One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) User Reviews (1,205)

Both uplifting and disheartening, sometimes both at once

[pyrocitor · 10/10 · 14 January 2005]

I went into this film with the knowledge that it had been the second film in history to win the 'top five' Oscars (for Best Picture, Best actor, Best actress, Best director and best screenplay) and has been praised as "one of Jack Nicholson's finest roles" and "one of the classics of the 70's". Naturally, after hearing all this, I had high expectations for One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. But nonetheless, I was surprised at how easily the film surpassed my expectations and easily led me to understand how it merited all that praise.

Based on the novel by Ken Kesey, the story follows Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), who, in an attempt to get out of spending more time in prison, pleads insanity for his crime, and is therefore sentenced to time in a mental institution. This was McMurphy's intention, as he believes the conditions in a "crazy house" will be significantly easier to contend with than another harsh stay in prison. However, he quickly finds out that surviving the institution with it's desolate patients (including Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, Vincent Schiavelli and an absolutely brilliant Brad Dourif as the stuttering Billy Bibbit) and the monstrously repressive Nurse Ratchet (Louise Fletcher, in a career defining role) is considerably harder than he imagined. McMurphy plays pranks, horseplay, and is generally defiant to the rules of the institution in an attempt to raise spirits. His constant optimism and reckless defiance to the out of date rules in the institution can be very uplifting, and often quite funny as well, but much of the movie can be very depressing - the generally decrepit state of the institution is a consistently (and intentionally) bleak background to a superb story with a truly bittersweet ending.

Jack Nicholson is at his best here, head and shoulders above other excellent performances such as in 'Chinatown' or 'As Good as it Gets'. McMurphy is an apparently unquenchable optimist, refusing to succumb to the defeated spirit of all the other patients. His livewire antics, inspiring the patients are generally uplifting, and when his indomitable spirit is finally broken, we really feel for him and his fellow patients. Nicholson conveys the essence of McMurphy to perfection, demonstrating his excellent understanding and interpretation of the character. When McMurphy announces that he is going to lift a huge stone fountain and hurl it through the window to escape, the other patients are so caught up in his intoxicating spirit of freedom that they honestly believe he can do it, despite the fact it would be impossible for a man much stronger than him. When McMurphy finally discovers that despite his best efforts, he cannot lift the fountain, he is so openly crushed that we can't help but feel for him. Beneath the frequent profanities and livewire antics, there are real human emotions, which come across as truly touching.

What can be said about One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest which hasn't already been said? It has an excellent storyline, top notch acting, painfully bleak visuals, perfectly setting the tone for the movie, and alternates between being truly uplifting to devastatingly depressing. It features perhaps the most memorable film ending ever, next to a man on his horse riding off into the sunset, and leaves the viewer beaten down by the conflicting emotions, unaware what to think of the picture next to reveling in it's glorious entirety. It's hard to produce a final outcome any better than this.

-10/10

The spirit of freedom vs. the spirit of legal-ism

[Wuchakk · 9/10 · 21 October 2012]

Set in the early 60s, the story involves R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) and his arrival at a mental institution in Salem, Oregon (where the film was shot). He plays the "mental illness" card to get out of prison time, thinking it'll be a piece of cake, but he's wrong, very wrong. Everything appears well at the hospital and Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) seems to be a benevolent overseer of McMurphy's ward, but there are sinister things going on beneath the surface.

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) is a film you'll appreciate more as you mature. I saw it when I was younger and, while I thought it was good, I didn't 'get' a lot of the insights the film conveys.

The movie criticizes the way institutions deal with mental illnesses. Their "therapy" is futile and only makes the patients dependent on the institution itself, thereby creating its need for existence (often at the taxpayer's expense). McMurphy is a threat to the establishment and therefore must be "dealt with."

A lot of people criticize the film by suggesting that Nurse Ratched "isn't that bad" or that "she was only trying to do her job", etc. I had the same reaction the first couple of times I saw it. This reveals an aspect of the film's brilliance: Ratched's malevolence is so subtle that the filmmakers allow the possibility for complete misinterpretation. Yes, from an administrative point of view, she seemingly does a good job, she's authoritarian without being sadistic, and she cares for the residents as long as they follow the rules (more on this below). Yet she is demonic as a robotized arm of a dehumanizing system. She maintains the residents in a state of oblivion and marginalization; they are deprived of their dignity because the system sees them as subhuman.

The filmmakers and Fletcher (not to mention the author of the book, Ken Kesey) make Nurse Ratched a more effective antagonist by showing restraint. Compare her to, say, Faye Dunaway's portrayal of Joan Crawford in "Mommie Dearest," which pretty much turned her into a cartoon villain. Ratched isn't such an obvious sadist, yet she uses the rules to tyrannize the men and reduce them to an almost infantile state of dependency and subservience. Her crowning achievement is Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif).

McMurphy, despite his obvious flaws, is the protagonist of the story. Although he's impulsive and has a weakness for the female gender, which got him into prison in the first place, he has a spirit of freedom and life. His problem is that he needs to learn a bit of wisdom; then he can walk in his freedom without causing unnecessary harm to himself and others.

Nurse Ratched, on the other hand, represents legal-ism, which is an authoritarian spirit obsessed with laws or rules. This is clearly seen in the World Series sequence: Even though McMurphy gets the final vote he needs for his ward to watch the Series Ratched refuses to allow it on a technicality. When McMurphy then PRETENDS to watch the game and works the guys up into a state of euphoria, Ratched reacts with sourpuss disapproval. That's because legalism is the opposite of the spirit of freedom, life and joy. Legalism is all about putting on appearances and enforcing the LETTER of the law (rule). The problem with this is that "appearances" are not about inward reality and, worse, "the letter kills."

