A combination of hilarity and humanity

Rating: Null/10 (13 November 2002)

Mixing mental health with humour is a tough brand to sell, though One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest provides an accessible and compassionate blend of the two. From the moment Jack Nicholson's McMurphy, convicted for statutory rape but not necessarily mentally ill, arrives at the state mental institution - grinning menacingly with his fetching woolen hat - you immediately get the impression that there's going to be a combination of hilarity and humanity.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may have been released in 1975, though it could have entered production years ten years earlier had a copy of the original novel not been confiscated by customs while en route from Kirk Douglas to director, Milos Forman. Thankfully, realising the book had been intercepted years earlier, Michael Douglas was determined that his dad's dream would eventually reach fruition, and the director eventually received a copy, and the process began...
Surprisingly, McMurphy, settles into his new surroundings with relative ease. The audience are taken on a hilarious journey as McMurphy has a remarkable curing-like affect on his fellow patients. But he can't pull any wool over the eyes of his nemesis, Nurse Ratched.
This film is one of the greats: heart-warming and emotional, yet full of humour and colour. It's difficult initially to predict how things turn out but, with hindsight, the film's resolution seems the only appropriate conclusion.