Beautiful Mind

The Good: There are a slim few reasons why I rated this film up to 3 stars. I found one shining star in particular -- Paul Bettany's turn as Charles. This was the first film I saw this actor in and I was captivated by him, finding him to be utterly charming & a scene-stealer. I'd nearly say it is worth the watch for his performance & character. I found Russell Crowe's acting exceeded my expectations of him... in fact, it often felt to me like the actors were giving excellent performances that simply deserved to be within a better film. & For those with no exposure or knowledge of lives with mental illness, I suppose it is better than nothing in regards to exposure... however... The Bad: I know I'm in the minority on feeling this way, but I felt like Jennifer Connelly missed the marks & I felt completely disconnected from her performance. Her Academy Award win for this role still does not compute. **SPOILERS LAY BEYOND THIS STOP ON THE REVIEW TRAIN** The Ugly: As other reviewer... Read more

I have trouble going over three stars for any movie directed by Ron Howard. He's more than competent, but the problem I have with his films is that there never seems to be any soul to them. I'm always left with the feeling of looking a pretty picture of a trivial thing.

It would have been more interesting if the movie was called Beautiful Wife and they dropped the Russell Crow character all together.

One word, BORING.

An interesting exercise in how to make a brilliant man's fascinating life seem hopelessly dull. The writer was deservedly snubbed by the Writer's Guild for conveniently editing out Nash's homosexuality from his own life story and turning it into a romantic drama with a side of schizophrenia. Ron Howard's concept of reality has always been more hollywood-ever-after, and A Beautiful Mind is no exception.

Although there was some heavy "literary license" taken with the truth, this was an excellent peek into the world of a functioning schizophrenic and very intelligent person. How he dealt with his abberations and continued to make progress in the field of academics was nothing short of amazing.

Successful but Russell, Russell...

Really, really cool movie. SPOILER ALERT: I found the way this movie was filmed to be extremely effective -- the first part viewed through Nash's eyes, and the second part through the eyes of the sane observer. The human mind is so much more complicated than any of us know, and this movie serves as a reminder of that. How a man so delusional could teach a college course and maintain a somewhat functional relationship with an attractive, non-delusional woman amazes and impresses me.

i saw this in the movie theater and I HATED IT. Boring and long

Very well acted movie that deals with the fine line often found between Genius and Mental Illness.

WOW.... My favorite movie. The plot line, actors, and the directing were fabulous. This movie was a psychological thriller without any major actions scenes. It made me evaluate what/how I see things. I would defintley recommend this movie to an older audience (not young teens). The actors deserved the awards they got for their roles in this film!!!

Russell Crowe can flat-out ACT. Jennifer Connelly gives an exceptionally fine performance as well.

Good movie with impressive performances by Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. Pardon my intrusion, but I honestly believe Crowe should have won Best Actor for this over Denzel Washington, but then I believe Denzel should have won over Russell the year before. Maybe a little correction after the fact? Not a movie I would recommend for the entire family, as it would be rather intense for youngsters, but for teens and up, an all around well-made movie addressing an issue (mental illness) that doesn't receive much attention in film. Unfortunately it didn't remain entirely true to the story, but that's a forgivable oversight.

This movie was excellent. Very intriguing story of this mathematical genius with a profound life-debilitating illness. I was fascinated with how his delusions were made to seem so real. I know someone personally affected by schizophrenia and this movie opened my eyes a little more about how the victims lives are taken over by their imaginings. The movie truly touched me, I shed a tear. Russell Crowe is an excellent actor.

Deep movie so if you are a little slow or don't enjoy sophictacted films this may not be for you. The premise and the plot are interesting but it can get a little slow. It is one of those films that needs your attention so if you have the attention span of a racist well don't watch it.

Beautiful Mind is a beautiful movie. The story of John Nash, in itself, is fascinating. But Russell Crowe's protrayal is a stellar piece of acting. Crowe would have gotten his second straight Oscar for that role, had it not been for an episode of behaving badly to a film exec just before the Oscars. Jennifer Connelly is goddess-like in this film. Her Oscar is well deserved. Scott Glenn, as always, excels. The movie depicts the horrors of going through life as a paranoid schizophrenic. Nash's eventual triumph is overwhelmingly emotional. My favorite parts of the movie is when Nash is cogent and lucid. He was a genius of the highest magnitude. The way the movie demonstrated his Nobel Prize winning theory of economic equilibrium (using the example of picking up women at bars) was one of the neatest things I've seen in the movies.

