Jack Nicholson destroyed this movie

Rating: 2/10 (28 December 2006)

In the book, McMurphy was a lovable rogue, Falstaffian in character. Jack Nicholson turned McMurphy into a stupid jerk a**hole, not the least bit likable. Besides which, McMurphy was a big hulk of a guy and Jack Nicholson is a tiny little wimp guy not the least bit like McMurphy. In the book McMurphy fought Nurse Ratchet because he had the best interests of the inmates at heart and she was a sadistic monster and deserved a comeuppance. In the movie he fought her just because he was a jerk. She came across much more like a decent nurse looking out for the inmates, undeserving of McMurphy's torments. Nicholson's McMurphy could never have torn up the sink and thrown it out the window, he's just too small for that. The book's McMurphy was big enough to make such an act believable. I was so disappointed by this movie I quit seeing Jack Nicholson movies for several years. As I thought about all the Jack Nicholson movies I'd seen over the years, starting with Easy Rider, I realized that in every movie his character was an a**hole. That made me think maybe Jack Nicholson is really an a**hole. Then he shined like a star in About Schmidt. I loved that one. So I will now go see Jack Nicholson movies again. I guess age has improved him. Separate from Nicholson's McMurphy ruinations, I really missed the part where the chief's hand grew gigantic in anticipation of using it as a monster weapon as he contemplated some taunts. The book made that a great scene. The movie just ignored it. Too bad, it would have been good. Not that I can tell you how to film such a mental struggle in the chief's head but I'm sure some creative Hollywood type could figure out a good way to do it.