Although the movie is a classic, the book is even better.

“Good writin' ain't necessarily good readin'.” ( )

Some of the storyline is rather contrived, and some highly unlikely. But the film's effectiveness cannot be denied. Nearly fifty years on, it is Louise Fletcher's performance which dominates the film rather than Jack Nicholson, though he plays his character well. ( )

By modern standards, the majority of the film might come off as a bit bland and straightforward, but it is still superbly acted, with plenty of memorable and funny bits interspersed. And in the end, the journey is well worth it, as the amazing ending makes the movie's status as a cinema classic hold up. ( )

An apparently sane convict is transferred to a mental hospital.

One of my biggest movie pet-peeves is the Nurse Ratched character: the unrelatable villain who exists for the sole purpose of committing gross injustices against innocent characters, thereby uniting the easily manipulated members of the audience with the protagonist in their common hatred of something absurdly easy to hate - the Nazi Commanders or the Wicked Step Mothers of the fictional world. It's really a testament to how great this movie is that even though it's the quintessential example of that type of character device, it still works, and I don't roll my eyes even a little.

Concept: A
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: A
Pacing: A
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: A
Acting: A
Music: C

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 3.4/4 ( )

The first time I saw this I left the theater unable to speak. It's the movie that made Nicholson a star, full surprises, with the coldest villain in movies and a very powerful ending.. The original music is almost unearthly, and it haunted me for years. Based on Ken Kesey's excellent novel, which is different in very significant ways, not the least of which is the point of view. The end of the book lacks the drama of the movie, but there's a lot more to it. ( )