As proved in Cop Land, you can rely on director James Mangold to pull out the best from his actors. Performances excel in this adaptation of Susanna Kaysen's true story of life in a mental hospital at the end of the '60s, but there are just too many bonding/ institution/troubled teen clichés for it to reach Cuckoo's Nest greatness.
DVD Extras:
Behind the scenes featurette, US theatrical trailer, deleted scenes (with/without commentary), talent profiles, director's commentary. Mangold's intelligent commentary is a mini-masterclass on story structure, especially when coupled with the 17 minutes of deleted scenes (some of which are arguably more important to character development than anything kept in the movie). Producer-star Winona Ryder and real-life inspiration Susanna Kaysen make interesting contributions to the accompanying featurette.