THIS IS QUITE FRANKLY, THE GREATEST DRAMA EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA...You can feel it hitting you right from the moment the theme music starts at the opening credits...to top it off....Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly' action, along with Ron Howard's seemingly unbelievable screen presence makes it a lovely movie to watch!!! If you haven't seen it...go see it before another all time great props up (That'll take some time)...If you have seen it and not liked it, go dig a pit.

This movie hits home. I have an uncle who has schizophrenia. ClassicTVFan, How could you not be moved by this movie? It's a true story of a man's real suffering. Do you not feel sorry for him? He didn't ask to be that way. Sometimes, I hope you do not have a bias against the mentally ill, which would hurt my feelings very much because I have severe clinical depression. This movie raises awareness about a disease. It's inspiring and beautiful.

An amazing and powerful movie. A moving depiction of schizophrenia. Well written and well acted. I could almost say that Russell Crowe is possibly the best actor working today.

Kinda slow, but powerful ending.

I liked this movie. Russell Crowe does a fine job as the schizophrenic mathematical genius. I enjoyed Ed Harris as the secret agent man and Paul Bettany as the likable roomate-perhaps the personable type of guy John Nash wished he could be. Crowe was deserving of the Oscar for this performance, but didn't get it probably in part due to some heavily publicized obnoxious behavior that year.

Boring, uninspired, totally uncreative headache drama filled with bad acting and bad writing.

Without doubt one of the best movies i have ever ever seen. it`s quite simply brilliant

Great acting by the whole cast. It was a amazingly done movie, and would get 5 stars for production, however it was slow at times and was less entertaining because of it.

FANTASTIC!! This movie will be used in abnormal psych classes for years to come due to its remarkable portrayal of schizophrenia. This disorder is sorely misunderstood and this movie shows it is not just a "skid row" problem. Russell Crowe was flawless and Jennifer Connelly earned her Oscar (although I thought her co-star in Requiem for a Dream had an equally compelling performance).

the only reason the real life guy was awarded the nobel prize was out of pity. they had to dredge up some obscure theory from his graduate days that wasnt nonsense and pretend it was something relevant to today.

terrible movie! deserves the bottom movie!

booooo!

This movie is very bad. It shouldn't have won best picture

it was a good movie but i have seen alot better ones. the plot of the movies was totally too long it seem to go on and on. the ending was great

Lord of the Rings deserved that Oscar.....not this pile of crap.

If you want to understand mental illness, this is the movie to see.

Something about this movie was unsatisfying to me but I'm not sure if it was Russell Crowe's performance or the story itself. I liked it but was somewhat disappointed after all the hype and buildup!

A very well done movie.This is based on the life of mathematician John Nash. Russell Crowe did a wonderful job portraying John Nash and his battle with schizophrenia. I really felt for John and the demons that he delt with his mental illness. I felt this movie showed a real brutal honesty about how hard it must be to deal with schizophrenia.Ron Howard won a much deserved oscar for his directing. I would recommend this movie. It is a bit too long though.

great story based on true story

Josh Nash was a Nazi and an anti-Semite. You people suck.

Ron Howard tells a story the way he wants you to see it. He delves into the amazingly complex mind of a schizophrenic genius, and takes directorial license to make it more of a love story than ever existed for the psychologically frail Mr. Nash. From a director's standpoint, the biggest flaw of the movie is that we are let into Nash's generally miserable treatment of women, but then see that plot line dropped from the rest of the movie entirely, until we see a moving speech at the Nobel ceremony. But, what of Nash's fathering of several children out of wedlock, and his total disregard for the female of the species. The acting is first-rate. Russell Crowe shows that he can portray even the most difficult characters and Jennifer Connelly is wonderful as his wife. To me, the most incredible part of the movie, however, is the attempt to get inside of a brain that works so differently from yours or mine. To see connections in seemingly unrelated data is a rare gift indeed, or after seeing... Read more

