Beautiful indeed

Rating: 8/10 (26 October 2010)

Mathematical genius John Nash is a man whose life story seems tailor-made for a movie. Of course once Hollywood gets its hands on anyone's story true-life details are changed, things are jazzed up to make things seem more dramatic than they actually were. In A Beautiful Mind though the Hollywood treatment works and is actually quite understandable. In order for his film to succeed director Ron Howard had to somehow take us inside the mind of the schizophrenic John Nash. Howard pulls this off brilliantly and that more than anything else is what enables the film to succeed. It's not the entirely true story of John Nash's life but it's close enough. And the story that is presented here is undeniably compelling, dramatic and entertaining. It was a very challenging story to tell and Howard, helped no doubt by his stellar cast, pulls it off wonderfully. A Beautiful Mind is a rousing success.
In order for this film to work the actor portraying the brilliant but troubled Nash would have to be rather brilliant himself. And Russell Crowe is definitely up to the task. He hits all the right notes, capturing the tremendous highs and terrifying lows of Nash's life. From the young man we first meet at Princeton to the old man who has accomplished and overcome so much it is an incredible journey for John Nash. And Crowe is dead-on perfect throughout. He makes you believe in John Nash and makes you understand what is going on inside his mind. What exactly is going on inside that mind? A very complicated question that but the film portrays Nash in a way that draws you in and makes you pull for him as he battles his own inner demons.
Nash himself is obviously the film's most important character and thus Crowe's performance the most important and ultimately the most memorable. But this is a film in which the acting is uniformly terrific. After Crowe it is Jennifer Connelly who would be the next real standout with her portrayal of Nash's wife Alicia. Through all the ups and downs Alicia is right there with John and Connelly turns in a powerful, highly charged, emotional performance. The strength of both the actress and the character she portrays adds so much to the film. Also noteworthy is Ed Harris who gets to portray a mysterious, menacing character around whom much of the film's drama swirls. And the list of fine performances goes on and on. Paul Bettany, Christopher Plummer, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Josh Lucas...every performer plays their part so well. All the performances combine with a great, fascinating story to make this a film which captivates throughout. Not every great story makes for a great movie. This one does.