Film falls short of 'inspiring'

The '60s can be described as a time for tremendous changes in women's rights. Director and co-writer James Mangold attempts to portray a different sid

e to this idea in his recently released Girl, Interrupted.

Winona Ryder portrays Susanna, a confused teenage girl struggling to cope with her vastly changing world. Susanna senses that she is different from other girls her age, because she has trou

ble coping with the past. However, she seems apathetic about her future plans.

After a suicide attempt, she is sent against her will to Claymoore Hospital, a psychiatric ward, where she finds other girls who are sharing some of her same fears and worries

. She also meets a quirky sociopath, Lisa (Angelina Jolie), with whom she forms a special pact to escape from Claymoore at whatever cost.

Mangold has created a film which he hopes will inspire young women to accept their destinies in hopes that viewers w

ill meditate on the definition of "normal" in society, but he does a poor job in both aspects.

Mangold's film does work relentlessly to make certain that a cigarette is being smoked on-screen as much as possible. If his film is meant to inspire young wom

en, he is also creating the image that smoking is an excellent way to cope with all your problems. A better title for this film would be Smoking, Interrupted.

The film does feature an array of talented actresses: Ryder, Whoopi Goldberg and Jolie, w

ho recently won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture drama.