Overall disappointment - with Spoilers

Rating: Null/10 (19 January 2004)

My main complaint about this movie (and the book) is that it may reflect a strong fascination for mathematicians but doesn't pass the fascination for maths at all. I don't know if this would bother me as much if I weren't a mathematician myself, though. Be it as it may, I don't want a movie or book at all to be filled with formulae: after all, inventive maths is about ideas, and formulae are just tools. If you really want to read a thrilling drama about a man losing his mind to maths, then read of "Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture" by Apostolos Doxiadis. A wonderful and appealingly small novel and not a single formula in it. If you are more into maths, then you will already have read "Fermat's Enigma : The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem" by Simon Singh.
You may read Tedg's comment for an exhaustive review of the missed opportunities. While I initially watched with a lot of prejudice - I didn't even manage to finish the book - I started appreciating the movie a little bit because of the following things:

All the appearances which I thought highly exaggerated and "typical of American iconolatry" turned out to be the product of his schizophrenia. The emblematic national security chief, the best friend and the little niece in wonderland, were actually very well chosen.

The make-up on Crowe was rather astonishing.

The idea that psychiatric patients are capable of humour and self sarcasm pleases me too, although I'm not sure whether it is actually true.

However, the good points are outnumbered by the IMO inconsistent acting by Crowe, his unconvincing mannerisms and the flatness of all the characters, especially that of his caring wife. For just a few seconds there was a scent of foul play in the air, when his colleague starts caring about her which could be seen as courtship. Worst of all, after the highlight of the movie, Nash' admission to the psychiatry, the movie wanders about until the obligatory but unwarranted Nobel prize ceremony relieves us (me at least) from boredom.