Rating: 
Summary: WAKE ME WHEN IT'S OVER!
Review: This may not be the worst movie of 2002, but it could be.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Director? Best picture? Peter Jackson was robbed!
Review: I thought highly of this movie until I actually watched it. This film is not entirely bad but it's not entirely good either.
While watching it, I spent a good amount of time waiting for something to happen. It was a bit dull and drawn out most of the time. the dialogue was also equally dull and predictable. As for directing, Ron Howard hasn't done anything that impressive.
I understand that the directors of In the Bedroom and Fellowship the Ring were also nominated in the best director category. Both deserved the award more than Howard.
Especialy when you consider the fact that what Peter Jackson did (and is still doing with) Lord of The Rings was revolutionary. Fellowship of the Rings is a masterpiece that will go down in history. A Beautiful Mind, a piece of sentimental, hollywood nonsense, certainly will not. After that helicopter shot of Nash riding his bicycle in the mathematical infinity symbol with what was supposed to be inspiring music playing in the background, I had to resist the temptation of pushing the stop/eject button on my VCR.
The message was indeed inspiring. Jenifer's performance was excellent. But that's about it. In fact, if you wan't so see Jenifer at her best, go rent Requiem for a Dream.
Rating: 
Summary: A numbers game...
Review: "A Beautiful Mind" is a truly inspirational film... that really shouldn't work at all! Look at the subject matter: a withdrawn, socially inept mathematical genius comes up with a "Big Idea," has a nervous breakdown, wins a Nobel Prize, and lives happily ever after! (Not the usual mindless "blockbuster" fodder that fills the multiplexes!)Okay, so that's a rather trite summing up of the film, but the story of John Forbes Nash is an inspiration in itself, and this filmed version, as opposed to the book, which I have not as yet read, has an immediacy that grabs you and immerses you in the troubled mind of our, ultimately, likeable and sympathetic hero. Nash didn't have a nervous breakdown per-se, but suffered from schizophrenia for most of his adult life. Not wishing to spoil the film for you if you haven't seen it already, all I will say is that Nash saw and experienced people and situations that were pure figments of his imagination, driven by the secrecy and paranoia of a McCarthy era Reds-under-the-Bed state of mind, Nash became unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. Nash's moment of revelation, his epiphany, came when he almost hurt his wife and child. From that moment on he became 'self-aware' in a way that few people, I suspect, are capable of, he 'reasoned' that he was 'mad' and simply chose ignore the product of his madness, his visions and hallucinations. They remained with him, and as far as I know still do, but through shear force of will, he controlled them and integrated them into his everyday existence. They no longer had any power over him; he was, and is, in control of his life. His Nobel Prize came about when a later generation of economists and analysts rediscovered his "Big Idea," and he was finally given the recognition that was long overdue. Without us knowing it, Nash's theories and equations touch us all as we live in a free-market economy. "A Beautiful Mind" is a beautifully made film that I can't recommend highly enough. The difficult mathematical aspect of the film is handled in such a way as to make it immediately accessible to a non-Nash genius, and shouldn't put you off. Nash's life is truly inspirational, and this film should be seen by all, it shows how one man can overcome so much personal adversity, and still contribute so much to his family and friends, and ultimately to us all.
Rating: 
Summary: Questioning Reality
Review: It sometimes seems like geniuses live in their own world, apart from the rest of us. In A Beautiful Mind, John Nash, who would later become a Nobel-prize winning Mathemetician, does live in a world of his own. He is a schizophrenic, unable to distinguish between reality and his own imaginings. The people he has imagined seemed so real that I could feel his world crumble when he discovered that he really wasn't part of a top-secret government organization, and that his jocular college roomate is not real either. Russell Crowe makes an amazing transition from playing a tortured, conflicted man struggling with a greater power(Commodus) in the mask of a gladiator to playing a tortured, conflicted man struggling with a greater power(schizophrenia) in the mask of a genius. This is such a unique story for making a movie about, but it works.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Mind- Why Should I Mind?
