A nearly-great film; top-notch acting

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2001)

(a review to be read in conjunction with others - I'm not going to rehash synopsis and such)
Having read Sylvia Nasar's biography of John Nash (same title), on which the film was loosely based, I was quite turned off by the trailer for this film (as other IMDbers have been).
Luckily, the trailer was just a sad attempt at selling the film to audiences who would probably hate it anyway. A Beautiful Mind is an exceptionally classy film, by Hollywood standards. It's on the same level as Cast Away, both films having first-rate directors and casts.
Russell Crowe has the tricky job of portraying a man who is a lot more comfortable within his mind than in relating to the rest of the world, and making us care about and empathize with him. And he pulls it off so well that to understand it you will simply have to see the film.
Jennifer Connelly is just right for John Nash's wife, Alicia. What a shame that such an intelligent, beautiful actress has been consigned to so many junky parts in the last decade. Hopefully this will give her a bit more good notice.
Everyone else is good, too, especially Ed Harris, but to explain further I'd have to spoil.
Reviewers have criticized Ron Howard for straying dramatically from the story's biographical source, but then they would also bust him if he stuck too close to the book. The preponderance of changes can be fairly defended as reasonable attempts to bring things from the page to the screen, where people can visualize them. (Books have the advantage of not working in a limited timeframe).
Why only "nearly great," when everyone seems to be shouting "Oscar!" for Russ or Jen or Ron? Firstly, the music. I've never thought especially much of James Horner's conventional, boring scores and this one is especially disappointing. A more creative composer could have written something that would literally underscore the compelling emotional content of the film.
Then, there a few spots, notably the end, in which nuance is thrown out the window (for a car chase or heartstring-pulling moments). Why wreck such a good, subtle film with a few drops of Hollywood saccharine fluid?
Thanks for reading.