A Beautiful Mind

I couldn't get Russell's Crowe's gruff Gladiator-role out of my head, which made it hard for me to pick up this movie. As interesting as it looked, I didn't much fancy a biopic featuring the line "My name is mathematician". Also, this film cops a lot of shit for not being 100% faithful to the facts, and for having Russell Crowe in it. I’ve never really had a problem with Crowe… I think he’s a good actor. Suffice to say, I overcame my silliness and checked this film out.

So I settled in for a moving life-story of some famous mathematician (John Nash). I didn't expect much (as you may have gathered) and I found Russ's performance a little cliched and hard to adjust to at first. The film starts with John Nash's entry to Princeton University, and his obsession with coming up with something new in the world of mathematical theories. His early success in this leads to employment by the government, something that places a lot of stress on the seemingly eccentric Nash.

Now, let me say, this film really took me by surprise. A lot of people said 'it's good, it's good' to me, but I just ignored them and thought 'it can't be that good, it's about bloody maths!' I was wrong, the film's more important than that. I kept expecting Nash to have a nervous breakdown or something, it's obvious from the beginning that he is more than just 'odd', and without spoiling the film, I'll just say that when the real theme of the movie kicks in it added a massive punch in the guts to my experience as the viewer.

Russ's performance gets stronger and stronger as the film continues, and I suspect that my first impression of it as 'cliched' turned out to just be a reaction to seeing him do something so different. Crowe inhabits the role so completely that I had complete empathy for this character who isn't necessarily all that sympathetic. As much as I liked Denzel Washington's performance in 'Training Day' I have to say that it's a bit of a gip that Crowe was overlooked for this, as it's the best performance I’ve ever seen him in (and Washington had done better than 'Training Day' too, for the record). Jennifer Connelly, as Nash's wife, gives an exceptionally strong performance too - well deserving of the Oscar she won.

This is a highly-charged and moving biopic, playing on much larger themes than most films in the genre. It's awe-inspiring and well worth anyone's time, and features a pretty good score too. And I say bah! to the naysayers, the script’s ignorance regarding certain facts about Nash’s life is more of an omittance than a betrayal of the truth. What film about a real life person is able to concisely portray all the facets of their life? Better to focus on one thing and do it really well, which this film does.

TRIVIA: Won Oscars for Best Supporting Actress (Connelly), Best Screenplay, Best Picture and Best Director (Ron Howard).

Adam Goldberg and Anthony Rapp, who play John Nash's assistants, last appeared together in 'Dazed and Confused' as a pair of nerds looking for a party.

Vote