Girl, Interrupted

this film was perfectly made, esp when i learned that this was based on a true story and the writer was Susanna Kaysen herself — a masterpiece indeed. i felt at ease knowing she, herself wrote this film bec youll know that it's really raw and real. it's beautifully sensitive and heartbreaking at the same time. * abuserssss!!! i hope everyone gets better and heal!!! t something to add: angelina jolie, winona ryder, and brittany murphy (fly high, queen) were all fuckin gorgeous, and the acting? brooooo, it was amazing, astonishing, awe -increased, extraordinary, spectacular, and any other term that can syrpass these words, yeh

Not only a bad film, but perhaps a dangerous one, this movie betrays the serious and thoughtful book on which is was based in favour of asylum-as-summer-camp hijinx. The author's original critique of the system is replaced with a knuckle-under philosophy that plays into the hands of a system that the book shows may or may not have created some of the very diseases it claims to treat. Apart from a great performance by Angelina Jolie, Girl, Interrupted has nothing to recommend it and much to its discredit.

It's always tough in today's goal-obsessed society to be someone who isn't quite sure what they want, but woman and minorities especially have it tough, because they seem to be automatically assigned "roles" for them(if you're a woman, even today, people still ask you when you're going to get married; if you're black and look big, people ask if you're an athlete). In the 60's, author Susanna Kaysen was in a similar position; she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life, but knew she didn't quite fit into the norm. Because of that, and because of some legitimate problems(she tried to kill herself by swallowing a bottle of aspirin), she went into a mental hospital and was tagged with having "borderline personality disorder," a catch-all phrase which meant whatever the doctors wanted it to mean. From her experiences in the hospital, Kaysen wrote the book GIRL, INTERRUPTED(the title comes from a Vermeer painting), and now comes the movie version from James Mangold and Winona Ryder. Mangold's first two films, HEAVY and COPLAND, were both about main characters leading lives of quiet desperation; the pizza chef in HEAVY unable to express himself, and the partly sheriff in COPLAND who must learn to assume his responsibility with that position. Susanna fits in with those two characters, and Mangold does just as good a job with her, except for some melodramatic scenes near the end. There are some major themes going on here, like whether Susanna is really crazy, just spoiled, or conditioned to think something is wrong with her, the nature of what "crazy" is in the 60's, and of course being a woman at the time, but Mangold avoids making big statements for the most part, instead concentrating on Susanna's growth into being a little more sure of herself. As has been said before, Ryder brings a lot to the table, not just being a talented actress, but life research, having spent time in a hospital due to exhaustion(this is why she pulled out of GODFATHER PART III as well). And instead of going for obvious drama, she too just makes Susanna's recovery a gradual and detailed journey, except for those melodramatic scenes. The first third, which seems to be influence by SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE, flashes back and forth through time, as if showing Susanna feeling lost and fragmented. The rest of the movie is more linear, but Ryder doesn't make it boring. Some people have dismissed this as a chick ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, which is the usual knee-jerk response whenever a mostly female cast tackles what is normally done with a mostly male cast. In truth, they're very different movies, primarily because in CUCKOO, we're meant to see the hospital staff, represented by Nurse Ratched, as evil, trying to break down the patients rather than build them up. Here, on the other hand, while we're meant to see the system's shortcomings(in addition to what I said before, the different meanings of "promiscuous" when applied to men and women), the hospital staff is generally seen as trying to do the best they can. The patients may make fun of the doctors(well-played by Jeffrey Tambor and Vanessa Redgrave) and occasionally challenge the nurses(head nurse Whoopi Goldberg gives her best performance in a long time), but there's no real hatred here, except maybe from Lisa. Angelina Jolie certainly has a flashy role with Lisa, the resident sociopath, but makes her seem real, until the movie betrays her at the end. When she's pushing people's buttons, she's actually quite sly about it, which is a lot more multi-dimensional than some have made it out to be. The rest of the cast playing patients is also good(it was a little heartbreaking seeing Elisabeth Moss playing a burn victim, especially when they show a picture of her as a young girl, where she looks like she did in IMAGINARY CRIMES). But it's Ryder who is the main reason for seeing this fine movie.

