Angelina Jolie Movie:

Editorial Review:
Based on Susanna Kaysen's acclaimed journal-memoir, Girl, Interrupted bears inevitable resemblance to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and pale comparison to that earlier classic is impossible to avoid. The mental institution settings of both films guarantee a certain degree of déjà vu and at least one Oscar winner (in this case, Angelina Jolie), since playing a loony is any actor's dream gig. Unfortunately, director James Mangold seems to have misplaced the depth and delicacy of his underrated debut, Heavy, despite a great deal of earnest effort by everyone involved. It's easy to see why Winona Ryder chose to star in (and executive-produce) this nearly worthy adaptation of Kaysen's book, since it's a strong vehicle for female casting and potent drama. Mangold certainly got the former; whether he succeeded with the latter is not so clear.

To be sure, Ryder conveys the confusion and chaos that signified Kaysen's life during nearly 18 months of voluntary institutionalization beginning in 1967. But the film seems too eager to embrace the cliché that the "crazies" of the Claymoore women's ward are saner than the war-torn world outside, and lack of narrative focus gives way to semipredictable character study. Susanna (Ryder) is labeled with "borderline personality disorder," a diagnosis as ambiguous as her own emotions, and while Jolie chews the scenery as the resident bad-girl sociopath, Ryder effectively conveys an odyssey from vulnerable fear to self-awareness and, finally, to healing. The ensemble cast is uniformly superb, making this drama well worthwhile, even as it treads familiar territory. If it ultimately lacks dramatic impact, Girl, Interrupted makes it painfully clear that the boundaries of dysfunction are hazy in a world where everyone's crazy once in a while. --Jeff Shannon

Girl, Interrupted [Region 2] Reviews:
Movie, Excellent
2008-07-31 - "Girl, Interrupted" is the story of Susanna (Winona Ryder), a troubled teen who ends up in a mental institution following a botched suicide attempt. Based on a true story, this film is very similar to "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," expect for the fact that Susanna is self-committed and this movie has a relatively happy ending. There are a number of stellar performances in this film, and although Ryder was given top billing, Angelina Jolie steals the show as Lisa, a disturbed patient, the role which ultimately won Jolie an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It's intense, dramatic, and jarring, and the cast is superb, with the exception of Whoopi Goldberg, who is just sort of floating around the hospital playing a nurse. Still, "Girl, Interrupted" is definitely worth seeing.

Dark,loved it!!!!!
2008-05-25 - Wynona Ryder has always been one of my all time favs. People always say this is a chick flick but it's much more than that. The performances are top of the line and the film manages to take a very sensitive subject matter (mental illness) and balance it with the right amount of comedy and drama. I get so angry with some of these institutions and their treatment of vulnerable women so films like this help to bring attention to people struggling with demons. Angelina Jolie is superb in this film. This is one of my favorite Jolie films.

Dark and revealing.
2008-04-09 - It took me two or three viewings to feel comfortable with the problems of the main characters, particularly Brittany Murphy's Daisy, but I began to see what a well-handled study of madness, 'the System' and unhealable sadness this film is.

Angelina Jolie finally proved that she could act. The Oscar is richly deserved because her performance is so meticulous and moving. Winona Ryder is cautious and difficult to feel for at first, but she shows more skill as her character begins to empathise with Jolie's sociopathic Lisa and Murphy's tragic Daisy.

This film rewards repeated viewings because it is emotionally rich and absorbing.

Insanely Good!!!
2008-04-07 - If you're like me, and you love movies where characters are little bit insane, then this movie is for you. Angelina Jolie puts on one of my favorite performances and is terrific in the film. Buy this movie!

None Immune
2008-01-28 - I'm always curious to see how the plight of women regarding healthcare, particularly psychological and mental healthcare is depicted in art. I consider any fiction on the topic to be a mere sliver of what really goes on behind such closed doors, this being even more the case in the repressed climate of the 1960s. Set in Claymoore, a private mental hospital for young women, the prevailing curiosity of the film is determining if the girls are truly ill, or if they just don't adhere to the morays of the era. In most cases it seems to be a bit of both, the level of tragedy as compelling in either.

The story is told from the perspective of Susanna, Ryder's character, who is certainly suffering from depression and repression. As Susanna endures the bumps of settling in we are introduced to the girls on her ward. She also establishes relationships with the facility's staff, namely a nurse played by Whoopi Goldberg, who certainly fills a mentor role for Susanna. Being the narrative bridge between these two worlds establishes Susanna as a reasonably reliable perspective for us to get a glimpse into these womens' lives. Some are there to cope with behaviours stemming from abuse, tragedy, and deeply seated psychotic imbalance. We navigate those waters with Susanna as their stories are divulged. However, as she learns more about them she becomes more caught up in their processes, somewhat losing sight of her own. In the end she has to decide between finally feeling at home among peers and the balanced instruction of her keepers, against working to heal and leave the ward.

The story is compelling and edgy, though not nearly as enthralling as I'd hoped. The writing is well done, though the acting feels somewhat stiff from most of the cast--Ryder in particular. This role does not seem to be a far stretch from many of her quirky 'ultra-femme needing to find herself' roles. The soundtrack is an interesting combo,too. All in all the film does a great job of depicting the many shapes, sizes and flavors of mental illness and the management of it, and in honoring how we all have interrupted moments.