Despite his folly and mistakes, McMurphy does more good for the guys in his ward than Ratched and the institution could do in a lifetime. How so? Not only because he has a spirit of freedom and life, but because he loves deeply, but only those who deserve it - the humble - not arrogant abusers. When you cast restraint to the wind and love with all your heart you'll reap love in return, as long as the person is worthy. A certain person hugs McMurphy at the end because he loves him. McMurphy set him free from the shackles of mental illness and, worse, the institution that refuses to actually heal because it needs mentally ill people to exist; it only goes through the motions of caring and healing (not that there aren't any good people in such institutions, of course).

No review of this film is complete without mentioning the notable character of "Chief" Bromden, played effectively by Will Sampson.

The film runs 2 hours and 13 minutes.

GRADE: A

Touching and moving, a great cinematic experience

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 10/10 · 3 July 2004]

Jack Nicholson is a great actor. No, not a great actor, a spectacular actor. This is a film from fairly early in his career, as well as it is for several other actors in this film, who later have had long, great careers too, including Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd and Brad Dourif. The film has some unforgettable moments... who could forget Louise Fletcher's icy stare, Jack Nicholson's smart-aleck remarks or Will Sampson's impressive, almost entirely silent performance? The film portrays the horrible truth about how patients were treated in mental institutions back then, and tells the story of someone who desperately wanted to break out, to rebel, to change things, for himself and for the others. I was compelled by this film, from the very first frame. I never took my eyes off it, and I will definitely be thinking about this film for a while. I thought it was great the way one of the very first frames depicted the institution as something far more similar to a prison than a hospital. Milos Forman did a great job of making that contrast very powerful to the viewer. The film is very moving and a truly beautiful cinematic experience. Every single actor gives a stellar performance, every single character is perfectly written, every single line, every single frame is absolutely perfect. I wouldn't change a thing in this film. It has a great pace, you never lose interest, but it never seems to be rushing to get through it, either. It's simply perfect. I have not read the original book, but if I ever come across it, I might check it out. I have only seen this film once, but I will definitely watch it many times in years to come. I recommend this amazing piece of great cinema to anyone who has at least a slight interest in the drama genre, or any fan of any of the actors, as they are all in their absolute prime in this film. 10/10

"What an excellent movie" is all that went through my mind after seeing this masterpiece

[philip_vanderveken · 10/10 · 14 September 2004]

What a movie, what an excellent movie!!! That is what first went through my mind after seeing this masterpiece. I've seen many movies, but there aren't much movies which had such an impact on me. Nowadays almost all filmmakers believe they can only make a good movie by adding loads of special effects and lots of huge explosions ... This movie is so good, so convincing without them. The actors played their roles in such a convincing way that you would think these weren't actors at all, but real psychiatric patients.

This movie may be 30 years old, but it hasn't lost any of its relevancy. OK, we don't put our mentally ill people in that kind of prisons anymore, the bars in front of the windows have gone and now we call it hospitals in stead of nut houses. But the treatment hasn't changed all that much. I once worked in such a hospital as a volunteer and still saw things like forced feeding, giving people so much medication until they no longer know who or where they are,...

When the movie first came out, some people were shocked because when you watch the movie, you can't help it feeling more attached to the patients than to the doctors and nurses. This movie shows that cinema can make a difference. It can help to open people's eyes. If there is a movie that should be seen by everyone, this sure is the one. I give it a well deserved 10/10.

A masterpiece

[perica-43151 · 10/10 · 20 July 2018]

The seventies produced some of the most interesting and worthy Hollywood movies. Before the era of blockbusters, and ever increasing dumbing down of the cinema art by the Hollywood power-brokers and greedy moneymakers, there was this short but truly amazing window of time that produced many of the timeless gems. A great portrayal of oppression, this gem should not be overlooked by anyone. Truly recommended.

A great order vs. chaos tale that everyone can relate to

[b1lskirnir · 10/10 · 18 June 2005]

Based on the amazing novel by Ken Kesey, Randall Patrick McMurphy is an antisocial and dangerous man no different than a petty criminal, placed in a mental ward to have his behavior studied. He makes friends with lunatics and starts his own circle of admiration within the hospital, much to the dismay of Nurse Ratched, the central authority figure in the story and one of the greatest movie villains ever.

The movie exists to show not only how corrupt and poorly-constructed society's approach to the "mentally unstable" is, but it creates characters that we have all met in life and shows how the McMurphy-like figure that we all wish we had fights for freedom of choice and basic human rights. In addition to the movie's great spirit, the acting is fantastic. Jack Nicholson is at his best and Danny DeVito can be seen in his very first acting role ( which he absolutely triumphs in ). And of course, there's the unforgettable Chief Bromden. The directing by Milos Forman is very well-done, as the camera-work is excellent and follows the pace of the movie perfectly in how it is used. What really impressed me was the editing, especially as far as the use of audio goes: some parts just made me go "...wow."

My only complaint is that I believe the movie could've been slightly more effective if it were based more closely on the novel at certain points, but the modified point of view of the film does make a great point; anyone who has ever hated their job, been accused of something, had some person so self-righteous and convinced of their own authority and dependency on order get in your way, or attended the American public school system at any point in their life should be able to identify with this movie.

Poetic - Powerful - Simple: The Greatness of Cuckoo's Nest.

[Don-102 · 10/10 · 22 January 2000]

The opening shot of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST is a bleak glance at an Oregon morning. Stirring, haunting music plays gracefully on the soundtrack and a car approaches. Inside the car is one of film history's most remarkable characters. "Randle McMurphy" is about to bring hope, humor, and a glimmer of reality to some disturbed people in a mental hospital. Jack Nicholson as "McMurphy", is something of a paradox. Is this guy crazy or is he really the lazy, conniving criminal most believe him to be? That is the magical mystery and start to a journey into mental illness and the effect this man will have on some truly messed up men.

Milos Forman directs this all-time classic, which swept the Oscars deservedly, and holds up so well 25 years later. It is a simplistic film about small people living in their own small worlds. Manic moments are mixed with poignant acting all leading to an astounding climax. Not before or since CUCKOO'S NEST has a collection of different characters had such an impact on me. You could write a book report about each of the patients in the ward. The two most important people here are, of course, Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher.

