An Over Rated Mind

Rating: 6/10 (7 March 2002)

I watched A Beautiful Mind a few hours ago. I hand it to Ron Howard and his producers for assembling a great cast. But this movie is nothing new in many ways. It is a wonderfully crafted love story, expertly technical but methodically predictable.
Some evidence that the film is derivative were the special effects used to reveal Nash's observations of pattern and code. Numbers light up off of pages of text. Similar effects were used in Jody Foster's movie Little Man Tate, at least ten years ago, when Foster's character's son "sees" mathematical equations in a highlighted neon light fashion. It is helpful for the viewer to see what the character does in both films, though not new now.
Crew note: remove the marks for wide shots. I saw a taped "T" on the floor in the Princeton tea room foyer. Judd Hirsch as Einstein tells Nash that he won't receive the Wheeler recommendation, then the camera pulls out and Nash exits walking backward. As the shot widens there you will see the taped "T" marks on the floor where Hirsch and Crowe were standing.
I grew up near West Virginia. I've visited and stayed in West Virginia and had friends from West Virginia. Crowe's West Virginia accent was not heavy enough to cover his Australian.
Jennifer Connelly looked fantastic and her acting was ineffectual. Let me compare: Both women in Mulholland Drive showed much more depth and range than Connelly's Alicia Nash. They did things, and caused things to happen. Alicia Nash does not cause anything to happen, and that may be a flaw of the screenplay. I can read into it that Alicia helps John to understand love to be a real thing, as real as the universe is infinitely large. But don't read to far. A second thought though, the only thing that could stand up to Crowe's presence and stature, since he's won the Oscars and the Golden Globes, is Connelly's stunning beauty. No current A list actress could act in such a simple fashion and be so captivating at the same time.
The script and some of the actions were predictable. For example the over used "throw the glass at the mirror," when Connelly used it to exhibit emotion after being rejected by an over medicated John in bed. Take Harris's posturing in Nash's office as evidence of Greek Tragedy style acting. Harris holds open his jacket by resting his hands on his hips, thereby exposing an ominous pistol in a shoulder holster. It is a menacing stance, but it is almost a stereotypical threat by someone with a gun that we've seen many times before.
A Dr. Seus book is used as a prop, held by a young character. Maybe Howard is reminding us that he directed that live action Seuss movie. And more on the subject of Howard recycling from his past, a host of Howard's family worked on A Beautiful Mind, see film credits, as well as Harris appearing in Apollo 13 directed by Howard.
Thanks to James Horner's stirring cello music for pulling my heart strings, yes, I cried. When you see that A Beautiful Mind is truly about love, like I did, you'll cry too. Forgive me, I fall for the emotional manipulation tactics every time a cello plays! I am a sucker for a good movie. And though it may be nothing new, A Beautiful Mind is a very good movie.