I think the review written by Magellan makes a great point - the acting of Russell Crowe is central to this movie. And my personal opinion is that his portrayal of mathematics genius John Nash was almost as believable as his portrayal of Jeffrey Wigand in "The Insider." But Crowe doesn't have to carry the movie himself. Jennifer Connelly - who I happen to think is one of the most beautiful actresses I've seen - follows up a career-making performance in "Requiem for a Dream" with a key role as Nash's incredibly supportive and understanding wife. "Beautiful Mind" isn't flawless, but I'm a sucker for stories based on real life, and this really is a unique and inspiring story. One of the top five movies of the year. UPDATE: I originally gave this movie 5 stars, but I’m dropping my rating to 3 after reading the book upon which the movie is based, “A Beautiful Mind” by Sylvia Nasar. I realize that telling the story of an entire life in the space of two hours requires that a great deal... Read more

A BEAUTIFUL MIND is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Based on a true story of a mathematics genius stricken with schizophenia, this movie tells us the truth about the realities of life, physical and mental health. There is no direct correlation between mental retardation and mental illness. Some of the most brilliant minds in the world have some form of mental illness, and need psycho therapy, medication, and a socially supportive environment to function properly. There are parallels to the movie THE ELEPHANT MAN in this Russell Crowe film, as his character is at times unmercifully demonized by fellow students at the school where he fellowships. Crowe has an excellent supporting cast which includes, Judd Hirsch, Ed Harris, Adam Goldberg, and Christopher Plummer as the psychiatrist who works so hard to help Crowe conquer his demons. This movie has some twists and turns, and some surprises so pay attention. What you see happening at first is not what really is happening

The impact that "A Beautiful Mind" will have on you depends on how much you buy in to Russell Crowe's performance as the schizophrenic genius, John Nash. If Crowe convinces you, you will walk away from this film moved and inspired - if he doesn't, it's going to be a long couple of hours. I ended up somewhere in between. I thought Crowe was absolutely brilliant in spots, especially in the second half of the film. However, there were also parts of the movie that I could sense that he was acting. Despite the occasional lapses in the movie, "A Beautiful Mind" is definitely worth seeing. The idea of a man who is able to use the power of his mind to overcome the terrifying delusions that this same mind has conjured up is remarkable. The fact that John Nash is a a real person makes it even more so.

I thought it was a great movie from the story to the acting to of course the directing. It kept my constant attention. It's the kind of movie you walk away from and can't stop thinking and talking about. My hubby's first words after it ended, "It makes you feel like it's never too late to go out and accomplish whatever you want." It made us laugh, it made us cry, it made us feel. Wonderful performance by Russell Crowe, he really made it feel very real like you were right there going thru it all with him (Mr. Nash).

It is the true story of mathematics and economics genius John Nash and his terrible struggle with paranoid schizophrenia. He has delusions of a roommate at Princeton (where he is attending graduate school) and his niece as well as an F.B.I. agent that is supposedly making him a code-breaker to save the world from a nuclear attack in the early '50s. His mental illness is made apparent to him when a psychiatrist takes him to an asylum and gives him electric shocks to try to eradicate the delusions. He has a lifelong struggle and becomes a threat to others. He starts to teach at Princeton still is suffering. He wins a Nobel Prize in 1994 for an economic theory he materialized in the late '40s while he was attending graduate school. It really makes his delusions seem like real people so you can see what schizophrenic people really think is real and their inability to discern reality from imagination. It is a very touching movie as well as a little sad to see this guy suffer so much.

It's a great movie, and please do not read ellajedlicka's comment if you wish to see it with any element of surprise or suspense. I'll say it got my mind turning in areas of psychology, and made me excited about the potnetial of life.

No Oscar marterial, but an intriguing film with a few good lessons to be learned. Russell Crowe's characters' schizophrenia had sort of a double meaning...he saw the world diferently than others did. Sort of like I noticed that everyone seemed to have blue eyes, and everyone else thought I was insane...guess I'm the only one who noticed it. This was probably one of the best movies I've seen all year (up there with "Life As A House") and if the directors don't WAKE UP and start making a couple of REALLY good films, it may end up winning and deserving most of the awards. Overall, a pretty good Ron Howard job with outstanding acting by Russell Crowe & Co. Take care, everyone!