Nicholson has his greatest moments in this picture. One brilliant scene has him doing an imaginary play-by-play commentary of the 1963 World Series to the group, who are not allowed to watch the game on TV. It is a poetic sequence and Nicholson goes crazy with his delivery, describing baseball with colorful anecdotes and profanity. "McMurphy" immediately makes an impression on the crazies and shows them how they don't have to stick to the "normal routine". He knows their names right away, he sprays them with water, he makes impossible bets with them, he introduces them to fishing, and he even gets a suffering young kid (played well by Brad Dourif) a "date".

Louise Fletcher plays one of the more reprehensible human beings in film as "Nurse Mildred Ratched". She is a hardened woman, one who makes the daily meetings with the group a contest to see who will win. Her stubbornness and lack of compassion for the poor guys is rather one dimensional. That's perfect because that is exactly who she is. Her strong will to keep things monotonous leads to a final showdown with the free spirited "McMurphy" in what is easily one of the most shocking and disturbing climaxes in recent memory.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST does not try to make a statement about mental illness or how the unstable should be treated. Rather, it is a very simple portrait of the long days and hilarious scenarios that can come about when a mixed bag of suffering people are thrown together. Mental illness is nothing to laugh about, but the fact that Nicholson is not really crazy (at least in my opinion) allows us to be amused. He seems to love his compadres in the hospital. He is mislead, however, into thinking he can do as he pleases.

There is no denying the power of CUCKOO'S NEST. The two main powerhouse performances are golden, the cinematography is morbid and gritty like it should be, the "Chief" is great as Nicholson's right hand, ah, protagonist, and you care a lot about what will happen as the film moves on. The famous, final shot ironically happens to be an exit of a major character into that bleak, Oregon morning.

NOTE: I have never read the book and I find it hard to believe author Ken Kesey has never watched the filmed version. Comparing a book to a movie is impossible. They are 2 distinctly different artistic methods of story-telling.

Jack Nicholson at his finest

[Agent10 · 9/10 · 13 August 2002]

It's tough to really judge this movie. Is it Milos Forman's greatest directorial masterpiece or Jack Nicholson's best performance. Tough to say, but the marriage between both director and actor are quite phenomenal. From the first time we see Jack Nicholson to the sad, yet uplifting ending, one cannot escape the sheer power of the film. When a film is parodied as many times as this one has been, typically, greatness can be associated. Well, greatness was achieved, and let's hope this one never falls through the cracks.

Jack Nicholson Finally Wins the Oscar

[tfrizzell · 11 September 2000]

Jack Nicholson had been nominated four times, he had lost four times. Each time he probably should have won, but he never did. Just when you thought there was no justice in the world, Jack finally came through with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". The film is exceptional in every sense imaginable. Nicholson stars as a prisoner who is sent to an insane asylum. While there, Nicholson creates an atmosphere which gives his fellow inmates a sense of self-worth and a glimmer of happiness. Throughout, it is never made clear whether Nicholson is truly insane or just acting crazy to get out of manual labor at the regular prison. Whatever the case, Nicholson is creating a place that head-nurse Louise Fletcher (Oscar-winning) is finding unsuitable for the other patients. She is quietly evil and amazingly cruel to those within the asylum. Nicholson and Fletcher are getting ready for a head-on-collision that will prove to be the decisive factor at the end of the movie. Will Sampson, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and Brad Dourif (Oscar-nominated) are all great in supporting turns as Nicholson's fellow inmates. An excellent film. 5 stars out of 5.

Best film of its era

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 15 April 2000]

Milos Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a landmark (one of the few I might add) in cinema. Pretty much everything in this film is at or close to perfection. And rightfully so, it became only the 2nd (1 in 3 films in history along with It Happened One Night and Silence of the Lambs) film to win the top five Oscars- Best Picture, Actor (Jack Nicholson), Actress (Louise Fletcher), Director (Forman), and Screenplay (Bo Goldman).

The story (based on Ken Kessey's astounding, though not too similar, novel) focuses on a rowdy misfit named Randle Patrick McMurphy (Nicholson) who is put in a mental hospital with other people (some voluntarily in) who are not all there. Some of these guys include Danny DeVito (in his first role), Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif (in his Oscar nominated role) and the never forgettable Will Sampson who played the Chief. The film, It's actors and scenes will always be terrific achievements in cinema and is one of my favorites.

One of the greatest of all time.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 20 June 2023]

R. P. McMurphy, A Korean war veteran pleads insanity and lands up in an institution for the Mentally unwell. In charge of his ward is Nurse Ratched, who has a right control on proceedings, McMurphy challenges the order of things.

Let's be honest, this film is phenomenal, and should be regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.

I read the description here, and I'm not a hundred percent sure I fully agree with it, for me it's more of a power struggle between Murphy and Nurse Ratched. Murphy challengers Ratched for sure, but it feels as though her battle is to get him to conform, he fights against it, and wants to give some life back to the patients.

For such a serious and bleak setting, there's actually a lot of humour, it drops to some real lows, but the laughs and lighter moments are so uplifting.

Jack Nicholson, what can you say, is this one of the greatest performances of all time? I'd say you could make a strong case for it. The supporting cast are awesome, nobody puts a single foot wrong, acting perfection, Louise Fletcher, Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito etc, sublime.

The direction is phenomenal, this is a startling looking movie, and one thing this film has is originality, sheer originality, there is nothing quite like it.

At least I now understand the Netflix Ratched series, and the link that has to this movie.

You could watch this film 1000 times, and it would still be as good.

10/10.

A perfect mixture of entertainment and drama.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 9/10 · 6 August 2005]

Czech director Milos Forman seems to be obsessed with rebellious characters that don't like to go with the flow. Just think about Larry Flynt in "The People vs. Larry Flynt" or Andy Kaufman in "Man on the Moon", in the two most recent movies of Forman. The central character in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" played by Jack Nicholson is also one of those characters, that wants to break the routine and even starts a revolt against the staff and nurse Ratchett in particular, in a mental institution.

