No words to say

Rating: 10/10 (25 October 2006)

(r#90)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was the first "favourite film" I ever had. While it is a pretty low-key film and definitely not what you'd call a blockbuster, it was so loved in Sweden that it stayed in cinemas for over 10 years! So why was this film considered so great? Well, for starters, this is Jack Nicholson at his very best, and that says a lot. Throughout his long and successful career, this might still be Jack's best performance (although I'd argue that his scorching scenery-chewing in "The Shining" is even more entertaining). The movie is worth seeing for Mr. Nicholson alone. His high energy, quietly sardonic delivery and trademark leer is pure comic gold and McMurphy is a movie legend.
The supporting cast is excellent, as well: the petrifying Louise Fletcher, whose demanding screen presence almost steals the scene from Nicholson himself; Brad Dourif in the role of a life-time as the troubled teen Billy Bibbit; Danny DeVito and Scatman Crothers as one of the inmates and the warden, respectively; and even Christopher Lloyd in his smashing debut role. One-hit-wonder Will Sampson makes a great Chief Bromden, and Sydney Lassick, one of my favourite "no-name" actors, is hilarious as poor Cheswick who just wants his cigarettes.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is such a massive success because it balances between emotions so perfectly. To keep it simple: the movie is hilarious, sweet, touching and ultimately shattering. The climax is fantastic and will stick in your memory for a long time. Since the movie's basic plot is very simple (wrongfully institutionalized man teaches suppressed inmates at a mental hospital how to have fun) director Milos Forman can effectively play on our emotions without either manipulating or condescending us. There are no musical or visual cues that tell us what to feel, there are no wailing violins when something bad happens. Instead, the performances and story are more than enough to affect us.
Milos Forman, who also cranked out several other of my favourite movies (including "Amadeus", "Hair" and "The People vs. Larry Flynt") is probably the one to thank for making this movie as impressionable as it is. There are no unnecessary scenes, no pointless fluff, no cringe-worthy moments in the film. Every scene is needed to move the plot along, to make us laugh, to make us cry. No scene feels like it could have been left on the editing room floor because every part of the film is just so damn good. Forman is one of today's most under-appreciated directors in my opinion. The guy's a genius, and this is by far his best movie.
Having read the book which the film was based on, I understand why fans were disappointed by some of the changes Forman made. The novel is a brilliant masterpiece and one of the most affecting books I have ever read. Still, I don't think the differences between the book and the movie somehow make the latter worse. The most obvious change in the film version is, of course, the fact that we no longer see the story from Chief Bromden's perspective, as we do in the novel. I don't think this change was unnecessary at all and it works very well. It even adds a slight plot twist to the story for someone who hasn't read the book, but let's not say too much about that. I know how much it sucks when someone ruins the plot twist for you. *cough*The Sixth Sense*cough* :(
Anyway, where was I? Despite some changes in the story, any film fan will see that this is an excellent piece of work, a perfect film to just sit back and enjoy. The script is brilliantly written and the delivery from the cast could not have been better. Overall, a great film if you want to laugh, cry, gasp in horror and just become ensnared in a simple and extremely powerful story.
Is Jack's character crazy or not? In my opinion, definitely not. Well, no crazier than "the average a**hole walking around on the street". He just got sent to the mental hospital, as he put it himself, because he "fights and f**ks too much". Still it's interesting to see how far a man like McMurphy will go to get away from work, and how the other inmates - the true "psychos" - react to his extrovert and completely over-the-top persona. The inmates' transformation from quietly respectful and pathetically obedient patients to real people is brilliant. Louise Fletcher remains the same vile, quietly life-destroying nurse throughout, and in the end we cheer for McMurphy when he finally takes the law into his own hands. Fletcher is frighteningly great in her role and handing her the Best Leading Actress Oscar was one of the few smart things that the Academy ever did. A total class act and one of cinema's most memorable character studies. It's a shame her career didn't go the same way as Nicholson's - perhaps she was so overshadowed by the latter's manic performance, no one truly saw how amazing her work here really was.
Simply one of the greatest movies ever made. Very few movies can touch this one. -10/10