He Saw The World In A Way No One Could Have Imagined.

Rating: Null/10 (8 October 2003)

To say that battling mental Illness is tough, for me, is an understatement. For just over two years, I have suffered through the highs and lows of depression'. So it was with great anticipation that I watched the new Russell Crowe movie A Beautiful Mind'. Sure it has the Hollywood feel to it, but it is a film that I feel we can all learn from, and realise that any illness, even mental illness, can be overcome, if you really want too.
John Nash, a student at Princeton, struggles to think of an original idea that will make him matter to the world. Nash is eccentric, socially awkward, and extremely competitive. Eventually, he finds the inspiration for his innovative and influential work on game theory. He's chosen for a post at MIT, which includes crucial code-breaking work for the US government. There, he meets a beautiful and brilliant student, Alicia. They marry but their happiness is threatened, as Nash, belatedly diagnosed as schizophrenic, descends into madness.
Director of ABM' is the very skilled and successful Ron Howard. In this movie he shows just why he is a big Hollywood director toady. I liked how Howard shows Nash's debilitating illness, the timeline of the film, which was different to other movies, showing a similar story and how we meet certain unique characters. Howard was helped out with this film, by best friend and producer Brian Grazer. He placed his fine touches to the film, making it an even better experience to watch.
The story for ABM was taken from the novel (of the same name) by Sylvia Nasar. The story for the screen was written by Akiva Goldsman. Although its content has been hotly debated by many people, saying that it might not be as legitimate as the movie actually shows. It is my feeling that this story was cleverly devised by Goldsman, especially the make-believe characters that Nash interacts with, when he becomes extremely ill. This would have been a difficult story to get right', but I think that Goldsman got it spot on.
The main role in ABM was that of mathematician mastermind, John Nash (Russell Crowe). This role was quite different than the other roles that Crowe has taken on in the past. In ABM, he is a nervous, weird and mentally ill individual. Crowe's general onscreen demeanor is that of arrogance'. When we first see Crowe he is immediately into character, which gives his performance an even greater impact. This role would have been an extremely demanding one for Crowe, to become not only this brilliant mind, but to show the frightening side to Schizophrenia' and what patience of such an illness has to go through. Crowe also has to be commended for the way he interacts with all the imaginary characters of the film, as it is in his acting that you believe they might be real. This role in ABM shows just why Crowe is a successful Hollywood actor today.
But just as good as Crowe in ABM is the character of Alicia Nash (Jennifer Connelly). Her role gave the movie its main emotional avenue, with her love, faithfulness and vulnerability very impacting from where I viewed the movie. Another real' character I liked was Martin Henson (Josh Lucas). The confrontation he has with Nash at the start of the film is very interesting to see. However, Henson's compassion and friendship shown to Nash towards the end of the film is very touching.
I am also a big fan of the roles taken on by the actors, who were imaginary characters in ABM. The three people in question are William Parcher (Ed Harris), Charles Herman (Paul Bettany) and Marcee Herman (played very well by the cute Vivian Cardone). Every scene with any and all these performers is terrific to watch, and the movie shows them very well. My favourite scenes are when Nash believes his wife might be killed by Parcher and when Nash is in Henson's school office, trying very hard to ignore Charles. The way the movie shows both of these scenes, both being funny and dramatic, is the very reason I like it so much.
There are other people behind the scenes that need to be highlighted for their work on the movie. The make-up department did a wonderful job in turning many of these young actors into the older people they are at the end of the film. The work done on both Crowe and Connelly was quite remarkable. The music to ABM was well composed by Titanic's' James Horner. The music makes the movie much more dramatic and emotional. In fact at one stage, I felt I was watching the Titanic' all over again.
John Nash is a brilliant man, showing that his mathematical skills are very invaluable for the world we live in. Nash is also a very complicated man as his mathematical discoveries are very complex. Although A Beautiful Mind' did win 4 Academy Awards, including best picture and director, I feel it should have won more, including Crowe's performance, which deserved a Best Actor Oscar. People have been quick to praise or criticise the way the movie showed the treatments in combating mental illnesses like Schizophrenia. I think we need to learn more about mental illness, and this movie goes some small to doing that. Having been affected by mental illness in my life, I really do have a soft spot for a film like this. To borrow a phrase I heard to describe this movie  A Beautiful Mind, is a Beautiful Movie!'
CMRS gives A Beautiful Mind': 4.5 (Very Good  Brilliant Film)