Review
A Beautiful Mind
- Director
- Ron Howard
- Year
- 2001
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, February 28, 2002
John Nash (Russell Crowe) is a mathematician who gets a scholarship at Princeton and struggles hard to come up with a truly original idea that would put him on the map. He also has a hard time because of his strange attitude and personality. His life completely changes when he meets Alicia (Jennifer Connelly), a beautiful student with whom he forms a relationship and who will be pivotal in his battle with a terrible disease that puts his sanity in jeopardy.
A Beautiful Mind is a movie that has it all. It works as a psychological thriller, as a romance, as a biography and as a character study. Akiva Goldsman’s wonderful script and Ron Howard’s assured direction do wonders in bringing this real-life story to the big-screen in such a compelling way. To be honest, a movie about a struggling mathematician could have been boring as hell, yet you’ll be surprised by how interesting and entertaining it turns out to be.
John Nash is not precisely the most sympathetic person out there. He is difficult to be around and does not strike you as a likable fellow at first sight. Still we fall for him. We get to know him from the inside and can see his suffering and his strength to go on with the help of his wife. That’s what love can do when it’s that strong. It isn’t always passion and romance, but also pain and suffering.
This relationship between John and Alice is also magical. There’s a saying, which states that behind every great man there’s always a great woman. That’s especially true when you look at the Nashes’s story. It’s impressive to see how Alicia always stood by her man even if she arguably suffered more than he did. That “umbrella” scene was my definite favorite because of the way it ungloved so many things in so special ways.
Russell Crowe, one of the most talented actors working nowadays, gives yet again an impressively impeccable performance. He never falls into easy traps and there’s never a hint at overacting. He simply becomes the character and delivers a believable portrayal of a man under these particular circumstances. Jennifer Connelly, on the other hand, stands up to him while also looking gorgeous. Supporting performances by Paul Bettany, Ed Harris and Christopher Plummer are also first-rate.
To sum it all up I can’t forget mentioning James Horner’s haunting score, Roger Deakins’s wonderful cinematography and whoever is responsible for one of the most believable make-up jobs I’ve ever seen. In a few words, this is a story worth being told.
“Perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift is to discover a beautiful heart.”
CriticSociety en Twitter | CriticSociety en Facebook
Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter
Comments
Morris wrote at 6/22/2002:
Spoilers continue...Perhaps you're right man, but I guess every case is different. Since this is a movie based on a real-life story it would be interesting to see if this part of the movie (in which he decides not to keep getting treatment and just face the disease by himself and then succeeding in doing so) is actually true. I say this because it is a fact that some aspects of the Nashes's life were changed or simply altered to make it into a more compelling movie. This guys actually got a divorce sometime in their lives but then started to live together again and finally got remarried last year. Also, there are some people who claim Nash is a bisexual, but that has never been proven and the guy totally denies it. Ron Howard didn't want to stay behind and used a scene in the movie to imply there might actually be "something" while also making it look inoffensive. I'm talking about a scene in which John is walking through a hallway at Princenton and a guy passes over and they both keep staring at each other until they're somewhat out of sight. Nothing really important.
So anyway, this is not Ghandi, so if they felt like they needed to change some small aspects for the movie to work the way it does then I totally agree. Way to go!
Groucho wrote at 6/22/2002:
Well bud, I guess you're right, but anyway, if this is the only source we have in modern cinema about Nash's disease then I think it is wrong to draw an optimistic picture of it. It should be stated that his solution to the problem is not nearly possible for the common schyzofrenic. However, his mental games with himself are fascinating and, as I said, this movie is great.Heard about the divorce thing, too. A wise thing to not mention it, while not denying it either.
New comments are temporarily disabled
Groucho wrote at 6/22/2002:
Some spoilers ahead.Indeed a beautiful movie, exquisitely crafted and portraying a man full of problems in a sympathetic way. I was fascinated to see schizophrenia portrayed so credibly, from the point of view of the sick man. The plot twists were very interesting.
About the performances: all great. Crowe never acted better and Connelly supports him good. Ed Harris is OK but his role is enigmatic. Really liked it. The script helped these guys a lot. It was smart all over and directed just right by Howard.
My only complain is how "beautiful" this man's sickness is portrayed. It kinda gives a message that such a sick man can control himself easily just by wanting to. Christopher Plummer's character said this couldn't be done but the story contradicted him, which I don't think applies for all cases. Just like in 'Rain Man', a mental disease is softened for the viewer and leaves an optimistic message that is not very real. However, for the film in particular, it works.
A great film, anyway.