Movie was okay. Haven't read the book, but appears to me to be more of an Angelina Jolie vehicle rather that of Miss Ryder. Kudos for handling the way Miss Ryder character's condition was revealed, but more detailed insight into borderline behavior's would have been appreciated. We just see a slightly rebellious but nice little lady and none of the pain Miss Ryders character must have endured as a borderline prior to her hospitalization. This should have been developed more, instead we get to see endless Jolie escapades. A better movie by far is Prozac nation feature Christina Ricci. Girl Interrputed, A dollar rental okay, but would not add to collection.

SPOILERS Let's be honest for a moment. As humanity settles itself into a new millennium, there are so many aspects of life which we remain ignorant about. One aspect in particular is the realm of the human mind. With countless philosophical theories designed to explain the interaction between the brain and the body, science is still at a major loss to explain it. In the modern world we deal with the mentally ill through discussion and pumping them full of drugs. It's a practise which has been in use for decades in one form or another and it remains a practise which treats the ill with a varied degree of success. If we look back in time at the 1960s however, the process was of a similar format. People would be locked in an institute, pumped full of drugs, and often for the simple fact that their behaviour was different to the social climate. "Girl, Interrupted" was a book written by a woman who experienced this case of affairs and whilst altered slightly in story, the film adaptation is a brilliant story which raises more questions about mental health, than it cares to answer. Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder) is a "promiscuous" rebel who spends her time depressed and pondering her death. With an alternative point of view to people of her time (but a mind-scape that most modern teenage Goths would probably agree with) she finds herself placed in a mental hospital. There she meets interesting people, both doctors and patients, as she tries to come to terms with her own mind. Sometimes labelled as the female equivalent of "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest", "Girl, Interrupted" is a clever film which leaves you questioning your mental health throughout. Based on the book by Susanna Kaysen, it has insider information giving it a solid basis. In the lead role, Winona Ryder gives perhaps her finest performance to date as she questions everything around her before she begins to question herself. Whether she ever really needs the hospital in the first place, or whether it does her any good or not, is open to interpretation, but from the first moments of the film, she keeps us involved with the character and never allows us to stop caring about her. In a mirror image of Ryder, Angelina Jolie plays the sociopathic Lisa. Coming from a broken home, Lisa is another of these characters who you find it very difficult to understand just how sane she is. Jolie manages to give the character an air of menace throughout the film, whether friendly or aggressive. She provides a solid character, and whilst Ryder arguably deserved more award recognition for her role, Jolie is definitely worthy of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar which she won with this role. Both women's superb performances are also helped by some great acting by the rest of the cast. Including an impressive Brittany Murphy, Clea DuVall, Whoopi Goldberg, Jared Leto and Vanessa Redgrave, the acting is always above standard and hard to fault. In a time of social revolution, there was (as is ever) a thin line between genius and insanity. Whilst people like Martin Luther King changed the world, there were others who were locked up for mental instability. Whether they were truly insane or not is a difficult question to answer. But set at this time of great importance, it is magnificent films like "Girl, Interrupted" that ironically open our minds and get us thinking. Highly recommended.

I agree the central plot is not that wonderful and it's been seen a million times before and I agree "Girl, Interrupted" is not people's favourite film. However, this is good...very good. Angelina Jolie again proves she's a great actress. Her performance is one of the best she has ever shown in her career. Winona Ryder and Brittany Murphy are very well too.

The film is totally bland, silly, uninteresting, and going nowhere. I started yawning after 10 minutes. The original novel (by Susanna Kaysen) has always been my favorite book and this film version is just awful. I'm so disappointed, the film lacks the substance, maturity, and especially the dark humor displayed in the novel. And I don't really think Winona Ryder is the suitable person to play the heroine. The problem i see with Winona Ryder as an actress is that she's always 'Winona Ryder' no matter which film she appears in, she doesn't seem to me to be able to blend herself into the character. Angelina Jolie gives a much more powerful performance, but still, that doesn't help. THe film is just lame. Do yourself a favor and don't watch the film; go read the book instead.