Stunning performances that avoid the worst kind of schmaltz

Rating: 9/10 (14 February 2002)

Yes this is high Oscar-fodder: it's the kind of material that makes the awards judges go weak (and look, nominations galore and wins for all concerned... except of course, in the final analysis one fears, for Ron Howard - like Michael Mann, the system rarely forgives popular TV origins).
And let me say first off that it would be foolish to deny that a goodly portion of the audience for this are going because they long to see something to erase the critical disaster that was "Proof of Life" from their memories (because, facing facts, this would make a great movie anyway, but Russell Crowe is what will have drawn most of its audience). And, thank god, it succeeds in that. In POL we had that body in a black vest struggling to act in an incredibly formulaic action drama. Here, RC is back to what he does best - ACTING - and we get a white t-shirt... well, I'll definitely settle for that.
I dreaded that this would be a real schmaltz-fest: don't get me wrong, I liked "Apollo 13" and I'll cry at almost anything, but I was rather wary of how much ABM would be wringing my tear-ducts. In the end it's an incredibly tempered depiction of mental illness and what directoral/camera trickery is done is subtle and nuanced - in keeping with the performances. Knowing as much as I do about mental health issues and the experiences attached to them, I felt moved - but not in an obvious way - by the way this was dealt with. Jennifer Connelly (as Alicia) does a magnificent job in portraying the quiet, and then raging, frustration and love felt by a partner in such circumstances.
It seems unfair to pick out individuals from the cast for comment - above and beyond Crowe's touching performance which truly inhabits the character of John Nash - since each makes such a great contribution to the overall storyline. However, Harris and Bettany especially could have found themselves caught in the worst kind of roles, yet they lend the film immense solidity and depth.
Given the storyline there is not much that is radical or previously unseen, but what is done is done very well and avoids the worst excesses associated with this kind of film. And it is not exactly about 'overcoming' schizophrenia (which implies 'cure') but rather 'dealing with' it.
Ultimately though it was a pleasure to see such a return to form for an actor who deserved better than dross like "Mystery, Alaska" and "Proof of Life" (note these both followed great critical/popular acclaim pieces like "L.A. Confidential" and "Gladiator") as ludicrously entertaining as these may have been in their own right if Crowe had not demonstrated such immense talent elsewhere.