Review: I started watching A Beautiful Mind expecting to be wowed away by a deep look at overcoming mental illness. Instead, the movie was plodding, predictable, and dull. It's pretty obvious Nash is having delusions. The only mysteries are what he actually did that was important, and how he put up with Jennifer Conelly's overexaggerated agitation. The movie was made to win awards, and I have a feeling some audiences (and Oscar voters) just couldn't admit to themselves that a movie about mental illness could be just plain bad. Especially "beautiful" are the glaring omissions of Nash's other problems that make him seem a little less of a gentlemanly genius. It doesn't matter how many special features are on the DVD. If the movie is bad, they aren't going to save it.
Rating: 
Summary: Director Ron ("Opie") Howard still lives in mawkish Mayberry
Review: Ron Howard takes an inspiring story and, true to form, reduces it to its most saccharine components. Consequently, this movie is virtually indistinguishable from Howard's other work. The movie chronicles the life and trials of John Nash, a prodigious mathematical talent and eventual winner of the Nobel Prize. Nash matriculates as a doctorate candidate at Princeton in 1947, where he stagnates academically until he discovers his "truly unique idea"; that single accomplishment that distinguishes him from what he perceives to be the majority humanity: great pretenders. However, the real focus of the story is not Nash's brilliant mind-or even the Herculean accomplishment related to his economic, theoretical masterpiece-it is Howard's unswerving focus on Nash's illness: schizophrenia. Regardless of anything else that Nash accomplished in his long life, academic or otherwise, Howard's only focus is on the one thing Nash could not control. I find this to be disingenuous at best and sinister at worst. Howard's unwillingness to focus on the things which Nash had the ability to control speaks volumes about his directorial agenda. Indeed, by his own admission, Howard chose to focus on the "love story" in Nash's life. While the love for his loyal and long-suffering wife is certainly a strong credit to the man, it is hardly his only noteworthy accomplishment, and Howard's singular focus makes this a merely mediocre film that could have been a real triumph of (and tribute to) the human mind. Indeed, the director seems unwilling to focus on any of the uplifting components of the Nash biography (with the possible exception of Nash's richly deserved public recognition) precisely so that he can dwell in the morass of Nash's mental illness; this ought to frighten moviegoers seeking to identify and glorify the best within mankind. Russell Crowe plays the eccentric (and later schizophrenic) character very well, and his talent as an actor is to be admired for its sheer intensity, if nothing else. The viewer empathizes with Nash precisely because Crowe makes him so real to us. Likewise, the quality and character of the supporting roles from Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris are tremendously impressive. However, the greatest failing of this film is to focus on the most metaphysically unimportant thing in Nash's life (a mental illness) at the expense of the great heights he climbed in spite of his circumstances. Howard could have chosen to focus on any number of Nash's attributes, but instead he settled for the one thing that was beyond his control. Had Howard focused on the brilliance of the economic theory, we would have had a hero's tale. Had he focused on the fact that Nash recovered from schizophrenia virtually without medication, on the strength of his own indomitable mind, we would have had an uplifting story about triumph over adversity. However, Howard focuses only on the base, the unimportant, and ultimately this is why the film properly fails; because it does not stray from the standard Hollywood formula of a silly ending, it falls victim to its own vacuity.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning film
Review: I just watched this film for the first time and felt so strongly about it that, at ten past midnight, I've logged on to amazon to review it. A Beautiful Mind is in turns fascinating, beautiful, devastating, heartwarming and life-affirming. Ignore any bad reviews of this film; it is simply unforgettable. It is directed extremely cleverly with the way we see things from Nash's perspective for the first half of the film only to realise everything in the second half. I don't wish to ruin it for people by going into further detail over that point, but it truly is amazing. Crowe turns in a superb, sensative performance which really brings out the character perfectly. This film is not plain sailing all the way through. When we realise about Nash's state, I was emotionally devastated after what had been built up in the prior half of the film. The turns of the plot were from then heartbreaking as we see the problems that ensue and I felt absolutely heartbroken and while realising that the film was a great one, almost wanted to turn it off because of how it made me feel. However, I knew if I left it I wouldn't ever see the rest and so I stuck at it. I didn't regret it, as the closing of the film is heartwarming and emotionally soaring, and for once didn't leave me complaining about cliches and trying to make the audience feel better, a complaint I often have about happy endings for sad films. This is partly because A Beautiful Mind is, of course, a true story, and that truly leaves the viewer uplifted. This film is a total triumph. 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: An apt apology for the Grinch
Review: After the Grinch I swore to myself never to see a Ron Howard film again. My brother dragged me to this one and I went with my arms folded across my chest. Not knowing what it was about, I found the mathematician moderatly interesting. I was not expecting the "twist" and it threw me for a loop. It is obvious Ron Howard has grown as a director in this film. It reminds me of Tom Hanks' career. For years he was known as the king of romantic comedy and now he is considered one of our greatest actors. But back then, who knew. I hope Howard takes chances like this in the future. Great story telling with a camera. As far as the DVD goes, the shameless differentiation between the real Nash and Crowe's Nash are a bit off-putting, but are nonetheless an interesting feature. Instead of a speech given at the awards as in the movie, some old dame with a tiara puts a medal around his neck. The commentary is also good and Ron does goof on the fact that is brother Clint is only heard in a sound bite instead of seen as in most of his movies. Maybe that's why it got best picture. Speaking of which, I am one of the few that actually can see the reasoning why A Beautiful Mind picked up a few oscars. Howard wins the Julia Roberts oscar. She won because she actually acted, he won because he actually directed. This is his best film since Appolo 13, which was a neat hat trick. It is a good movie with great acting and a phenomenal story. A great addition to any DVD library.
Rating:
Summary: Great Actor = Great Movie
Review: If you've taken a Micro-Econ class you would understand that the so called "Nash Equilibrium" presented in this movie was wrong. Other than that I found this movie to be very entertaining and interesting. Russell Crowe did an excellent job as John Nash. This is probably one of his greatest movies ever made. Even though i believed LOTR (Lord of the rings: Fellowship of the ring) deserved the Academy award for best picture, this movie would have been definitely my second choice. This movie is about a man who is just brillant! But because of his disorder (can't spell it ^_^) he sees things and hears things. This eventually slowly ruins his life but he also slowly regains his sanity with the help of his loved ones. At the end he receives the nobel prize. A great movie overall regardless of it's flaws. Another great movie based on a true story is "October Sky." Both great extraordinary movies.
Rating:
Summary: Out of the frying pan...
Review: Beautiful Mind won a swag of Oscars, including best picture, so you'd have to give it the benefit of the doubt. But, an hour in, my patience was sorely tested: a jumbled intro, some sketchy back-story exposition, and the film makes a hard left hand turn and appears to veer into low-rent Bond territory; Ed Harris appearing as a mysterious, over-hammed Chandleresque government dude, shooting up Russian infiltrates, and spouting the most hackneyed dialogue you'll find outside a Bruce Willis disaster flick. As the minutes pass the likelihood of the film pulling itself out of this spectacular swan dive appreciably diminishes, and in fact I had concluded that all hope was lost; this was just a clunker and the Oscar rout a sham, when blow me if it didn't pull out at the very last minute, like some Red Arrow pilot at an air show, with what Leonard Maltin correctly describes as "a doozy" of a plot twist. I won't give it away: just watch. So, having so deftly leapt out of the frying pan, imagine the disappointment when the real film, struggling to get out from the faux over-lay, turns out to be a routine Sunday Sickness matinee, spiced up at the end by a poorly worked in redemption scene. The closing, teary vibe has Ron Howard written all over it - just like Robin Williams can never escape the fact that he was Mork from Ork, Howard will for ever be Richie Cunningham, and this is every inch a film made by a mummy's boy from suburban Milwaukee. Not nearly enough Fonz in it for me. Not exactly assisting matters is Horner's music, which offers the same subtle pleasure and impish inventiveness as his score for Titanic. That's sarcasm, folks. Russell Crowe deserves a mention for portraying a dislikable geek & nutcase so well, never an easy stunt for a Hollywood hunk (Ralph Fiennes made a meal of the same job in Red Dragon), and Jennifer Connelly plays the long suffering spouse nicely. The last film I saw her in was Labyrinth, so she's come on a bit. Ron Howard pulled a few pretty cool tricks, and ultimately this film is pleasant enough to watch. My only observation is that if this was good enough to win best Picture, it must have been a lousy year.
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