What is reality?

Rating: 8/10 (5 February 2005)

This is a superb movie that is both a pleasure to watch and a lot of fun to contemplate afterwards.
A Beautiful Mind tells the story of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who also happens to be schizophrenic. Those of you who have taken introductory microeconomics might remember vaguely something about Nash Equilibrium (it took me two thirds of the movie to make the connection) but that's hardly important. The movie stays away from the math for the most part, preferring to focus on how Nash saw the world as opposed to what he did. Although at two and a half hours, the movie is relatively long, I honestly didn't notice until I left the theatre and checked my watch. I was astonished to see that so much time had passed because the movie kept me captivated.
Russell Crowe's performance was nothing short of extraordinary. Jennifer Connelly was fine in her role, as were many of the supporting actors, but none particularly stood out compared to Crowe.
Where this movie truly stood out, however, was where it forced audiences to question how we define reality. What exactly is real? What isn't? Is seeing believing? Does reality exist only in the mind? A Beautiful Mind has been criticized for turning fact into fiction and taking broad liberties from the true life of John Nash. This may very well be true. As an autobiography, it likely falls far short of factual. However, it has considerable artistic merit in its own right, fact or no fact. After all, what is truth? The movie also glosses over some things that could have been further developed, such as Nash's struggle to overcome his illness. Plus, his relationship with wife Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) comes off as fairly implausible. She is too supportive; he never gives anything to the relationship, even at first. And the ending comes off a wee bit too sentimental for my taste.
Bottom line, though? Go see this movie. It is brilliant and definitely worth the watch.