Amazing and Unforgettable

Rating: 8/10 (28 November 2012)

Would you go to a mental hospital to avoid a prison sentence? One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a story of patients in a mental hospital and how their life was changed by R.P. McMurphy. McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson, arrived in the ward to avoid going to prison or working on a work farm and he made an impact. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a memorable story that goes down in history as one of the best. Let's start with the characters. Nicholson plays R.P. McMurphy, a criminal who has history of violence and aggression. He was sent to the asylum after acting erratic on the work farms. He isn't really mentally insane, but he fakes it to avoid going to prison. He thinks he can serve his sentence in the asylum and life will be easy. In the asylum we have Billy Bibbit, a nervous stuttering man with depression and anxiety. Cheswick is a nervous man who also struggles with anxiety. The actor who portrays him did a great job in playing the part. Danny Devito, yes little Danny Devito before he really went nuts, plays Martini, a lovable character. Then there's the Chief. Chief is a 6'5" mute who everyone thinks is dumb as a rock. He turns out to be one of the most important and influential characters. McMurphy originally goes into the ward to avoid prison but he eventually helps the patients in there. He thinks some of them could survive in the real world and he ends up giving the other patients confidence and a type of therapy. Billy eventually stops stuttering for a little bit. Harding has more self control and Cheswick learns to stick up for what he believes in. An example of McMurphy's "therapy" is the fishing trip. McMurphy climbs over the fence and steals a bus with the patients from his ward. He takes them to a fishing boat and takes them fishing. McMurphy had his own agenda but he also helps the patients. He gives them an experience a normal man would have and they have fun. One of the best aspects of this movie is the accuracy to the time period. Men with mental illnesses were put in asylums like the one we see in the film. They experienced the different types of therapy. They took drugs such as anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, and anti- depressants. Any means to help them relax and make them acceptable for society. They experienced group therapy, which we see often throughout, and something I've never seen before in hydrotherapy. Unfortunately, during this time period there were a lot of problems. If people were overly aggressive or considered dangerous they would undergo electroshock therapy. Basically, doctors tie you down and put conducting gel on your temples and a rubber mouth guard in your mouth so you don't bite your tongue. Then they literally send a shock through your temples into your brain. The idea was to reset the brain and make you more relaxed and in control. The audience witness's electroshock therapy in the film and it is a little disturbing to watch. You can see the suffering on their faces. Finally there is the lobotomy, where doctors drill into the skull or go through the nose to scrape out a piece of your brain. This turns a man into a vegetable who can barely survive on their own. It is illegal today but back then it was common. Character relationships are important for a successful movie and not many compare to the relationship McMurphy had with the vile Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched was the head nurse in the ward. She controlled the groups and she was in charge. Her character is difficult because I couldn't ever really tell what her intentions were. Sometimes she tried hard to help the patients and other times she acted like she wanted to make them worse. A prime example is the one therapy group when Cheswick wants his cigarettes and Nurse Ratched just ignores him. Cheswick grows a backbone and stands up for himself and Ratched tries to put him back in his place and treat him like a dog. That scene really changes the movie and the major events of the movie unfold from there. McMurphy and Ratched would clash all the time. McMurphy would get under her skin and she under his. It made the movie really entertaining and a little comedic at times. Now no movie is perfect and I did have a few problems with it. Mainly it was the ending. It was a fine ending but I feel like it was a little too drastic. I don't want to give it away but it was one of those moments where you smack your forehead and go, "you idiot." When you see the movie you will know what I mean. Also what happens to one of the patients is completely unnecessary. I understand he was upset but he didn't have to do what he did. It was a little ridiculous and I can't see it really happening. Overall, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a great movie with excellent characters, a well written script, an interesting, and entertaining storyline. It deserves all the credit it got and will go down as a career making movie for Jack Nicholson. He did a fantastic job and deserved the Oscar he won. This is not what I would call a "background movie." Meaning, it is not something you can watch casually. You need to sit down and watch it and pay full attention. That's my advice and without a shadow of a doubt, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest gets the WillyT Seal of Approval and is something I can watch again and again and enjoy every time.