One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

    Coming from my local high school, Jack Nicholson is an extraordinary actor who got his big break in the 1970s with films such as The Shining and Chinatown, but I believe he really showed his range and passion for the art of acting in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This film premiered on the big screen in 1975 and is one of Nicholson's most highly regarded and praised movies in his filmography. The plot of this movie centers around a man, Nicholson, who is admitted into a mental institution and from the moment he walks in, wrecks havoc among the residents and medical staff. The film's cast features Louise Fletcher as the infamous Nurse Ratched, Dean R. Brooks as the head Doctor Spivey, and an ensemble cast of patients including longtime hometown friend of Nicholson, Danny DeVito as Martini. It was interesting to see Danny DeVito looking so much younger as this was only his fourth movie and the difference between his looks and acting skills has changed so much. After viewing this film after most of Nicholson's newer movies, it's very interesting to see how far his skills as an actor have come but still how well they held up in the 70s. 

    In the duration of this film, there is no real "plot", but there is a series of schemes that Nicholson pulls off in order to defy the totalitarian staff that consists of nurses and help with sinister intentions as well as doctors and scientists that are extremely tractable and seem to bow down to the head nurse who always seems to get her way. As the film progresses, it is very evident that the plot holds much more than Nicholson shaking up the norm at the institution. Nicholson's character, McMurphy, single handedly changes the lives of all of the patients in the hospital with his antics that go much deeper for everyone there. From the moment McMurphy walks through the front door, it can be seen that he isn't insane, but merely put in the institution because he's been to jail before and the people around him are starting to think he's going crazy. The men that live inside the hospital haven't seen the outside world in a while and when McMurphy comes in and interacts and treats them like normal human beings they get very excited. McMurphy tries to understand all of the men in there and find out how to get then to open up to him. What follows in the story is a timeline of antics caused by Nicholson's character that change patients forever. This film really shows the range of Nicholson and was a wonderful blend of several different genres that is worthy of several more viewings.