Girl, Interrupted (1999)

	Directed by: James Mangold	COUNTRY USA GENRE Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Stjålne år RUNNING TIME 127 minutes
	Produced by: Douglas Wick Cathy Conrad
	Written by (based on the memoir by Susanna Kaysen): James Mangold Lisa Loomer Anna Hamilton Phelan

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Susanna Kaysen	Winona Ryder	½
Lisa Rowe	Angelina Jolie
Georgina Tuskin	Clea DuVall
Daisy Randone	Brittany Murphy
Polly "Torch" Clark	Elisabeth Moss
Tobias Jacobs	Jared Leto	-
Dr. Melvin Potts	Jeffrey Tambor	½
John	Travis Fine	-
Cynthia Crowley	Jillian Armenante	-
Janet Webber	Angela Bettis	-
Dr. Sonia Wick	Vanessa Redgrave	-
Valerie Owens	Whoopi Goldberg	½

Review

This was James Mangold's third feature, following his successful Cop Land in 1997. A psychological drama about life in a psychiatric hospital for young girls in the 1960, Girl, Interrupted was adapted from Susanna Kaysen's 1993 memoir and feels like the true account it purports to be. It also feels like a story that has gone through the Hollywood machinery, however, because it boasts some overly familiar plot and character developments and a disappointing unwillingness to really delve into the subject matter of mental illness and the hazards of institutionalisation. For all their flagrant flaws and troubles, these girls – not least Ryder and Jolie – always seem to be just one movie reconciliation away from complete recovery. That being said, the film is entertaining and well-made, with several fine performances by a talented cast, including Brittany Murphy as an abused daddy’s girl and Elisabeth Moss as an immature burn victim.