Movie versus Book

Rating: 5/10 (13 September 2005)

This was a genuinely good movie, but if you read the book by Ken Kesey the movie was a rather large let down. Nothing can sum this story better than the book. Personally I would recommend reading the book. It tells a much more in-depth and touching tale. But the movie is a good substitute if you can not read the book. The movie tells the tale of old McMurphy only, while the book looks at the perspective of the old Chief Bromden. The movie does not do the Chief justice. It does not fully portray his character like the book does. The movie did have good acting though by Jack Nickolson which helped give a sense of reality to the story. The horrors that occurred in the mental institution are not exaggerated. The horrors of Lobotomy and Shock Treatment really did occur in some mental institutions. Overall I would just like to say this was a good movie, but one should consider reading the book.