One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I want to like this movie. The collection of actors is amazing. The acting is phenomenal, and the collection of actors here is legendary. The movie itself is considered untouchable, among the very best Hollywood has ever put out. I just can't agree. I won't disparage the acting, as everybody here does a wonderful job. Jack shows why, even at a young age, he was acting royalty. Christopher Lloyd is fantastic in his first role, Danny DeVito is excellent, and Brad Dourif earns the Golden Globe and BAFTA he won. And Louise Fletcher is also compelling. But that brings me to problem #1: Nurse Ratched. For years, I've heard how she is one of Hollywood's most iconic villains, standing shoulder to shoulder with monsters and maniacs and masked killers, and ... no. Just no. I try not to post opinions as facts, but I do not see any objective way Nurse Ratched can be held up as a villain. And if you do, you're wrong. WRONG. She is not cruel, she is not malicious, she does nothing that anyone wouldn't do in her position as head nurse of a psychiatric ward. McMurphy is a disruptive jackass that all but leads an insurrection on multiple occasions and frequently finds ways to push back against the system for no reason other than to be obnoxious. Every action she takes is justified. Could the argument be made that, when there is discussion of transferring him back to the work camp, that Ratched asks for McMurphy to stay just to continue their war of wills? Sure, if you ignore that he clearly is a textbook narcissist with oppositional defiance disorder and a total lack of a moral compass. No, she is not a villain, and by trying to present her as one, this movie has a huge problem. But perhaps the other problem is the movie has no forward momentum. It has no story. No arc. Nothing. A guy tries to use the mental health system to dodge a sentence on statutory rape, overplays his hand pretending to be crazy, gets a lobotomy. This takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. Sure, you get to see some fantastic acting along the way, but it's just variations on McMurphy saying he doesn't belong there, and the crazy people being crazy. Wash, rinse, repeat. If this movie moves you, good for you. If this movie has left an impact on you, I wish I could understand how. I see wonderful acting, but that's all I see. It's in service of a movie that has nothing to it. This movie is a skeleton in a tuxedo.