Girl, Interrupted Reviews
Girl, Interrupted
Two time Oscar(r)-nominee Winona Ryder stars in the fascinating true story of a young woman’s life-altering stay at a famous psychiatric hospital in the turbulent late 1960′s. Questionably diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Susanna (Winona Ryder) rebels against the head nurse (Whoopi Goldberg) and top psychiatrist (Vanessa Redgrave), choosing instead to befriend the resident “loonies”,a group of troubled women including the seductively charismatic sociopath Lisa (Angelina Jolie). But Susanna quickly learns if she wants her freedom, she’ll have to face the person who terrifies her the most of all: herself.Based on Susanna Kaysen’s acclaimed journal-memoir, Girl, Interrupted bears inevitable resemblance to One Flew Over the Cucko
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Stunning portrayal of several characters & well-earned Oscar,
Winona Ryder is back from several years of lull in any highly memorable roles in major movies, and she is right on form with possibly her best performance yet. But that is certainly not all this movie has to offer. She plays Susannah Kaysen, an inpatient for a year at a mental hospital, who wrote the book about her real life story on which this is based. Not only Susannah but several of the other inpatients are most memorable characters. Angelina Jolie won Best Supporting Actress for playing Lisa, a sometimes menacing and always interesting patient there because of her anti-social personality. Other quite meomrable characters include a pathological liar who is Susannah’s usually sweet roommate, played by Clea DuVall, and the Sullen and obsessed Daisy, who will eat nothing but chicken from her father’s rotisserie, played by Brittany Murphy. Through her own struggles and interactions with the others, Susannah confronts in a memorable way some of the hot issues of the late 1960′s, making this almost a nostalgia trip as well as a riveting human drama.
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|As Amusing as it is poignant,
Here’s a look inside a mental hospital that will amply entertain while it communicates a heart-rending angst just as compellingly. Winona Ryder plays Susanna Kaysen, an inpatient in a true-life story who told her experiences in the institution in a book of the same title. Her own story is poignant but ever rivaled by that of other fellow patients. One is Georgina, Susannah’s sort-of happy-go-quirky roommate. Then there’s Daisy, a sad and somber patient whose story will break your heart. And there’s long-time resident Polly, sweet and loveable but still a prisoner to her childhood trauma in which she set herself on fire. But stealing the show is Lisa, played by Angelina Jolie, possibly the most spellbinding of less-than-heroic movie characters since Hannibal Lecter. It is impossible not to relate to Lisa and even sympathize with her somewhat, even though she is menacing and can be cruel. She traumatizes other patients, for example taunting poor Polly and calling her “torch”. Lisa is the escape artist of the group and bonds with Susannah in surprising ways. There’s indeed some heavy stuff here. But it’s also highly watchable with humanity and sometimes humor shining through the tragedy.
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|Girl, Interrupted will leave you speechless,
After seeing so many empty movies, Girl, Interrupted certainly leaves an impression upon me. Girl, Interrupted is a nearly perfect movie based on a perfect book. Winona Ryder does an absolutely amazing job portraying lost soul Susanna Kaysen… her eyes alone do a wonderful job of portraying pain and confusion. Angelina Jolie gives yet another solid performance as this tale’s tormented and tormenting sociopath; it’s no surprise she won an Oscar for her interpretation of Lisa. The supporting cast of Girl, Interrupted is fantastic as well; Clea DuVall’s Georgina has trapped herself in a fantasy world, Elizabeth Moss’s scarred Polly never wants to grow up, and Brittany Murphy’s Daisy shocks and saddens. A stunning use of flashbacks interspersed with present events moves the movie forward as you learn more about Susanna and company. The only complaint I have about this movie is the typical Hollywood ending tacked on at the end. Definitely not enough to spoil the film or even mar it slightly, but I expected better after reading the utterly compelling novel. This movie is a winner that will be enjoyed. Being 18 myself, I can completely relate: “Sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy.”
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