Nicholson and his impish grin arranged for "outings" and "entertainments" for his co-patients that were definitely against all the rules, but which provided the happiest times that any of these patients had ever had. They also provided temporary "cures" from what ailed them. It was in these scenes that the movie was a comedy. In one scene, he introduces the entire group as a doctors on tour, and, amazingly, they became the epitome of doctors on an outing. Another bit of high (or perhaps low) comedy was when he managed to arrange to have a group of women snuck into the ward to "entertain" his companions.

As well as working as a comedy, the movie certainly works as a tragedy. McMurphy may have won a few battles, but Nurse Ratched won the war. In this war, McMurphy was the chief casualty. If there is anyone reading this who hasn't seen the movie, I won't spoil it by telling you the form her revenge takes (and revenge it is). Although some professional reviewers discuss the climax in detail, I think it is better to see it yourself for maximum impact.

A performance that many reviewers, both professional and amateur, seem to have only occasionally mentioned in passing was that of Will Sampson as Chief Bromden. He had me believing that he really was catatonic. So much so that I was shocked when he finally spoke.

What else can I say? Someone to love, someone to hate - something to laugh at, something to become outraged over - a cast of supporting players that includes such stars and stars in the making as Scatman Crothers, Danny DeVito, and Christopher Lloyd in small parts.

Rating:
Summary: Not the same as the book
Review: ...this movie was based on a book, which was unbelievable, and they are very different... Lisa, Angelina Jolie's character, is the equivilant to MacMurphy, and Winona Ryder's character is the equivilant to Chief Bromde, the big Indian, not to mention the Ken Kessey, the author of One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest, wrote it as a work of fiction, while Girl Interupted was supposed to based on a true story. And don't say that the picture quality was bad because it was made in 1975 and they didn't have the same quality cameras and the same special effects that they do now...i personally liked to book tremendously more. In the book, the story was told from the point of view of Chief, so that you could see the reason that he was so crazy and because some of the main themes were things that Chief thought in his head and were not expressed in the movie. Even though i liked the book more, i thought that the movie was amazing. Jack Nicholson, i also loved him in the Shining, is one of my favorite actors, and Brad Dourif, the man who plays Billy Bibbit, did a tremendous job and looked exactly as i pictured him when reading the book.

Rating:
Summary: Funny Farm
Review: Director Milos Forman's 1975, multiple Oscar winning adaptation of Ken Kesey's, best selling novel of "Cuckoo's Nest", is a film that everyone needs to see at least once. I believe that the best way to appreciate the film is by viewing the double disc DVD set.

Small time crook Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is a bit of an anarchist. In order to avoid jail time, he is instead, sent to the state mental hospital. Upon his arrival, he imediately turns order into chaos, with his demands that patients deserve better treatment. He butts heads with almost every member of the hospital staff. However, his one true nemesis at the hospital is the wickedly cool, Nurse Mildred Ratched (Louise Fletcher). If there were no other cast members were in the film, but Nicholson and Fletcher, it would still work--they are that good together Fortunately though, the rest of the cast in the film is also top notch, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd (in his film debut), and Brad Dourif, add many unforgettable moments. The movie has drama, comedy, and bitting social satire. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, is among Nicholson's best roles and is not to be missed.

The special features for the set include a fully remasterd print using original elements (the film looks great by the way). There's a 48 minute retrospective documentary, that has all key cast (except Jack) and crew, sharing their thoughts about the film and the making of it. As for the audio commentary track, Forman and producers, actor Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz, repeat some stuff from the documentary. But overall, it does a good job, and takes us through the film's evolution. Finally, there are a handful of deleted scenes, some of which are quite good, and are great to see. The Cuckoo's Nest special edition DVD is a must own for anyone's film collection

Rating:
Summary: What can I say...
Review: Few movies I've watched recently have touched me so deeply.

'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' is a very ironical and psychologically intensive movie. The main character, McMurphy, fakes insanity and is put in a mental asylum, where a battle of wills starts immediately between him and nurse Ratched. The movie is about freedom. In nurse Ratched's opinion, being free is a crime; in McMurphy's opinion, being free is the only way to be.

McMurphy must be Jack Nicholson's best role, and the other actors are outstanding as well. The movie is very atmospheric; a certain nervousness can be felt throughout it.

See it!