Cast can't salvage poor script

Rating: 6/10 (15 March 2010)

The 2001 film 'A Beautiful Mind' is the adapted story of Nobel Prize winning Mathematician John Forbes Nash. The film tells a coming of age story that focuses on John Nash and his struggles to overcome adversity as a scholar and as a genius schizophrenic. The film is directed by Ron Howard and features a rich cast of actors including: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Josh Lucas and Paul Bettany.
The film begins following the life of Nash, played by Russell Crowe, and his early work as a Graduate Student at Princeton University. After some key introductions to fellow students such as Martin Hansen played by Josh Lucas, and Nash's roommate simply known as Charles played by Paul Bettany, the film focuses on Nash's struggle to come up with an original idea that will earn him the recognition he eagerly desires within the academic community. Eventually Nash publishes a work that earns him the recognition he seeks and greatly impacts the field of economics. The film then shifts forward in time to Nash's career at MIT, where he and some of his class mates are working for the University as teachers and in cooperation with the United States military. During this part of the film, Nash meets a man named Parcher, played by Ed Harris, who invites him to work on top secret military code breaking projects but forbids him from discussing the operations with anyone. Nash is also introduced to the young Alicia played by Jennifer Connelly and eventually the two are married. The film then focuses on Nash's downward spiral into paranoid behavior that lands him in a mental institution where he discovers that his college roommate Charles and the government official Parcher are only figments of his imagination and symptoms of his disease. Nash is then confronted with the hardships of raising his family and dealing with the side effects of his medication. Nash then stops taking his medication and the pseudo-climax is reached during confrontation with his wife and his Doctor over this decision. Nash decides that rather than continue his medication he can use logic and reason to force himself to realize the characters he has created in his mind are not real. With the support of his wife Alicia, Nash returns to Princeton and his college class mate Hansen where he eventually begins to teach again. The film then concludes with Nash's consideration for and receipt of the Nobel Prize for his contribution to economics as a Graduate Student.
All essential components of a good film are available alongside a cast of capable and talented actors. The cinematography employs effective techniques that complement the theme of the film. There is a fresh mix of both obvious and subtly disguised uses of lighting that are key indicators to the character's state of mind, yet all the lighting is used in very natural ways that add to the believability of the film. Sound is another key aspect of the film that complements the theme. Using very little background music or distracting sound effects the film relies on clear visual imagery in most of the key communication. However, these positive attributes aren't quite enough to pull the film out of its lackluster script.
The theme of the film is nothing new to movie goers and film fans. A coming of age story mixed with ideas of complex human relationships set on the back drop of mental illness. You can imagine a dry and flavorless blending of 'Rainman' and 'Good Will Hunting,' though Nash never achieves the endearing quirks of Raymond (Rainman) or the impressive brilliance and genius angst of Will Hunting. Unfortunately the film's focus on the character of Nash and his "beautiful mind" leaves much to be desired. Crowe's performance does nothing to endear the character to the audience and does little to produce affect on the viewer. The viewer ends up feeling more attached to the characters that are invented by Nash and exist only in his head. The film never builds a clear climax and it only drags out and teases at the conflict that the main character ignores. Comparatively, the film 'Good Will Hunting' develops a main character that the audience can identify with and root for, whereas the character of Nash is Luke warm and uninteresting. Additionally, 'Good Will Hunting' develops a full plot that includes exposition, complication, and climax, where 'A Beautiful Mind' simply continues to cycle the exposition and complication stages of the film.