Touching Film About Schizophrenic

Rating: Null/10 (6 January 2002)

John Nash was a Princeton student studying math. He was also an unfriendly weirdo. Over time, he becomes full-blown schizophrenic. The illness ruins his work and his life. This is a touching portrayal of the way schizophrenia and paranoia eat away at the personality. The most touching thing is that, even after a ravaged lifetime, Nash has a sense of humor about the illness and the way others perceive him.

Even though the movie shows Nash as decidedly unfriendly and socially unacceptable, when not thoroughly nuts-- he still manages to get a gorgeous wife, and a Nobel Prize. The movie pulls no punches- we see his wife's frustration and sense of duty in sticking with a man who is not well. In a sense, this movie is about "Till death do us part", and about a woman who took that seriously, even though the man she married was no longer there. She married a dashing brilliant young professor, and was left shortly thereafter with a dangerous, surly delusional.
The movie will surprise you, frighten you, at times will warm your heart. The characters are realistic. The movie is not simplistic toward mental illness. It does not attempt to glorify illness, or give it a simple answer. Please realize that we have sent men to the moon, and invented the laser disc and DVD players, but we still do not have very good treatments for schizophrenia. Those unlucky adults who are stricken with this disease still tend to lead isolated lives of intermittent illness. This movie tells it like it is. Good job, Opie! And hats off to Russell Crowe for an incredible acting job.