"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.
|