A classic

I already saw this movie but, since it was ages ago and since it was available on HBO Max, I was quite eager to check it out again. Well, I’m really glad I gave it another shot after all these years because I was much more able to enjoy it. The point is that, I must have watched it when I was maybe 16 years old and, to be honest, I actually had some mixed feelings about this movie. Indeed, in my mind, the whole thing was sugarcoating the whole ordeal of being a patient in a mental institution, back then in the 60’s but also nowadays. However, after rewatching the damned thing, I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t the case after all and the end-result was actually more realistic than I thought it was (except maybe for Chief’s escape at the end). Basically, they displayed that the main goal of this institution was not really to cure these patients but to contain them. McMurphy wasn’t after all some kind of wonder cure that made them whole again but his masterstroke was to treat them as actual fully-fledged human beings. Will they ever be cured? Probably not but it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have a life like anyone else instead of being locked up forever in the most depressing place you could possibly imagine. Concerning Jack Nicholson, he really had a stellar career but this could be his all-time best performance. McMurphy was indeed a perfect fit for him and the guy was just spellbinding to behold. Eventually, the only real plot hole in my opinion was that it didn’t make any sense that we would keep McMurphy after evaluating him. I mean, it was obvious that the guy didn’t have any mental illness so why keeping him? It was certainly not helping him, it wasn’t making the job of the employees working there any easier and his erratic behavior certainly didn’t have a soothing influence on the other patients. Anyway, to conclude, even if it might not be flawless, it is still a great classic and it is pretty much a must-see for any decent movie lover. 

8/10