One Of The Most Intriguing Characters (And Plot lines) You'll Ever Watch

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2017)

Far too often, movie-goers of the current generation dismiss films from the 1970s as "too old". You see, the film might not be spotless, the fashions may be out of date, and no computer- animation is in sight. Fortunately, films like "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Next" exist to show that some themes are relevant in ANY era.
The basic plot of "Cuckoo" centers on R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a troublemaker who is being "evaluated" by a mental institution because, frankly, the law doesn't know what to do with him anymore. During this trial period, however, McMurphy (clearly no crazier than the lot of us) begins to "stir up" the other "patients" by trying to get them to stand up against the domineering Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) and showing them that a real life doesn't have to include pills, wanderings, and white uniforms (especially when he finds that most of them are "voluntary" anyway!). Unfortunately, for McMurphy's sake, this "rash" behavior sends a ripple effect through the entire facility that ends up in disastrous effects for him.
Having a wee bit of experience in the mental-evaluation field, I can say that the issues presented in this film are still being hashed out on the "battlefields" of such facilities to this very day. What is "crazy"? How can one detect it? Is it possible to fight against institutions of the state? Upon finishing the viewing experience, those questions (among many others) will float around in our head long after the TV is turned off.
The incredible acting in the movie also increases the enjoyment factor exponentially. Nicholson is brilliant, as usual, while the cast of "cooks" (including a very young Christopher Lloyd and Danny DeVito) are at times a riot, but also can be quite touching. Plus, Fletcher's Nurse Ratched (though never outwardly violent) is one of the creepiest, most hated characters in the history of cinema.
Thus, if you have never seen this film, please go out and do so NOW! It may not be overtly flashy like the big-budget epics of today, but its message and acting will immediately rank it quite high on your "favorite films" list. It deserved every Academy Award it won in 1975.