Much more than a '"Cuckoo's Nest" rip-off'

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2000)

Rating: ***1/2 out of ****
Sometimes movie critics are very mean with some films, just because of a single detail. That's what happened to "Cruel Intentions" (it was said to be a stupid, offensive version of "Les Liaison Dangereuses"), "Stigmata" (not a masterpiece, but misunderstood) and "Girl, Interrupted". This movie received some not very exciting reviews, mostly because critics argued that it was a 'rip-off "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"'. But I think they were at least VERY unfair. The only similarity I can see is that both are placed at a mental institution, where a normal, not crazy person is sent for some reason. Only this and nothing more. While "Cuckoo's Nest" is a deep and complex study of the human mind, "Girl, Interrupted" talks about how difficult adolescence is, with no pretension to be an instant classic. And guess what? I totally enjoyed it.
"Girl, Interrupted", directed by James Mangold, tells the (true) story of Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder), a young woman who tries to kill herself by drinking a bottle of vodka with a bottle of aspirin in the end of the '60s. Her parents believe that she has some mental problem, and send her to Claymoore, a mental institution where she will literally have her life changed. There she meets new and interesting people: Valerie (Whoopi Goldberg), a rather rigid nurse, Georgina (Clea DuVall), a pathological liar, Polly (Elizabeth Moss), a ingenuous girl with half of her face burned, Daisy (Brittany Murphy), a selfish girl who has a thing about chickens, among others. But one of them will be responsible for her change: Lisa (Angelina Jolie), a pretty, sexy, irresponsible sociopath who will build a relationship of mixed feelings with Susanna.
The story is interesting, but would be nothing without a good screenplay. This aspect surprised me, because I thought this would be a sentimental, ingenuous film. In fact, the screenplay is almost the opposite. It is warm, human, clever, keeps the attention of the audience and- believe it or not - there is no big cliché. Well, we can predict the end, but we can't predict each scene, each quote and what will happen to each character. I really liked this detail.
There are many qualities here (the soundtrack, for example, is excellent, amazing), but the biggest one is the acting. I had my doubts about Angelina Jolie's performance before watching the film. I knew she was a great actress, but did she deserve the Oscar as best supporting actress? Now that I saw the film I can say 'YES'. Even competing with Catherine Keener and Chloe Sevigny, she was quite superior. Her character is a mixture of 'mad girl' with 'sexy woman'. And Angelina plays Lisa with an amazing strength. But she doesn't own the film. We can't forget of the talented Winona Ryder, who was distant of screens for some time, since the terrible "Alien Resurrection". She does a great comeback.
What I have to conclude is that "Girl, Interrupted" is not a copy of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". They are two different films with slightly similar themes. "Cuckoo's Nest" is better, of course, but "Girl, Interrupted" has its qualities, which are not few. It's a must-see.