MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST

“𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻' 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀...”

Jack Nicholson is a legend. He’s the kind of actor I wish I could be. Yeah, yeah, you’ve got to be the best you. Blah blah. Whatever. This guy is a legend and we’re gonna take a deep dive into what may possibly be his best role. Miloš Foreman at the helm with one of the most compelling comedy dramas anyone has ever seen; ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS NEST.

Plot in a nutshell: An imprisoned War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution. There, he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse, Miss Ratched.

Okay, so for a lot of people this isn’t going to be first choice viewing. Yes, it’s a classic and for bloody good reason. The script is top 100 material. The dialogue is top 10 when you get into it. But what is really here is the source of one of Jack Nicholson‘s greatest performances. And Jack is one of the best. So to find this particular source, is a real gem.

Just gonna deep dive, try and keep my marbles and tuck into a feast of what is probably going to be a very rich script.

So, what did I learn from ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS NEST?

1. Dialogue - delicious. To write dialogue for a group of seriously mentally ill people, throw in a rampaging sociopathic loon like McMurphy, plus a rigid, hard ass dominatrix in the form of Miss Ratched and you have one hell of a cauldron filled with potent elements. The dialogue perfectly reflects their characters. The dialogue, here, is key. It draws us into the story by making the characters appealing. Comedy is the lure here. Witty, zippy dialogue that makes you chuckle unexpectedly. Hell, it almost borders on endearing.

2. Action Directions - just pushing the boundary of a bit too long. Very descriptive, surprisingly helpful for the actors and sets the scene, location and mood perfectly. There is a richness in the description that gives you plenty to work from. Just doesn’t need to be quite so verbose.

3. Action Directions 2 - think I’m getting a bit worn from some of these older scripts and how they refer to anyone of different colour or race from white. Yes, it’s of its time, but sometimes it just wears you thin. There’s no need. Simple description of the characters physique, accent perhaps, any indicators as to their profession or religion in their dress and props to help add any other character information. Possibly even age, though that isn’t really necessary. But I think these days, indicating a persons skin colour doesn’t really help the casting. The character simply needs to be a vessel for an actor to fill.

4. Action Directions 3 - early on, there is a term used for some of the more catatonically affected mental patients; “vegetable”. Regardless of whether this term was being used ironically, seriously or just as a derogatory term, it isn’t used now. I often take to researching correct terms for somebody with a certain disposition. I find the most suitable term that can be both understood and respectful from a resource that is reliable (charity or medical websites are normally great) and I double check with an informed source as to if it terms offence. If not, I go ahead and use it (and even then, I’m open to change). So whatever the point of using this term was, I would seriously recommend against using it nowadays. Find a better way.

5. Actors - yeah, you are spoilt for choice here. This would be a great piece to put together on stage. You couldn’t remake the film (simply a classic), but there’s so much character work here, that you could have a field day. McMurphy and Ratched, in particular, are two stunning characters. So much fun and maliciousness to be had with both.

6. Actors 2 - this is a rare occasion for me, but I have to say that I support some of the action directions in this script that indicate how an actor is to perform a character. You don’t have to follow everything, but there are some wonderful little tics, such as McMurphy bending and stretching his legs when he gets out of the police car at the beginning. 99.9% of the time I’m an advocate for ignoring any instructions in action directions that tell an actor how to act. But there are some canny clues here that it certainly wouldn’t hurt to follow.

7. Actors 3 - intriguing. The more the script goes on, the more it reveals the primary objectives of these characters. Are they seeking their own purpose? As if the purpose of their purpose is to find their true purpose? Whilst being kept prisoner. Wow, there’s some deep stuff going on there.

8. Story - one person railing against the system. Yet another ancient tale, but used in an effective setting, can give rise to rebellion and deep contemplation. You can’t do better than a free wheeled spirit being placed in a psychiatric hospital, where the purpose of the institution is to remove the urge to be so free of will, that it warrants harm upon society. You could put the contents of any one day of this locations happenings into a 100 page script, and it would be cracking. But focusing here on McMurphy versus Ratched, gives it real fireworks. The ever escalating tensions. Every boundary being tested. Who is going to win? What horrific things will these people do to win? Where do we want to leave the audience at the end? How do we want them to feel? Whose side are you truly on?

9. Story 2 - intriguing. The more the script goes on, the more it reveals the primary objectives of these characters. Are they seeking their own purpose?

10. Finale - proper tear jerker. The build to the finale has been so beautifully and steadily paced, that by the time the patients are allowed to really have some fun and let go at McMurphy‘s devilishly planned late night party, there can be only one outcome. The moment that the lobotomised McMurphy is dragged back into the waiting room and Bromden tries to break him out of his supposed act, is just gut wrenching. You don’t want to see McMurphy go out like this. None of us want to go out this way. All of us want to embrace life and don’t want it taken from us by some institute. Stunningly emotional and carefully crafted gem of a finale.

This is powerful writing. This is a real story. A stunning example of how to masterfully create a touching tale. Engrossing, touching and thought provoking. It’s not just about how mental health is treated at a certain period in time. It’s not even about rebellion. It is about taking the time to appreciate that the human spirit needs fun and love and enjoyment and a lack of boundaries to truly heal.

We could all take a lot away from this script these days, especially with the ever increasing mental health pandemic that is very much in our faces right now.

This is where art is important. This is where human writing is essential.

Link to the script:

https://thescriptsavant.com/.../One_Flew_Over_The_Cuckoos...