Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
all round brilliance, 13 May 2006
A wonderful film with brilliant acting from the whole cast.
Winona Ryder plays the main character who narrates a tale of being admitted into a mental institute after trying to kill herself. Jaded with life and without a long term plan for the future that involves marrying and reproducing Susanna Kaysen is considered unstable. Diagnosis - borderline personality disorder.
In the institute she meets people the general public would consider the 'real crazies'.... As the story unfolds however we learn to see each of them as individuals and the stories behind why they are who they are...
Angelina Jolie's performance as a sociopath is unbelievable. The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw this was 'she absolutely and totally deserved that oscar.' If you've written her off as an actress give her one more shot with this movie and I guarantee you will change your mind.
Based on the book by Susanna Kaysen this is a true life story about self discovery and a must see movie... You may well laugh or cry. Maybe even both.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful, never lets go... And Angelina Jolie? Superb., 3 Sep 2006
At first, I was weary of seeing Girl, Interrupted, for fear of it being a chick-flick or another cliche-ridden carbon copy of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Just 15 minutes into the movie, however, and I realised that this was not the case.
The story is well-crafted, the direction is good, the script is superb- but what really stands out is the acting. The entire cast in "Girl, Interrupted" is nothing short of amazing. This movie was made in 1999, and yet even 7 years later, I must admit that, apart from one or two notable exceptions, no performances come to mind that even come close to those in Girl, Interrupted.
Winona Ryder's somewhat understated performance as the protagonist is excellent, for instance.
This, however, is really Angelina Jolie's movie. Jolie steals the show as Lisa, a raving sociopath who's power and magnetism cannot help but elicit compassion or even attachment from the audience despite the fact that, objectively, she is a wholly unsympathetic character.
Angelina Jolie's oscar-winning performance is so resonant that, despite the fact that the cast is terrific, when Jolie is on the scene everyone else might as well just lie down and play dead.
Special commendations must be made for avoiding the pitfalls of usual looneybin cliches.
All in all this is a powerful, emotionally complex and haunting movie that never lets go, even after the credits have stopped rolling. A must-see.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Add this to your list of must-sees!, 24 Feb 2006
'Crazy isn't being broken, or swallowing a dark secret. It's you, or me, amplified...'Girl, Interrupted is an incredible film, insightful and memorable. Winona Ryder identifies in one of the DVD interviews that the book appears impossible to adapt, but all involved with the film have done a terrific job here. The film manages to stick very closely to the book and yet still tell a coherent story; anyone who's read Kaysen's biography will know that this is no small achievement! The characters' relationships with themselves and each other are at turns heartwarming and heartbreaking. Angelina Jolie does a particularly excellent job playing the magnetic Lisa, but all the cast give great performances. The DVD extras are very good, and it's particularly interesting to see the deleted scenes offer a little bit more insight into some of the characters. The film's music is also worth a mention, with some really great song choices. This film is resonating and beautiful, and in short, I can't recommend it highly enough. Go watch it already.
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