The movie is perhaps more comedy and entertainment than heavy drama. Still that doesn't mean that the movie isn't filled with some powerful emotional sequences. The tension between the patients and the staff gets more and more notable and grows throughout the movie, which eventually leads to a 'wonderful' ending which I'm not going to spoil.

Yes, Jack Nicholson is truly splendid in his role and it seemed like he was improvising all his lines and actions during the entire movie. It was a really Oscar worthy performances, which he also received. Another Oscar winner for her performance was Louise Fletcher, which in my opinion is a bit too much credit. She plays her role well but nothing more than that. She did not deeply impressed me or anything. This movie also marks the debut for some today well known actors such as Danny DeVito (he looked so young and different!), Christopher Lloyd and Brad Dourif, who also received an Oscar nomination.

Really one of those movies that you must have seen at least once in your life.

9/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Underwhelming...

[mitch_e33 · 6/10 · 26 June 2011]

'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (1975), based on the novel by Ken Kesey and directed by Milos Forman, centers around R.P McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) a prisoner serving time for the statutory rape of a 15 year old, among other things. In an attempt to escape from the work yards in the penitentiary, McMurphy fakes a mental illness, leading to him being admitted into a mental hospital. There, he befriends many of the other patients in the ward and attempts to break them out of the strict and monotonous routine set by Head Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher).

OK, first of all, it has to be said, I had quite high expectations for this movie. It came highly recommend by both my parents, is number 8 on IMDb's Top 250 list, and won the grand slam at the 1975 Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Actor and Actress). However, I was left extremely disappointed with this film.

While the first 20 minutes seem promising, showcasing Nicholsons immense talent, the film drags for the next hour, trying to convince you to love McMurphy and loathe Nurse Ratchet, unsuccessfully, I will add. Which brings me to my first and largest problem with this film. On the back of my DVD case it states that "…Nurse Ratchet is among the coldly monstrous villains in film history". Based upon that assessment, I expected numerous unnecessary, unethical punishments, and a complete lack of care for her patients. Well I did not receive that, no instead we got a firm, cold, woman that takes charge of her ward, filled with mentally unstable and perhaps dangerous people, with an iron fist, being nothing but a true reflection of the mental health system at the time. That being said, I am not in anyway completely condoning her behavior. She is far too cold to be an effective nurse and her use of manipulation would not be accepted in today's society. However to asses her as being the one of most wicked, evil, heartless is completely and utter over exaggeration and unfortunately paints the film in a 'State vs Rebel' way.

Which leads also to my other major problem with this film. McMurphy, is not likable. At least not to me. He is an arrogant, self-centered 'rebel', who has made the rather laughable decision to get himself committed to this mental hospital as he is tired of the prison work yard. But no, we are supposed to cheer him on in his attempts to rid the ward of rules and boundaries, in other words, 'fight the system'. Perhaps it was 'in' to rebel against the state in the 70's? To me this film reeked of this ideology, spoiling much of it.

There are certainly positives to 'One Flew Over…' and I can understand on one level why is rated so highly by many critics and audiences. It is well directed, the acting by the two leads, regardless of my objection of the use of their characters, is extremely well done but I do not believe it to be Nicholsons best work, as many praise it to be. There are genuine funny moments to be had and a certain scene revolving around cigarettes is the perfect example of acting at its best. The last 20 minutes is also very well executed and left me somewhat vindicated.

Overall however, the particular framing of the 2 leads left me simply annoyed with this film and as such, I was left underwhelmed.

"You're not a goddamn loony now!"

[Steffi_P · 5/10 · 6 February 2011]

The 1970s were the golden age of politicised cinema. Race, sexuality and militarism all came under fire more than ever before. Meanwhile, the loosening up of codes governing motion picture content meant that pictures were now more frank about sex, violence and other taboos. While this was generally a good thing, what it really brought out was that for all the social advancement going on women were still very much the losers in the sexual revolution. A case in point is One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, a picture of spiteful misogyny wrapped in the politics of mental health.

Now I'm not normally one to pick apart a movie for "hidden" meanings, but in this case the subtext is unequivocal, unpleasant, and has rarely been discussed. It begins as early as the excusing of McMurphy's criminal past. In the first scene at Doctor Spivey's office his conviction for statutory rape is played down, passed off as natural, and the fault of the girl in any case. On the ward, it is the tyranny of women in authority that keeps the all-male patient group down, preventing them from enjoying such stereotypically masculine pursuits as gambling over cards, watching baseball, going fishing and, of course, getting laid. Even the handful of females in the story whom we never see – Billy's overbearing mother, Harding's unfaithful wife – are portrayed as villains and causes of the patients' being committed. The only acceptable women in this worldview are ones like Candy; they don't answer back, aren't educated and aren't fussy who they sleep with.

But of course, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is hailed as a passionate plea for the rights and dignity of mental patients. And it does truly make some commendable points about institutionalisation. It gets a lot of things wrong too though. The idea that those diagnosed with mental illness do not require professional attention has never been substantiated (on a side note, isn't it interesting how the mid-70s was also the time when the anti-psychiatric cult Scientology first began to gain currency in Hollywood?) It's also worth pointing out that lobotomies do not leave people in a vegetative state, and while I would never condone the procedure, the implication that a lobotomy renders someone fit only for euthanasia is an insult to all the living people who have undergone one. And surely the message of the movie is somewhat blunted by the fact that it's set fifteen or twenty years before it was made, during which time there had been significant reform in mental health provision. Of course, the movie's defenders may say the exact accuracy of the psychiatric hospital setting are irrelevant, as it is supposed to be a metaphor for something more wide-reaching. I suspect that "something" is little more than Ken Kesey's misogyny.

