One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is considered one of the greatest mental health movies of all time; however, the source novel’s author openly disliked the adaptation. Ken Kesey wrote the book on which the movie was based, and it took 13 years after Hollywood optioned it for the film to be made. It ended up as one of only three movies to win all five major Oscars.

In his breakout role, Jack Nicholson plays a man sentenced to jail for statutory rape of a 15-year-old, but he fakes mental illness to avoid jail. He ends up insтιтutionalized alongside a colorful group of characters, all of whom are terrorized by the ruthless Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest unfolds as a dark comedy that ultimately turns into a tragedy.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’s Author Didn’t Like The Oscar-Winning Movie Adaptation

Ken Kesey Said He Didn’t Like The Movie

For adaptations, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a remarkably faithful adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel. However, despite the immense success of the movie, Kesey expressed that he didn’t like the film. However, much of this might come from the fact that Kesey worked on the script and then left the project.

Producer Saul Zaentz asked Kesey to write the script after the original fell short of expectations. While Kesey worked with the production on the early development of the film, he left due to creative differences. According to a lawsuit Kesey filed against the production, he disagreed with the casting and narrative point of view.

The author wanted the film to be similar to his book, from the perspective of the large Native American patient, Chief Bromden. That never happened, and it was all shown from the point of view of McMurphy (Nicholson). Kesey ultimately reached a settlement to resolve the case outside the courts.

After the movie came out, author Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) wrote in the forward to the re-release of the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest book: “The first time I heard this story, it was through the movie starring Jack Nicholson. A movie that Kesey once told me he disliked.“

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Is Still A Top-Tier Book-To-Movie Adaptation, Even If Its Author Disagrees

The Movie Remains A Critically-Lauded Masterpiece

While Ken Kesey disliked the movie based on his book, it did nothing to stop One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest from achieving iconic status. It won all five major Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Miloš Forman), Best Actor (Nicholson), Best Actress (Fletcher), and Best Screenplay. Brad Dourif also earned a Supporting Actor nomination.

In 1993, the Library of Congress added the film to the National Film Registry, and it regularly lands on lists of the best movies of all time. No less than Akira Kurosawa named it one of his favorite films (via Far Out Magazine). Louise Fletcher’s Ratched has been deemed one of cinema’s most iconic villains, and the movie helped launch the career of Jack Nicholson.

The One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest novel is a masterpiece. The movie is even better, with awards recognition and a lasting legacy. While Ken Kesey said he disliked the film, he also stated at one point that he had never watched it. There might be more to it than his dislike for the movie, but regardless, it remains a masterpiece.

Sources: Far Out Magazine, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest novel