Enjoyable movie

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 2003)

:::: SPOILERS AHEAD ::::
It took me a while to see this movie, almost entirely because of the name, which is unfair of me because it really is a good movie.

The movie is about a troubled young girl named Susanna (Ryder), who, through her strange behavior, is committed to a mental institution by her parents. Although she may act a bit strange, she is far from mentally disturbed, and really has no business being in the institution. Her ward-mates are far worse than she is.
While in the institution, she becomes attatched to another female patient, Lisa (Jolie), who is extremely charismatic, but also very independent and rebellious. During the course of Susanna's stay at the institution, the more she becomes closer to Lisa, the worse Susanna becomes, eventually emulating the behavior of Lisa, which gets her into more and more trouble with the authorities.
After escaping one night, Susanna and Lisa crash the house of a former patient, Daisy, who had just been released back into the world. Daisy is still very unstable, and Lisa seems to go out of her way to belittle her. The following morning, Susanna goes upstairs to check on Daisy, and finds her dead, hanging in the bathroom. Horrified by what she sees, Susanna begins to realize that Lisa is not only a bad influence, but is the prime cause of her still being in the institution after one year. Susanna begins to turn her life around, and turn against Lisa at the same time. Eventually, after a fairly dramatic scene in the basement of the institution, Susanna is released back into the world, with a fresh new look on life.

Girl, Interrupted shows some parrallels with another "institution" movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Along with some similar situations, it also parallels the basic theme in that institutions can sometimes drive people crazy, rather than help them. Although "Cuckoo's Nest" was a far better movie, Girl, Interrupted is still very entertaining, and has much of the same wit as did "Cuckoo's Nest"
Recommended for drama fans.
Rating: 8 out of 10.