In spite of all this however, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is admittedly very well made. Milos Forman is a superb director, one who eschews long takes but makes remarkable use of multiple camera set-ups. His shots, while not exactly glaring close-ups, are nevertheless composed to focus us entirely on people, with very few wide-shots. This has the effect that we become barely aware of the dimensions of the set but become totally absorbed in the human story. One of the most brilliantly crafted scenes is the first ward meeting where they discuss Harding's problems with his wife. Forman keeps several of the "chronics" in the background of those talking-head shots, both to remind us of their existence, and also for the dynamics of the scene – for example Bancini's twitching arm which sets the pace of the mounting tension. Forman's coverage and the magnificent editing by Richard Chew create a very rhythmic form of visual storytelling for the scene's conclusion, as we cut from the agitated Bancini being lead away by the orderlies, to Vincent Schiavelli resignedly puffing out cigarette smoke, to Jack Nicholson's accusing glance at Louise Fletcher, to her steely and self-satisfied glare. It's as if every shot is a subtle comment on the one that went before it.

Speaking of Nicholson and Fletcher, one cannot ignore the superlative acting in this picture. In the lead role Nicholson is completely unbridled, simply letting his trademark wild-man act run riot, and yet he tempers it with moments of seriousness, dropping the act and becoming compellingly real for example when he proposes to rip out the hydrotherapy unit and escape. Fletcher by contrast is a model of understatement. Just below the icy exterior you can see her anger and resentment bubbling away, and even when she does give way to her emotions you can see her character trying to restrain them and maintain that professional gloss, spitting out her lines through clenched teeth. Each of the patient characters is superbly cast, with performances that range between attention-grabbing craziness to devastating realism, and this goes for the men playing the so-called chronics as well.

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is a massively popular and highly-acclaimed movie, and though I have some huge reservations about it, I can fully understand why it is so widely enjoyed. It's themes and ideologies are often abhorrent – a fact that should not be overlooked – but it is undoubtedly a stunning piece of cinema.

Best movie ever

[katarina-kristiansson · 10/10 · 9 March 2018]

This was the best movie that I have ever seen. And I've seen many movies.

You have to be crazy to hate this movie! This movie is a masterpiece

[ironhorse_iv · 9/10 · 8 March 2015]

Put a straightjacket on me, because I think this movie is insanely good! Based off, Ken Kesey's novel of the same name and directed by Milos Forman, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest tells the story of Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a convicted criminal admitted to a mental ward, when he pleads insanity, to escape labor duties in prison. Once there, the rebel, wild-man, McMurphy bump heads against the authority figure, and head administrative nurse, the oppressive Nurse Mildred Ratched (Louise Fletcher) on the way, she treats her patients. McMurphy believes that they should be treated like real men with more personal freedom, while Ratched couther his argument by stating that any more freedom, would lead to chaos, anarchy, and death. In my opinion, while she play as the villain, she's in fact, she was somewhat, right and correct by her judgment, but the way, she enforced order on the mentally disable in highly crude and inhuman. In fact, by egging McMurphy on, she made things much, much worst. One might view this movie as anti-institution, anti-religion or anti-government. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest was written in 1959 and published in 1962 in the midst of the civil unrest. It deeply changes to the way psychology and psychiatry were being approached in America, while also challenging, how government should treat its people. By the end of the 1960s, the controversial movement towards deinstitutionalization has become, a real deal, while trust in government officials were in an all-time low. When 1975 came, most of the mentally ill found themselves, untreated and living in the streets and government being highly criticism for corruption and overused of power. The 1970's were bit anarchism at the time. It wasn't until later, that things became more balance and confinement. In a way, social institutions do serve a purpose; and the movie serves as allegory tale, showing how things like order vs chaos can become really off-balance. The movie really goes into deep detail on how different authorities, McMurphy and Ratched control individuals through subtle and coercive methods. A supporting character like the Chief (Will Sampson) talks about 'the Combine' in reference to the mechanistic way, both manipulate and process individuals. Nurse Ratched controls the inhabitants of the novel's mental ward through a combination of emasculation and subtle shame. While, McMurphy controls his fellow men by encouraging them to be wild men and challenge conformism. It was no surprise that both Louise Fletcher and Jack Nicolson won Best Actor/Actress at the Academy Awards that year, as both delivered such a gripping, gritty, and genuine performances. The movie has just as good, supporting cast with several unknown actors of the time, stars like Christopher Lloyd, Danny Devito, and Brad Dourif helping in. I like how the movie was shot. Forman's direction is dead-on, as he manages to capture the monotony of routine on the ward without allowing the film to drag. You get how eerily quiet it is. Order is impose on the patients with almost religious cult-like rigor. When the medicine is delivered. It's like communion. It's so zombie-like. The animal running along a man-made chain fence- representing wild vs civilize. The movie is full of hidden gem themes like those examples. Yet the movie was missing a few things from the novel such as the Fog which symbolize a lack of insight and an escape from reality and McMurphy's Moby Dick Boxer Shorts, which interpretation as a phallic symbol and blatant sexuality. It can also represents the pervasive evil that inspires Ahab's obsessive, futile pursuit. Both Ratched and McMurphy is trying to humiliation the other, by exposing the faults of each other's gender. A third interpretation is that Moby-Dick stands for the power of nature, signifying McMurphy's untamed nature that conflicts with the controlled institution. Although it's hard to find fault, it's certainly possible. Overpowering women are seem to evil by the writers and weak women are shown to act like sex object. It's somewhat noticeable that the movie is a bit misogyny. Another thing, is the movie's love letter message to society anarchy and black and white approach when it comes to, the hospital vs the patients. Another fault of the film is how the Chief was cut down as the narrator and put into a much smaller role. Much of his life prior to the hospital was not shown. You see a lot of Native-American themes throughout the film, despite that. The music by Jack Nitzsche, sounds something out of a western. It's represented the struggles of true freedom over confinement. Despite its dark and strong drama undertones, there were some comedic tendencies. It was a lot of fun to watch, as the drama slowly evolves into tragedy toward its conclusion. It's wasn't slow and painful. It was a very entertaining, well rounded film. The movie has aged well, with newer DVD copies, putting out the best quality for it. Overall: The film is powerful, and moving. It's a must-watch. I recommended it.

