Review of Girl, Interrupted (1999) by Mason B — 20 Mar 2010

I thought that this was a fairly decent movie, but there are several things wrong with it. Girl, Interrupted is a poorly written movie; its story is good, but its dialogue and execution almost ruin the movie. It is only saved by semi-competent direction and Angelina Jolie's great peformance.

First there is the screenplay, which contains bad dialogue and struggles to maintain interest. There are several scenes in the movie that seem to have no point and are a little bit annoying. I think it would have been a better idea if the film wasn't directed and written by the same person. Also, the entire movie is trying way too hard to be like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The story is somewhat similar, about a sane person stuck in a mental institution, and the movie notably borrows to heavily from it.

Second there is Winona Ryder, who is severely miscast. She underplays her character and remains indecisive about here character. Her character is supposed to a semi-normal person stuck in a mental institution, but she keeps convincing me that she belongs there. Half the time I believe she has no problems when she's supposed to be depressed, and then she turns crazy as the other characters when she's supposed to be normal.

Angelina Jolie is ultimately the person who saves the film. She plays her character with great unrestrained intensity saves half the movie from being boring. She is completely believable as her character and more than deserved her Oscar for.

Girl, Interrupted could have been a much better film if not for the writing and Ryder's performance. It is only ultimately save by a good story and Angelina Jolie.