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Essay about girl interrupted review

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One popular cultural myth about the mentally ill is the archetype of the "Sexy Crazy Girl", which we've seen in movies, comic books, and music. Losing your grip with reality is not a glamorous subject, but that's not what you get from Girl, Interrupted. It is apparent that all the girls in the movie had some type of dysfunctional personality, and bad things happen to some of them, but it just did not seem realistic. First off, most of the patients prtrayed were young, which made the care facility look like a youth home rather than a mental institution. but only the main (well known) stars, (Jolie and Ryder) were focal piont. I'll also note that about half the young girls in the movie, Ryder and Jolie included, simply don't look …show more content…

The movie seems to pay heavy homage to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in using a character like Lisa, as she seems at first glance like the young female version of Randall McMurphy. Farther in, however, we discover that Girl, Interrupted is more aptly described as being completely the opposite... Lisa really is probably more messed up than anyone else in the ward. Jolie has gotten plenty of acclaim for her performance here, but I was never really taken in. It seems she's playing nearly the same sexy-vixen she's played in a few other films already; just this time, she's in a t-shirt, and occasionally gets tied to a bed. It'd be interesting to see Jolie really stretch beyond her type; maybe in a Jane Austen movie or playing a nun.

Overall, Girl, Interrupted feels like a movie that could've been rawer, more intense, and more confrontational... ie, a lot less Hollywood. I found myself wondering what this adaptation of Kaysen's book would've been like if it had been done on a shoestring budget with unknown young actresses and a fledgling director. Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade, the short film by Billy Bob Thornton that led to the film Sling Blade came to mind. I'm also noticing that that's the 2nd time I referenced another film that is primarly about men, not women. Maybe we need an excellent film about mentally ill young women, and

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