POP FILTER VS. THE CLASSICS
POP FILTER
VS.
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
When I started watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest I realized that I had seen at least the
beginning before in a film class. In fact I’m pretty sure I bailed once the instructor left the room to go do something decidedly non-academic. Watching it on my television left me pretty bummed that I had opted out of seeing it on the big screen in the class room because this movie is really fucking good. I’ve always liked Jack Nicholson but besides Chinatown I’ve mostly only seen his post-Batman stuff. He’s so good here that I’ve resolved to use my Netflix powers to check out the rest of his stuff.
For those that don’t know the story, it’s about a convict named McMurphy (Nicholson) who gets
transferred to a mental institution for analysis as the prison suspects he’s just trying to get out on easy street for the remainder of his sentence. Once in the institution he befriends the rest of the patients and starts fighting back against the tyranny of Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). It’s a simple story that’s perfect for just letting Nicholson go nuts with a strong group of character actors. What makes this great first off is the fact that Nicholson plays his character so down the middle that you’re actually never sure if he’s faking or not. At times he seems to be the most clear headed of all the patients and at others he seems like he’s two steps from going manic. It allows us to relate to his character as the normal dude but leaves us uneasy because he seems so close to going over the edge and we don’t want to follow him there.
Insane or Brilliant?
She never does anything outright wicked but she’s just so stone-faced and frigid that you just want to reach through the screen and strangle her. The scene where she refuses to let the guys watch the World Series on a technicality is pure fucking evil at its most heinous. The worst thing about it though is that she completely believes that what she’s doing is for the good of the patients…and even worse, she may be right. She’s basically attempting to create order out of chaos by enforcing rules and regulations and she even seems to care about everyone in the ward. Still though, if you don’t feel like running down the streets screaming for her blood by the end of the movie then I don’t care to know you.The supporting cast is fucking great as well. The guys all play incredibly convincing mental patients. We get a few stars in here, with Danny Devito as Martini and Christopher Lloyd as Taber. Devito is hardly even recognizable in here. In fact I didn’t even realize it was him until I read the IMDB page. He plays the guy so well that I just assumed they had found some half insane dude who agreed to sign a contract. Weirder though is Christopher Lloyd. His character is kind of a bully and is constantly mocking the rest of the guys. When he gets into his loud angry outbursts and starts threatening guys it’s almost heartbreaking. I mean here’s the wholesome Doc Brown talking about jerkin off and telling people they’re full of shit. Even if it means the partial raping of my childhood, it’s still awesome to see him playing against type.
This is what happens after Doc Brown tells the world about his adventures through time
Out of all the patients though, two stand out the most. The first is Chief, played by Will
Bromden. The dude is a huge imposing figure at the beginning, only to secretly reveal himself to be the most sane of the bunch. When he finds McMurphy lobotomized at the end, the look on his face is pretty devastating. He clearly understands that McMurphy is the only guy there who might be on his level of sanity and losing him definitely affects him. When he breaks out immediately after, it’s pretty triumphant. The second is Chucky himself, Brad Dourif, as Billy Bibbit. Watching him here, it’s crazy to think he didn’t become more of a major player in Hollywood because he’s so fucking convincing. The scene near the end where he’s being dragged away to the room where he eventually kills himself is heartbreaking. The dude looks like he’s being dragged into hell and his screams are pretty terrifying. Come to think of it, no wonder the guy became a horror icon. I wonder if McMurphy would have been so quick to try and choke the life out of Nurse Ratched if he knew Billy could just transfer his soul into a murderous doll.
Overall One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest deserves its place in cinema history. It’s truly an
excellent film and everyone should check it out if they haven’t already.-ASW