Looking At This Famous Film Then, And Now

Rating: 8/10 (8 April 2006)

Like most people, when this film came out in the mid '70s, I thought it was great. Being still young and Liberal, I, too, looked at the rebel as the good guy and the authority figure as the bad guy....just as Hollywood has wanted us to do for a half century. Over the years, I watched a couple of more times and then stopped maybe 20 years ago.
A funny thing happened when I looked at it again a few years ago as someone in their mid 50s: I looked at the two main characters in a totally different light.
For the first time, now that my Left Wing rebel days are over, I didn't see Nurse Mildred Rachet (Louise Fletcher) as an evil person. On the contrary, the woman was just doing her job. I also appreciated Fletcher's performance more in here. She is outstanding, especially with her facial expressions. The only negative I could find on her was late in the film when she threatened to tell on "Billy."
Jack Nicholson's character, "Randle Patrick McMurphy," was generally an obnoxious ass. He must have set the Hollywood record at that time for most usages of the Lord's name in vain. I lost count on all the GDs. But Nicholson's performance was still outstanding: that hasn't changed in my eyes. He was also the perfect actor for that role.
Who could argue with either of those actors getting Academy Awards for their performances?
Yes, the story was good but it was the acting in general which made this such a memorable film. Without Nicholson, Fletcher, Will Samson, William Redfield, Brad Dourif, Danny DeVito (I didn't recognize him!) and Christopher Lloyd, this film wouldn't have reached the heights it did.
This is an unpleasant film in parts. Mental illness is not pretty, but it sure was a memorable film, I'll give it that. Unlike most reviewers, I don't love this film, but I respect it. It hasn't lost its power, either, nor is it dated.