That was nice, what's for dinner?

Rating: 6/10 (1 March 2002)

I've just come back from seeing "A Beautiful Mind" and I can report that it is truly a remarkable film. To tell the truth, I can't recall seeing a film that is so overwhelmingly and consistently bland. You can't hate it. It tackles a worthy subject, and does an OK job of it. The acting is OK, nothing outstanding, and Russel Crowe obviously has the Oscar Glint before him as he gets his hair styled in a very unattractive way for it. The direction is, well, there. Subtle, I believe is he word. In the two and a half hours, I only had the urge to check my watch once, so that wasn't too bad. There were absolutely no surprises, or twists, or memorable scenes, really. It was just one of those films that you come out of and go "Well, that was a film. What's for dinner?"
I am perhaps hampered in my appreciation of this in that I did Mathematics at Uni, and don't think there is anything intrinsically cool in it. I do, however, know that there are other, bizarre people who DO think that Maths is in some way funky (Oh, you did MATHS! You must be so SMART!). Which probably influenced me a lot because without the "You must be so SMART" bit, you end up with the story of a very unattractive man, with a mental problem, which never gets resolved, but moves nicely into the background.
A good policy for the film itself. Ignore it. It's won't change your life, or entertain you, or enlighten you. It's not really worth spending money on it. Unless, of course, you want to fill in some time before dinner one evening.
6/10. Nothing objectionable, nothing memorable. If it wins best Oscar, it will be an abomination.