This is one cuckoo's nest you're going to want to take the time to visit.

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2007)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is not just a good film for fun and entertainment; for people watching it for its funny script and great Nicholson performance, but it's also a great film as it contains numerous clever conventions and tricks that really help you zone in on the situation and ultimately, put you there in the film with everyone else.
Although set in a mental institution, I never really got the feeling the bulk of these people were, indeed, 'crazy'. The group that we are presented with seemed fine, just a little socially inept perhaps apart from the character of Martini (De Vito) whom was a little odd. I first had this suspicion when I saw them all playing cards with one another to reasonable success although McMurphy's (Nicholson) expertise in card playing later on only emphasises the incorrectness from earlier on. Martini's so pleased to be finally playing cards correctly that he just keeps exclaiming: hit me, hit me, hit me. This idea of having a comic and often dramatic film set inside one of these places makes for pure gold.
This brings me onto the character of McMurphy. Obviously the audience watching this film aren't as crazy and (hopefully) aren't as socially inept as the characters we focus on in this film so that means we're going to relate to him the most as he's the most like us although some may swerve more to Billy (Dourif). Although brilliantly acted by Nicholson, he is further emphasised through the fact he's not wearing plain white like the rest of the inmates, meaning he stands out. McMurphy's reactions to what was going on, especially during the group therapy sessions, also stood out as they were pretty much my reactions also! I was smirking and looking confused at what was happening; McMurphy even gets restless with these people, something we all would feel after a while in that situation.
Also, watching McMurphy's relationship and friendship build up with the character of the Chief (Sampson) is just as fun as it is fascinating. There's this huge, native American who's supposedly dumb and deaf yet McMurphy gives him all the time in the world to try and develop him. The basketball game scene is particularly memorable in its hilarity and the way in which it shows Chief engaging and succeeding in what it is he's been told to do. Remember: we think he's dumb and deaf.
Another piece of clever film-making is the Chief himself. In a way, I think the Chief is perhaps supposed to represent the audience in the sense that if the audience was a character, they'd be the Chief. He doesn't talk or do much (similar to what an audience does when they watch a film), he helps McMurphy out when he gets involved in a fight with a guard (Whilst I was watching, was praying someone intervened and it just happened to be Chief) and we even see things from his point of view (the only time it happens in the film) as McMurphy winks at him to show he's OK. So this is very much putting the audience in the film as one of the characters; of course this is played with later on when certain things are revealed and regarding whether or not people escape: I find it very symbolic who does and who doesn't.
In conclusion, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is just one of those films that is funny, engaging, entertaining and is actually a very smart film considering what I think it does regarding all the characters and everything. This twinned with the character of Nurse Ratched (Fletcher) who I stress isn't so much as evil as she is doing her job, still looms every now and again threatening privileges. I am not surprised this film won so many Oscar's as it would still do today  a great and very memorable film.