A Beautiful Mind

December 9, 2004

Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 135 min Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

A Beautiful Mind is a movie that’s rather difficult to review on the Movies For Guys scale. After mulling it over a day too long I concluded that while it is a very good movie and does deserve to be seen, the big screen isn’t required in any way and this one could easily wait for the DVD release. Therefore, a 3 star rating. But, this is a very strong 3 star movie.

A Beautiful Mind

Russell Crowe plays John Nash, a mathematical genius at Princeton University with more than a few personality quirks. Like all good men, he’s trying to come up with one real original idea that can change the world, the difference is that he’s smart enough to actually do it.

John does finally come up with his idea and is granted the recognition by his peers that he’s been desperately seeking. Unfortunately it’s around this time that his behavior becomes increasingly erratic and ultimately it’s discovered he suffers from schizophrenia. In case you don’t know the complete story I’m not going to say anything else about the plot. Not knowing is actually a good thing when watching the movie as the eventual plot twists will be that much more enjoyable.

This isn’t a movie for light viewing. It’s dark, moody, and sometimes disturbing. The main character is a little nuts after all, and we get to see him go from high points to about as low as a man can get. Ron Howard has crafted a wonderful look into the human mind, and what we see isn’t always that easy to watch, but it remains utterly fascinating.

Posted by John | Filed Under 3 Stars, Adam Goldberg, Drama, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, PG-13, Paul Bettany, Russell Crowe, Theatrical