It's not that easy

[dannylee-78082 · 8/10 · 7 January 2023]

It's always difficult to write an outdated review of a highly praised film as you are not adding much to the dialogue anyways. But as I've said before, whatever makes me want to read the original source material is probably a good movie.

OFOCN is a story about the various events that happens in a mental institution after Randall McMurphy, expertly played by our brilliant Mr. Jack Nicholson, is introduced to the place. His rebellious and playful nature and magnetic presence start to slowly influence the eccentric inmates, who I felt that they were all unique and well performed. McMurphy, by all means, was violent but not mentally ill. He distances himself from the rest of the inmates by calling them several alternatives for "insane" while simultaneously encouraging them to leave after learning that the very few are actually institutionalized involuntarily. This is by far the most interesting piece of the film. In fact, most of the inmates are fine though they display some childlike attitude and innocence. Yes, they have deficiencies but not enough to house them in such a place by any standard. But every single one of them has no desire to leave because of the prison they've created in their mind. Take Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif) for an example. He has a stuttering issue and he claims that he's not ready to leave the institution even though he's voluntary. His prison, or his fear seems to be his mother and rejection by female figures. As soon as he sleeps with a prostitute, indicating that some of his fears may have subsided, his stutter disappears. But the moment Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) brings up his mother, his stutter begins and he subsequently takes his own life. All of this shows that Billy's imprisoned in his own fear, a weight that was unbearable for him. The institution does have some influence on his behavior with characters such as Nurse Ratched, but the biggest barrier to the freedom of the inmates was their self.

The idea of this movie being a cautionary tale begins to be clearer as we see Randall's progression over the film and his crusade against conformity. In the beginning, he actually escapes and brings the inmates to a fishing trip. He tries one more time but falls asleep at the open window. The next opportunity he has, he voluntarily makes the decision to stay. I took this as how the environment and those around you can affect your mindset. The "Chief" (Will Sampson) realizes that Randall who has lost all will to escape is as good as dead and decides to put him out of his misery. The chief, whose escape was the least likely and the most illegal as he was institutionalized involuntarily, actually escapes after understanding the dangers of inaction.

I was at a bit of loss what to make out of the movie but I concluded that it encourages to break out of our shells and our fears once in a while. Or it would deafen and mute you for the rest of your life. I don't believe that the movie makes clear-cut messages about how to act. However, I still believe it is a valuable one because it makes you ponder about aforementioned topics, which certainly makes this movie deserving of winning all 5 major Academy awards.

One of the greatest movies and life lessons of all time

[sac_9 · 10/10 · 4 September 2007]

Not many movies have won the "big five" in the academy awards. It's enough to win just best picture for a lot of movies. This movie portrays every film element to the highest degree, from the beautiful panoramic shots of the mountains outside of the mental institution to the story of ultimate redemption McMurphy and Chief find at the end.

The movie is seen through the eyes of Randle McMurphy (Nicholson). He is sent to the mental institution because he would rather be considered "insane" and live in "luxury" other than being a jailbird in prison. Once he gets into the actual living area where the insane are, he looks up at this tall, native looking man they call "Chief". McMurphy's initial reaction to Chief was his little Indian dance he did to mock him, but once Chief didn't react McMurphy asked him if he played football and says to chief, "God damn, boy, you're as big as a mountain." Little by little, you could see their friendship start to unfold out throughout the movie.

In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the title "villain" would definitely belong to Nurse Ratched. She gave threats to the patients, she was even friends with one of the patient's (Billy) mom. She also tries to toy with McMurphy's mind by trying to get him to conform with the customs of mental facility. It doesn't work out for her as planned. Including a classic scene where Nurse Ratched's threats cause little Billy to commit suicide. In rage, McMurphy has seen enough and actually chokes her out. This causes McMurphy to go through a lobotomy and become a vegetable at his stay at the clinic.

I know many people probably disagree with this but, I think Chief killing McMurphy at the end was beautiful as much as it was heartbreaking. It symbolized that McMurphy, still had a chance to redeem himself and become a hero, even if it were death. It also gave Chief clearance to finally "escape" the premises and "fly from the cuckoo's nest", and how he did it at the end was classic. That's what makes this movie one of the greatest of all time, not only because of the sensational acting and the sociological significance, but because of the message and symbolism of the story.

The directing by Milos Foreman was phenomenal, not only with the memorable acting by Jack Nicholson, but with the camera shots he used in certain scenes. For example, the scene before McMurphy was about to get electro-shock therapy they show a very close up angle of him to show the intensity and crowdedness he had to go through while getting the shock treatment. Nicholson also makes it pretty believable that he is actually getting shocked, by making "gurgling" noises and such.

They actually go back to the "lying down" closed angle shot at the end of the movie when Nicholson passes away. I thought it was very brave of the director to keep that long shot of McMurphy's dead self, because by making it last as though it were a still shot, to me it seemed more and more believable that McMurphy was actually dead. I don't know how Nicholson just lied there stiff as a board. I know he may have won his Oscar because of his heroic and charismatic character, but how he dealt with himself in those two scenes is what tickles my fancy.

The ideology of this film is, in my opinion, what makes it one of the greatest of all time. The story brings up the question of who's actually the insane; McMurphy and his patients, or Nurse Ratched and the staff? Clinically, McMurphy was not insane. Even the doctors and professors stated that, but since he didn't follow the norms and the dictatorship of Nurse Ratched, he had to stay at the sanitarium longer. I also loved the allusion of Chief, by acting deaf and dumb. He played the omniscient or "god-like" role of hearing and seeing everything, yet not saying anything himself. It almost seems as he was the narrating the story until he befriended McMurphy.

I don't know if I could think of a more evil villain in a movie other than Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). The evil looks she gave to her patients when they were doing something wrong was as cold-hearted as one could get. Also her audacity to tell Billy's mother about his sexual deviance is as sinister as you can get. She knew that it would hurt Billy deeply, which was a major reason he was "insane" is because of his relationship with his mother. He eventually killed himself, angering McMurphy.

