One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

OFOCN is an unconventional movie to say the least, first it is a Hollywood movie directed by a Czech director, Milos Forman, and second it happens in a Mental institution, and the most of it happens within it's walls which makes it prone to claustrophobic movie making, which it is not surprising, since this movie was adapted from a play, and it has Jack Nicholson in one of his iconic performances

Randall McMurphy (Nicholson) is a small time crook who is faking mental troubles to avoid prison, he is a rebel, womanizer, cool and a natural leader, his biggest problem of course is that inside the walls of (name of the hospital) free will is kinda frowned upon, since the whole purpose of this institution is surrender of free will, and of course he doesn't plan to stay locked in for a long time

The head nurse miss Ratched(Louise Fletcher) is a polite
and vicious woman with a zest of sadism, She is the one in charge of the group therapy sessions, which turn rapidly into humiliation and inquisition, and her methods are diametrically opposed to everything McMurphy believes in, and quickly McMurphy is pushing his fellow patients to act to improve the conditions of their stay, the consequences of which are them having the greatest fun of their lifetime ,and of course angering the whole hospital's establishment and challenging miss Ratched authority, leading McMurphy to face some unpleasant consequences

And speaking of the fellow Inmates, they are some of the most attaching characters you can see on a movie screen, from the introvert Chef (Will Sampson) who is really the force of this movie along with McMurphy, to the cheerful Martini (Danny DeVito) the shy Billy Babble(Brad Dourif), the eloquent Charles Cheswick (Sydney Lassick), all of whom McMurphy shows it is still possible for them to enjoy life and with whom we discover that what happned to them could happen to virtually anybody. from there the movie takes a series of unexpected turns and ends up in an astonishing ending, which will make you wonder on the concepts of sanity, loyalty, and freedom

This movie won a bunch of oscars including best movie, actor actress and director, and is considered one of the finest ever, it has this Shawshank Redemption feel, it stays with you a long time after you are done watching it, and is a school example of why Nicholson is considered a genius actor, in fact it was so good that it made me forget that i watched it in a crappy copy, and in French, and I guarantee you that your look on Psychiatric patients will change for good.


Year: 1975
Writers: Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman
Director: Milos Forman
Actors: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher