Rating: 
Summary: That Newton fellow sure was right!
Review: This film is by no means flawless; however, it is thoroughly enjoyable and through the story of Nash develops the worthier story of humanity at its best. Without giving too much away, the film is based on the novel by Nasar and depicts the life of John Nash a 1994 Nobel Prize winner in economics for his work on game theory, a new science that developed out of the optimism of the US victory in WWII and the mathematical advancements that helped in the victory from code breaking to the development of the atomic bomb. I would have liked, in fact, to see more about the science, but the movie is not about science. It';s really about his struggle to cope with schizofrenia and his wife's subsequent and even more moving struggle and courage to cope with her 'disabled' genious husband's disorder. How easy it would have been for her to marry one of the other fine and handsome graduates of Princeton. In typical Howard fashion, the movie has a definite feel good emotional ending but it's appropriate and after all Nash is still alive and teaching. I could not avoid comparing this film with Shine, another story of a genius that has to fight an emotional disorder after initial success and finds redemption after a long struggle against himself. The flaws are minor and do not detract from the enjoyment of the film. I was curious to find out, for instance, how Nash' own family and his wife's family reacted to the disorder and his debilitation. It's hinted that his wife felt some pressure to leave the husband but the subject is not explored. No matter, the movie's integrity survives nonetheless. Russell Crowe is remarkable and delivers some hilarious dry lines amidst the serousness. Connelly is as beautiful as ever and shows a serious side I had not suspected. These performances should guarantee at least a couple of Oscar nominations.
Rating: 
Summary: A Beautiful X-Files Episode
Review: This is one of the worst adaptations of a book I have ever seen. I was looking forward to seeing Russell Crowe play John Forbes Nash, Jr. in the adaptation of what is an excellent book. Instead, what I saw was a movie that happens to have the same title as the book and whose main characters also happen to have the same names as those in John Nash's life, but the resemblance doesn't go much beyond that. The movie does focus on one major element from Nash's life, and that was his schizophrenia. Unfortunately, Ron Howard decided to make almost the whole movie about Nash's schizophrenia. In doing this, the movie resembles an X-Files episode more than Nash's real life -- much in the same way other movies allow themselves to take outrageous and interesting plot twists and then the main character wakes up in the end realizing that the things that happened were nothing more than a dream. Nash's life was so much more than his schizophrenia. The film does have its good points. Russell Crowe gives an excellent performance as an academic suffering from delusions. Also at one point in the first 25 minutes of the movie we get a clever -- but much too brief -- taste of what game theory is about, the field in which Nash's work won him a Nobel Prize.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Movie
Review: I love this movie. I thought it was a wonderful story that did a wonderful job of showing things
from John Nash's point of view. There were just enough twists in the movie to keep it
interesting. This is not an uplifting movie. My wife left thinking it was the most depressing
movie she has ever seen, but a little while later she liked the movie also. I really want to read the
book now, even though I understand it is quite different.
Rating: 
Summary: skillfully manipulative bunkum
Review: Film, particularly as practiced in Hollywood, is based on audience manipulation. So it's no surprise that lifelong Hollywood resident Ron Howard is a master manipulator. A life spent inside the machine has taught him exactly which buttons to push to get the desired reaction from his audience. He is so skilled at this that we in audience don't mind the manipulation while it's taking place. And "A Beautiful Mind" may be the most skillfully manipulative of Howard's films. The film hits all the proper emotional notes as it tells its story of love triumphing over adversity. Sadly, it's bunk. Even the most cursory look at the truth behind Nash's life reveals the screenplay adapted from a recent biography of Nash by Akiva Goldsman (who brought us the two most recent, atrocious "Batman" scripts) as sanitized for mass consumption. Gone is any mention of Nash's infidelity and bisexuality, and what are we to make of the "love conquers all" story when we learn that Alicia Nash in fact divorced her husband when his deteriorating mental state became too much to bear. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connolly give terrific performances, as does Ed Harris playing an invented character who is better developed than many "real" characters in other films. Howard's directorial skill and Crowe's screen charisma even make witnessing such moments as a paranoid Nash slowly sliding down a locked door sobbing in a heap on the floor seem to carry emotional weight (at least until we think about it for more than twenty seconds). This review began as a recommendation and while the film is more worthwhile than most Hollywood product you'll see this year, I'd say just don't expect to gain any insight into the nature of genius, madness, love or any other especially human qualities.
Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous filmgoing experience
Review: A gripping and moving view into the world of the mind and heart. Russell Crowe is magnificent in portraying the arrogance of genius, the despair of helplessness of mental illness and the strength of will to overcome both. Jennifer Connelly is a wonderful revelation and all the supporting roles are perfect. This film kept two audiences spellbound throughout the film and it was nice not to be the only one shedding a tear. Oscars to all involved, including Ron Howard for his daring choices, James Horner for the score and the unknown (to me) genius who did Crowe's makeup in the later scenes.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Motion Picture (Hope that's not too trite)
Review: It is a rare picture that brings together superb acting (both lead and supporting cast), writing, directing and editing. A Beautiful Mind does all that and is a must-see, a wonderful film that will surely give Russell Crowe an Oscar nomination, if not a win. One of the year's best. Don't miss it.
Rating: 
Summary: Another excellent character by Russell Crowe
Review: I saw 2 fantastically different and wonderful movies today, "LOTR" and "A Beautiful Mind". Russell Crowe seems to act with ease even in the most difficult roles. Which makes me wish that they had written in the even darker demons that posessed John Nash. Paul Bettany makes another brilliant entrance and is someone I look forward to seeing more of in the future. Pay attention. There is a twinkle in Russell's eyes when he truly connects with someone he's acting with, be it animal or person. There is a flash of brilliance that you should look for, the inside shared secret, being part of the connection. Jennifer Connolly is as talented as she is beautiful. These 2 films are winners in my book of movies for the year.
Rating:
Summary: Best Picture of 2001
Review: Ron Howard should get the Oscar for Best Director. This is just an amazing piece of work. Wait until you see how schizophrenia is visualized. It's never been done quite like this. Russell Crowe -- tremendous! What great acting! He's definitely getting a second Oscar this year for this brilliant, harrowing, utterly convincing portrayal of a man who refuses to let adversity destroy him and his family. I've never heard an actor in any movie simply say "Good morning" and move me emotionally. But you'll understand why, when you see the movie. The script is beautifully written, setting everything up slowly and ingeniously for that great emotional punch at the end. The prize. The victory. I've seen nothing else this year that has compelled me as much as this wonderful movie. Mr. Howard, Mr. Crowe, Mr. Harris, Ms.Connelly --you've created not only art, but an emotional experience -- but then, that IS art. Thank you all.
Rating:
Summary: Overdramatic and bland.
Review: Despite the fact that the acting and makeup in this movie were well done, A Beautiful Mind suffers from Hollywood syndrome. Ron Howard's directing has never impressed me, and this movie is no exception. Generic classical techniques flood this film, and even when the camera is doing something interesting, there is more of an emphasis on "money shots" than anything else. If anything the plot was coherent and possessed a few points that were somewhat clever, but that does not help the unoriginality of this film. Like Men of Honor, this is a typical overdramatic biography film that suffers from exaggerated dialogue, stale camerawork, and as always a predictable score, chock full of soaring violins and oodles of crecendo. Once again the acting was not bad, but it still suffered from the melodramatic plague that has infected nearly every Holloywood blockbuster in the past decade. The pacing of this movie also suffered greatly, for it either moved way too slowly or too awkwardly. At times some scenes seemed thrown together or piled on. Bluntly put, this film just did not interest me. It was not realistic enough to come across as a biography (due to the score, acting, and dialogue), not paced well enough to make a great deal of sense, excruciatingly long and painful to watch, and not compelling enough in regards to both the plot and the esthetics. If you must see this film, wait until it is released on video and rent it. This could pass as Oscar material, but only because Mr. Howard has pulled every old trick out of the proverbial book. Save your money and your 2 hours.
Rating:
Summary: This was a surprise for me, since I didn't know
Review: ...what this film was going to be about. I had no idea who John Nash was and I had no idea this was based on a true story. I would have to admit, I was very surprised by Russell Crowe's performance. I thought he was OK in "Gladiator", and have not seen him in anything else since then, so when I saw him in this movie, I was utterly amazed. He played this character flawlessly, to the point that I believed he was John Nash. I don't know of very many actors who can make you believe they're someone else and not who they really are. The scripwriter also should be commended, because if it weren't for those wonderful quirky phrases that he gives Crowe in the movie, you would not get a good sense of the character at all. Although Crowe is a bit hard to understand (he mumbles alot in the movie), when you catch one of those phrases, it just brings a whole different light to the character. Even though the movie seems to cram a great deal into a film that is 2 1/2 hours long (well, almost 2 1/2 hours), I don't really see how a film can be made about most of a person's life without feeling rushed or crammed. I don't think very many people would be willing to deal with a "Ghandi" length film--although longer movies seem to be more accepted these days than they were in the past, I still don't think a 4 hour movie would be to most people's taste. One thing I should note, though, is that it sure didn't FEEL like a 2 1/2 hour movie. I think the movie did a good job in highlighting the important parts of Nash's life, although I am sure others will differ. One thing that bothered me throughout the movie was the fact that Nash rarely seems to be shown working or publishing after being diagnosed with schizophrenia, but I assume the reason why this was dropped was to emphasize what was going on in the last part of the movie (Nash trying to reclaim his life) rather than having us deal also with the mediocre details of what he published when. It's pretty much a given that Nash must have published some very influential papers, or else he never could have won the Nobel Prize. I didn't find this movie mushy at all, however, I am female, and I guess it's a given for my gender that I find that things that are mushy for men are not mushy for me. I just thought this was a powerful tale about a brilliant man who is faced with a devastating mental disorder who finds a way to balance his life and his work against dealing with such a devastationg disorder. It's pretty clear that Nash is not one of the schizophrenics that can be "cured" with drugs, yet he found a very creative solution to deal with his problem. I left the theater feeling admiration for a person I've never met and never will--I was absolutely terrible at math in high school and college. On a more personal level, since I have been diagnosed with clinical depression, I feel inspired by this movie to find a way around my problem like Nash did and try to conquer my problem with a creative solution instead of just giving up when the drugs don't work out.
|