I never thought I would cheer out loud when a grown man was choking out a little woman, but I did here. This scene did a fantastic job of not making it taboo, but making you want her dead even more. This did change Nurse Ratched however, it made her a little nicer to the patients at the end and made her realize that if she abuses her power as a nurse, it can come back to haunt her.

The meaning of this story is wonderful and helped Jack Nicholson set the bar for acting. The symbolism of Chief's and McMurphy's redemption serves as a corner stone for many many movies today. Whether it be the costumes of the patients, the crazy acting, or even the beautiful classic shot at the end of the movie where Chief runs out to freedom; This movie will never be forgotten. And it serves as a good lesson for everyone out there who feels left out can all come together and get freedom. I advise anybody who says they love movies to watch this film, because it will not only change your views, it will change your life and you can't say that about a lot of movies.

Jack Nicholson's best yet!

[PaulSmuts · 10/10 · 19 June 2014]

I cannot overrate this movie. I watched it last night so I'm writing this review with it still fresh in mind. I had high expectations knowing all the rewards that rained down on it, but the film and Jack Nicholson's performance in particular still managed to surprise me.

R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is transferred to a mental institution for evaluation after given a short sentence on a prison farm for statutory rape charges. He tries to make the most of his suspected short stay in the hospital and challenges the head nurse (Louise Fletcher) at every chance he gets.

Anthony Hopkins has done a great intelligent psychopath, but no one does crazy better than Nicholson. I loved his performance in "The Shining" and am ashamed to say I have yet to see "As Good as it Gets" (one of three movies he won best actor Oscars for). He delivered an average performance in "The Departed" and isn't getting any younger, but I do hope he gives us at least one more role that comes close to the show he put on in Cuckoo's Nest. Watching his interaction with the other patients made me believe on some occasions I was seeing a comedy, but the movie quickly reminds us it can be just as depressing as it is funny.

It's hard to find fault with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Louise Fletcher did a great job as the leading actress and strong performances by all the supporting characters made the movie brilliant. Good screenplay, good directing and the music by Jack Nitzsche played nicely with the film.

I've seen some hate about the ending, but in my opinion it couldn't have been better. McMurthy could have jump out of the window when he had the chance and I think most of us were rooting for him to do so, but what he does next shows the strong bond formed with his odd friends inside the hospital.

The movie left me emotionally blank for a while and then I just felt sad. I'm not going to drop any major spoilers on this site as I know some of you still haven't seen it, but it's one of the few movies that have truly left me staring at the end credits in awe.

Conclusion:

It ranks as one of the best in my book alongside "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Pulp Fiction". See this movie with the highest expectations and chances are it will surpass them!

250moviereviews.wordpress.com

One Flew Over One of the Best Movies Ever Made!!! (And that person was me)

[MovieFan983 · 10/10 · 19 March 1999]

First thing's first, while I watched this movie, I found myself stunned. This movie so entertained the viewer, as it did fascinate, and inform. A chilling, disturbing, and revealing look into the mental institutions as seen through the eyes of a con. Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Brad Dourif, Danny DeVito, and Christopher Lloyd, round out the excellent, and very well casted cast.

Jack Nicholson brilliantly plays Randall Patrick McMurphy, an ex-con, who fakes being mentally insane, to enter the institution. As he goes to the hospital, he doesn't realize, that the people, and the atmosphere there is so out there. The patients are really psycho, and creepy. Randall, must try and survive these days, before he has to go to Jail. He has to entertain himself while at the same time, find good in this place of craziness.

Lousie Fletcher plays Nurse Ratched, a soft; but strong willed nurse, who will not take anything from anyone, or put up with misbehavior. She watches Randall, and notices something different about him, he's not as psycho as the others, but he is a little out there. Her job is tough indeed, having to put up with all these men, who don't listen, some go crazy and throw fits, and others just sit there and don't do anything.

Randall meets many new friends in this place, Brad Dourif who plays Billy Bibbit, is a mentally unstable, but voluntarily institutionalized person. Danny DeVito plays Martini, a slow but charming and sweet man, who means know harm in what he does or say. Christopher Lloyd plays Taber, a man, who also voluntarily institutionalized himself. He also meets Chief, a big 'dumb, and deaf' Indian, who happens to like to play basketball. Randall must try and survive these days with his new friends, and the hospital, as well as an everlasting war as to which they can watch the world series on TV. Put up with Nurse Ratched, and the other patients, doctors, vistors, and nurses. Ultimately leading up to a dramatic finale, that makes you want to stand up and cheer.

I think what was best about this film was the realism. I had no problem believing that this was happening. Almost like a documentary, it was striking and powerful, making the viewer not want to stop watching till the end. Some of the sequences are memorable as the basketball game, and the fishing trip. Jack Nicholson, who as always plays his character absolutely excellent, and makes the viewer want to hand him an Oscar himself.

The supporting cast, Louise Fletcher, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and Brad Dourif also give terrific performances. Danny, Christopher, and Brad's careers all were made with this superb movie. It's all sentimental, funny, dramatic, intense, chilling, disturbing, diverting, and tragic. The finale leaves the viewer stunned and sitting there thinking about what he just saw. See this film, and believe it. I think you will find, its one of the BEST ever.

The second film to win all five major Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Nicholson), Best Actress (Fletcher), Director, and Screenplay. And it deserved all of them.

Rated R for language, violence, sexual content, and brief nudity.

Extraordinary

[deloudelouvain · 10/10 · 13 March 2015]

This movie will always be one of my all time favorites and therefor I have to give it a maximum rating. It's one of those movies that will always stand the test of time. The whole cast are excellent actors. The constant mental battle between McMurphy (played brilliantly by Jack Nicholson) and nurse Ratched (played by Louise Fletcher) is a delight to watch. You feel so much hate for nurse Ratched. All the other actors are brilliant in their roles. You kind of want to slap them in the face and wake them up to face reality. The daily routines in the mental institute would even drive a normal person completely bonkers. I saw this movie so many times without getting bored once. This is truly one of the best movies in that genre.

