Jolie Is Better than the Story Line

Rating: 6/10 (8 November 2005)

I primarily went to see "Girl, Interrupted" for Angelina Jolie as I've been following her career since "Hackers" and she's mesmerizing whatever she's in. She's camera-charismatic, like Greta Garbo and Bette Davis.
I was pretty sure that the Winona Ryder character didn't need to be hospitalized and I was trying to figure out what we'd now say she, and the others, had and how they'd treat it -- depression?
I thought the movie should have been over in the first hour or so when the boyfriend (sigh, Jared Leto) wants her to go off with him, though her decision not to seems to be a turning point in her mental health.
This isn't exactly "Snake Pit" because somehow it ends up that therapy is positive, but only because she decides to get well and throw herself into it. So the moral or point is a bit fuzzy.
The two young women behind me hated it and talked back to the screen the whole time for her to get her act together.
The '60's music choices are pretty good.
(orginally written 1/23/2000)