Review of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) by Cameron J — 18 May 2013

You can, of course, see the irony in the fact that Jack Nicolson is so well-known for playing crazy people, and in this film about life in an mental institution, he's not so much insane as much as he's just some garden variety criminal who liked the idea of hanging out in a mental facility more than prison. Well, shoot, now that I think about it, the Randle McMurphy character thought that he would be particularly comfortable in an insane asylum, so clearly he's not all there. Oh yeah, his multiple arrests for assault and imprisonment for statutory rape reflect instability in no way, but when we're talking about his thinking that he wouldn't be too terribly disturbed in a place that is conceptually soley dedicated to rehabilitating people into well-to-do citizens, well, it's clear that he is just plain totally bonkers. Sarcasm aside, maybe I'm crazy, because I keep changing my opinions just about every sentence, but either way the point is that I, at least in this sentence, am a bit disappointed to find that Nicholson isn't playing the completely insane role that he usually does so well, even in a mental institution, but hey, he got the first of his, like, eight Oscars with this film, so I doubt he's complaining. Now, Kirk Douglas, on the other hand, must have hated seeing someone win an Oscar for a role that he had been wanting to reprise on the screen since the novel upon which this film is based was brought to the stage. Man, you know Kirk Douglas has got to be old when, almost forty years ago, he was considered too old to play a role that was played by someone who was on his way to being middle-aged. Hey, I don't care if it's Nicholson leading this film, or Douglas, it's still a good movie, though no where flaws fly over your head.

I don't know if I would necessarily call the film generally quite entertaining, as its pacing rarely picks up all that much, but there is enough liveliness to compensate for atmospheric dry spells, though not so much that the deliberately cold areas in atmosphere can't chill you at least a little bit, blanding up too many moments, with some occasions being just plain, well, kind of dull. Don't get me wrong, dullness is a very rare thing found in this film, and the blandness isn't so severe that your investment slips too far, but the fact of the matter is that atmospheric kick isn't always all that striking, and that slows down momentum that was never to be too brisk, due to actual plot structure's having its own issues. At just over 130 minutes, the film isn't sprawling by general standards, but for what it is, I must admit, it decidedly outstays its welcome, taking on one piece of excess filler after another, until, before you know it, rises and falls in plot are postponed for the sake of repetition. While meat isn't exactly thinned into near-total obscurity in this film, there's too much filler, and after a while, you're bound to find yourself wondering when exactly something of tremendous significance is to happen as repetition sets it, not distancing you so much that you fall out of the final product more than a few times, but nevertheless putting together an aimless formula that gives you more than enough time to meditate upon shortcomings of a more natural kind. Source material author Ken Kesey's story concept certainly has plenty of thematic weight, and its dramatic depth, upon really picking up, hits pretty hard, but when it comes to actual plot structuring, yeah, it's pretty do-little, being too minimalist for full potential to boast all that much wealth. Sure, consequential shortcomings do some damage to the effectiveness of this drama, but only so much can be done with this kind of story, whose natural shortcomings aren't severe enough to keep the final product from compelling and rewarding, but decidedly undeniable. Regardless of this, as well as such aforementioned consequential shortcomings as slow and overdrawn spells, when the film picks up about as much as it can, as it very often does, it really engages as an effective, if a bit too minimalist effort, which is what you can say about one of the film's lightest strengths worth commenting on: score work.

Jack Nitzsche turns in a score that is somewhat dynamic, but rarely drifts too far away from a minimalist theme that plays with acoustic instruments in almost fluffy fashion, so don't expect classical masterpieces here, but as far as uniqueness and entertainment value are concerned, Nitzsche's efforts accel as genuinely refreshing and lively, - particularly when more classical sensibilities are infused to give liveliness some taste - perhaps even complimentary to this film's thematic depth as a colorfully trippy and minimalist drama with plenty of fluff and plenty of tastefulness. Nitzsche's colorful tastes, when focused upon, really gel with this subject matter's tone, though it's not like you need a colorful musical compliment to see the value within this story, for although Ken Kesey's vision is minimalist, with natural shortcomings and filler that the story sometimes needs in place of expository rises and falls in plotting structure, there's still a pretty pronounced potential for meaty thematic kick, typically backed by moments of heavy dramatic punch, and while the final product is a bit too slow and bloated to fulfill its full potential, however limited it may be, there's still plenty of inspiration behind this interpretation of Kesey's vision. Lawrence Hauben's and Bo Goldman's script isn't terribly strong, but it settles much of the atmospheric coldness with dialogue that, while not exceedingly clever, cleverly livens things up, while complimenting color within the well-rounded characterization that builds this character study's heart, which really starts pumping when brought to life by Milo Forman's directorial storytelling, whose atmospheric steadiness may call your attention towards the shortcomings, but just as often gives storytelling a thoughtfulness that meditates upon the subtle touches of liveliness, until genuine heights in dramatic resonance come along, treated with a delicacy that may not be flavorful enough to bring choke-ups, but but certainly moves. From moments of tension that build as conflict between our leads and the tyrannical Nurse Mildred Ratched character, to a truly powerful final act, high points in Forman's hit very effective notes that break up a consistent degree of compellingness, which would be nothing without reasonably well-fleshed-out writing and, of course, inspired acting. If the film is nothing else, it's well-acted, as most every member of this talented cast has a time to shine, with Louise Fletcher's portrayal of a woman subtly seeking to retain power being engagingly convincing, though not as much as the portrayals of the mentally unstable, because whether it be William Redfield as the frustrated intellectual, or the sometimes particularly outstanding Sydney Lassick as a serious nervous wreck, or Brad Dourif as the self-conscious lisper, or Danny DeVito as the lost simpleton, or Christopher Lloyd as the impatient man of anger, most every supporting cast member delivers a distinct and memorably effective performance. As for leading man Jack Nicholson, if I can be totally honest, I don't know if his performance is truly worthy of the Oscar it recieved, but make no mistake, Nicholson delivers, turning in his trademark grippingly snakey-smooth charisma, broken up by subtle, but profound layers that define the Randle McMurphy character's depths as a heavily flawed, but human individual who slowly, but surely grows to gain appreciation for his peers and right to be free. Nicholson is initially doing what he does best, and that is playing Jack Nicholson, but before too long, he becomes McMurphy, who you cannot see being played by anyone else, which isn't to say that there isn't any moment in which Nicholson doesn't help in carrying this film, whose shortcomings, both natural and consequential, are still impossible to deny, but ultimately faught back about as much as they can be by just as undeniable inspiration, both off of the screen and on, not to where a downright excellent final product is created, but decidedly to where a rewarding drama is left standing firm.

When it's time to lock up, you leave behind a final product whose atmospheric dry spells and repetitious dragging slow down momentum that was never to be too high, due to natural shortcomings within the minimalist story concept that opens only so much room for impact, though isn't so naturally thinned out that it's impossible to craft the rewarding compellingness that is ultimately delivered on here, partially thanks to the colorful score work and worthy conceptual value, and largely thanks to the thoughtful writing and direction, and inspired acting that do about as much as anything in making "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" a sometimes moving, often compelling and consistently enjoyable study on the struggling's desire for change and some form of personal freedom.

3/5 - Good.