One of the Greatest Ever Made

[Michael_Elliott · 13 November 2014]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

**** (out of 4)

What can one say about this masterpiece that hasn't already been said? Winner of five Academy Awards, director Milos Foreman's ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST is without question one of the greatest movies ever made and I think it also contains some of the greatest assembled acting that you're ever going to witness.

Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is put into a hospital where he's going to be evaluated and right from the start this rebel butts heads with the main nurse (Louise Fletcher). That's pretty much all you need to know about the story because the great characters and the remarkable story just captures you and doesn't let you go until the end credits.

There's a lot of credit that deserves to be shared in why this film is so special but you really have to start with Nicholson. If you look at his filmography during this period, it's really remarkable to see the type of roles he was doing. It's also easy to see how these type of films certainly wouldn't be made in today's age and time. Today rebels are shown to be tough guys with no weak spots but films like FIVE EASY PIECES, CARNAL KNOWLEDGE and this one show that the tough rebel can also be highly flawed and not always win.

Nicholson's performance here is simply flawless and there's not one false move throughout. It doesn't matter if he's just laughing at what's going on around him or connecting with one of the other characters. It's really hard to think of anyone in the history of cinema doing more with the role than what Nicholson did. Fletcher is also extremely good but for other reasons. It's not so much her "performance" but the simple ways she looks at the other characters. She expresses so much with her eyes that you can see why she's able to get the Nicholson character to bring out so much anger and rage. The supporting cast members are all flawless in their own right and really make this one of the most memorable assemble pieces ever put together. Brad Dourif certainly deserves special attention as the troubled Billy.

Everything from the music score to the editing to the way the story is build is done with such perfection that I really have no problem in calling this one of the greatest films ever made. The film is full of emotional highs and lo's but this is yet another reason it's so memorable.

Way over-rated

[amerlyn · 6/10 · 19 May 2010]

I wanted to like and appreciate this film, considering it's ratings and awards but found it to be vastly over-rated. Significant story inconsistencies and a good deal of ill-logic as to what the patients/inmates are able to get away with - all to further the story, but it's forced and comes across as not credible. Didn't they have alarms on windows and doors in the 60s at such institutions? The Nicholson character being able to get over barbed wire with no injuries - not reasonable. Seems likely. Well over the top performances, especially by Jack N; not unusual. Why he got so much acclaim for overacting is hard for me to figure. Some of his roles are excellently done, but many, like this one, are just him showing off - in my opinion. In summary, an overlong, often dull and obvious story.

the single-most shamelessy over rated movie of the 70s

[gittes98 · 3/10 · 4 June 2004]

I just wanted to add what may be the lone dissenting voice on this board concerning this movie. Is there anyone else out there who agrees, at least in part, with the heading? Firstly, movie is very hypocritical in its treatment of the patients by wanting us to feel compassion (fair enough) while making fun of their afflictions. There is the lead actor. Nicholson's performance is fine, if he's playing Jack Nicholson but what's all this anti-hero talk. McMurphy comes across as a completely selfish and self-eserving figure, without much humanity or compassion for others. Louis Fletcher plays Nurse Ratched in a somnambulistic state, dreary monotone and is about as threatening as Audrey Hepburn. Milos Forman's direction is uneven and reflects the hypocrisy of the entire project. This man must surely be one of the most over-rated directors of the era as well.

'Cuckoo's Nest' (the title alone proves the hypocrisy point)is'nt one-tenth the movie Nashville is and mainly won all its awards strictly because audiences of the time (and still apparently now)seem to fall for its phony pandering, false emotions and blatent audience manipulation. If these comments help bring the picture down a bit from its lofty position on the top 250 list, then I have done my duty.

The Ultimate Backfire

[bkoganbing · 10/10 · 15 January 2009]

It took a dozen years for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest to make it to the big screen from Broadway. In 1962 Kirk Douglas made his one and only return to Broadway to star as Randall P. McMurphy on stage with Joan Tetzel as his nemesis, nurse Ratched. Douglas bought the screen rights, but by the time anyone was interested in doing the film version, Kirk was too old for the part.

That may have been a break for the movie fans because as much as I like Kirk Douglas, I can't see anyone but Jack Nicholson doing this role as the free spirited McMurphy. McMurphy's a low level career criminal type who statutorily raped a girl as he put it '15 going on 35'. He decides to fake a crazy act while in prison to get out of the work farm he's assigned to.

So Nicholson's goes to the mental hospital where he meets an odd assortment of people whom he discovers voluntarily checked themselves in there, mainly because it's easier to stay there and not take all your psychological baggage into society. That's a crucial difference that Nicholson finds out the hard way, his new friends most of them can pack up and leave anytime they want. He's sent there by the state and the state determines when he's ready to go even if it's past the allotted jail time he was sentenced to.

The state in this case is Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched, one of the great Dickensian names ever given a movie character. Louise is the ultimate control freak and these people who've shut themselves away from life are her ultimate tools. When Nicholson comes in, he hasn't given up on life like the rest of these poor souls, he becomes a threat to Fletcher's little empire.

It's hard to believe that such a smart guy like McMurphy would not have known the rules about commitment. Still it doesn't detract a bit from the overall quality of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

Though the topic is not a fixed one to any era, the script does leave many oblique references to the Sixties in the film. The electroshock treatment and the lobotomy operations depicted here were by 1975 no longer in use. They were pretty barbaric and the mental health profession discarded these, but not before too many lives were shattered with them.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest swept the main Oscar categories, it won for Best Picture, Best Director for Milos Forman, Best Actor for Jack Nicholson, Best Actress for Louise Fletcher and Best Adapted Screenplay to Lawrence Hauban and Bo Goldman. Brad Dourif was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but he lost to George Burns in The Sunshine Boys.

Louise Fletcher never got the career mileage she should have for playing Nurse Ratched. It took her years, but she did get another career role in television as the ruler of Bejor, Kai Winn on Star Trek Deep Space Nine.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is one timeless classic, it will be popular a millenia from now.