A beautiful movie for a beautiful mind

Rating: 9/10 (21 January 2012)

This movie is very loosely based on the life of one John Forbes Nash, Jr. There are definitely some additions to his life in this movie, but, from what I read about his life, there's still quite a bit from his real life in the movie, which is one of the reasons why I give this movie a perfect score.
First, let me tell you a little about Nash: He was a genius who worked in game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential equations. However, his life was plagued by the unfortunate disease known as Schizophrenia. He spoke of characters, such as Charles Herman and William Parcher, characters who did not exist. His life became one nightmare after the other during this time, as these visions would threaten everything in his world, including that of his then-wife.
Ron Howard definitely deserved the best director award here, but if anything, it was the acting that got me hooked. Russell Crowe does a very good job as Nash, who, all his life, wanted to look for an idea. Jennifer Connelly is amazing as Alicia Nash, who starts off as a student of Nash's, and ends up becoming the wife who fears for Nash. Connelly definitely deserved her award for this; If any other work of hers parallels "Blood Diamond," it is this one. Ed Harris, of course, is always great in every movie he's in, and this one is no different. He plays the Parcher delusion, who is an agent for the Department of Defence, and is trying to get Nash to help them fight the Soviets. Paul Bettany is great as the Charles Herman delusion, who becomes Nash's best friend throughout his university years. Josh Lucas is great, and those who remember watching "The Sound of Music" when they were younger will be delighted to see Christopher Plummer on the screen here.
All in all, "A Beautiful Mind" is a well-acted movie that is both a touching love story and an educational look at any type of psychiatric disorder. 10/10 for me.