If One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Then Please Like Me

Please Like Me is an Australian sitcom that depicts mental illness in a respectful, realistic, and honest way. I was having a hard time thinking of what popular movie could be comparable to this show that combines comedy and drama so effortlessly. Then two images or better yet moments went through my mind in slow motion. The scene in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest where Nurse Ratched has the baseball game cut off. To counteract the disappointment of missing the big game, McMurphy rallies his comrades around the turned off television. They pretend like they can still see the game. McMurphy gives a passionate and expressive play-by-play of what he presumes is happening in the game. The rest of the men feed off his electric energy. Their happiness is real. Ratched tried to deny them of a simple pleasure, and they did not allow her. In an environment where there was no space for laughter, self-expression, imagination, or even the slightest amendment of a rule they forged out an instance of real joy for themselves. The opening sequence of Please Like Me is the second moment that I thought of. Each time the show starts with the Clairy Browne & the Bangin’ Rackets “I’ll Be Fine” tune. Josh (the creator and star of the show) is usually dancing to said song while he is cooking, playing with John (the dog), preparing for a meal, or doing other ordinary tasks. We get to see Josh’s pure montages of jubilation. He formulates that feeling for himself, no matter the stress life is spewing at him and there is a plethora of difficulties he is faced with. Josh sings that song, bops his head, cooks gourmet meals, and attempts to will the words of the song into fruition in his life. Two examples of celebration where it is not welcomed, well-received, or expected.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a troubling portrait of the abuse that people with mental illnesses have legally been subjected to. It is set in 1963 but long before then and well afterward people in mental institutions have been mistreated and inadequately cared for. The patients in the psychiatric ward in the film were belittled, stifled, dehumanized, and operated on in a manner that fundamentally disrupted their ability to function. Mental illness is an umbrella term for conditions like depression, bi-polar depression, anxiety, eating disorders, social disorders, and so many more. At the institution people with different traumatizing, emotionally scarring experiences were all treated the same. They were all deemed “crazy” and not given any tools to deal with their issues. Billy Bibbit, the youngest patient in the hospital, is a victim of apparent mental, emotional, and sexual abuse from his mother. Dale Harding is a voluntary resident at the ward struggling with society’s treatment of gay people, knowing that though he is married to a woman he is not attracted to women. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson’s character) chooses to go to the hospital instead of serving his time in prison. He does not understand the severity of that decision. McMurphy’s initial and continual dismissal of the precarious situation he has put himself in, is the perfect portrayal of how society makes light of mental illness until it is too late. He eventually realizes that the predicament he is in, has truly stripped him of control, identity, and it is not to be taken lightly. Ratched lobotomized McMurphy but he had already made a change in the ward that could not be surgically removed. The massive and life-changing impact he made on the men in the ward cannot be ignored. He gave them confidence and hope. He reminded them that they were human beings, more than just patients. They had to right to laugh until their stomach hurt and smile until their face ached.

On the other hand, Please Like Me gives a refreshing take on mental illness in and out of a facility. How a family aids their loved one in their wellness journey and how varying mental illnesses need to be addressed differently. Josh’s mother has attempted suicide. He has just realized that he is gay after the end of a long-term relationship with a woman (who is one of his best friends). His father is having a baby with his new wife. There is a lot going on. Throughout the series we are introduced to people Rose (Josh’s mother played by Deborah Lawrence) meets at the mental home she is admitted to. Arnold (portrayed by Keegan Royce) has been diagnosed with several disorders and he is a young man who does not have much independence because of it. Josh helps him come into his own as an adult and step out of his miniature comfort zone. Hannah’s (played by comedian Hannah Gadsby) friendship with Rose and by extension Josh and his friends expands what she believes she is capable of. Josh is, dare I say, his family and friend’s “McMurphy.” He has emotional issues of his own, but he is instinctively an example that their lives do not have to go one pre-determined way. Josh brings them constant entertainment even when he does not mean to. They are not unimportant people that need to be put away and forgotten about. They have illnesses that are especially difficult to grapple but that is not all they are. They deserve to live and to do so with respect. Please Like Me also shows the unpredictability of depression in an honest way.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Please Like Me have the fortitude to and understand the necessity of including comedy with a serious subject matter. With Please Like Me the dry humor is an intricate aspect of the sitcom’s structure. Both works of art will make you breakdown and after you wipe the snot and tears away you can put your shoulders back and smile.

You are lucky because all four seasons of Please Like Me are available on hulu.com. I had to struggle to watch this one-of-a-kind show. I digress. Enjoy the 32 episodes of great storytelling.