In 1971 a two-hour film version of Sometimes a Great Notion was released.

Directed by Paul Newman, the movie had a talented cast, including Newman as Hank Stamper, Michael Sarrazin as Lee, Henry Fonda as Henry Stamper, and Lee Remick as Viv. Newman made no attempt to transfer the complex techniques of the novel to the film medium; thus the movie merely presents the plot of Kesey's book. A badly edited version of the film, retitled Never Give A Inch, was later shown on network television.