Girl, Interrupted (1999)

reviewed by
Ross Anthony


"You and Me Amplified"
Girl, Interrupted
By Ross Anthony

"Some advice ... never stick your finger out at a crazy person," a wild cat, dangerously honest, less than stable Angelina Jolie warns an older acquaintance of Winona Ryder at a local ice cream parlor during a rare field trip from the institution.

Essentially, this is the story of one woman's sabbatical from sanity. We begin the film with an assortment of flashbacks as Ryder admits herself to Clayman Mental Center in hopes of getting a little rest from all the headaches, hallucinations, etc. After the first half-hour, we're up to speed on the history, and spend most of the rest of the film in the institution, making friends and getting used to the awkward routine. "Don't drop anchor, here," Whoopi Goldberg (nurse) cautions the confused Ryder.

Ryder is very good. Jolie is awesome. The direction, script and editing are also supreme until the climax, where the script dumps a preciously delicate, off-balance momentum for a rather cliché resolution. It was an "A" before that.

Girl, Interrupted. Copyright © 2000. Rated R. Starring Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea Duvall, Brittany Murphy, Vanessa Redgrave, Whoopi Goldberg. Directed by James Mangold. Written by James Mangold, Lisa Loomer and Anna Hamilton Phelan. Based on the book by Susanna Kaysen. Produced by Douglas Wick, Cathy Konrad at Sony.

Grade..........................B+

-- Copyright © 2000. Ross Anthony, currently based in Los Angeles, has scripted and shot documentaries, music videos, and shorts in 35 countries across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more reviews visit: http://RossAnthony.com


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