The best math oriented movie I've seen

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2006)

To say that Pi is a movie about mathematics is inaccurate. It is a movie about a mathematician and his struggle to balance his eccentric scientific genius with his hidden desire to be a "normal" person. The mathematical ideas contained in the film are elementary and unimportant, but the window Aronofsky gives the moviegoer into the mind of a creative mathematician is inspiring.
As a professional mathematician myself, I must say that Pi gives more insight into the struggle of a creative mathematician than "A Beautiful Mind" or "Good Will Hunting". By comparison, those films are formulaic Hollywood drivel, while Pi is a much more thoughtful, exciting, and insightful film. I'm not saying this because I'm an independent movie snob. In fact, I rarely see indie films. I am, however, a math snob. I don't have patience for movies that portray mathematicians and scientists as super-heroes or idiot savants. Pi avoids this trap by pointing a microscope towards the true eccentricities of mathematicians without glamorizing or stereotyping.
I often find myself in awkward social situations with smart but not mathematically inclined people. In their best efforts to find common ground, they often mention films like "A Beautiful Mind". I'll patiently listen to them as they do their best to fain interest in my life's passion, waiting for them to stop so I can change the topic. But if I get the sense that they sincerely want to understand what the pursuit of applied mathematics is like, I recommend that they see "Pi" as a counterpoint to the Hollywood cliché.
I would not recommend this movie to anyone hoping to learn about mathematics, that isn't it's purpose. I do highly recommend this movie to any open-minded person who is friends with, married to, a sibling of, or a parent of a mathematician. I would also highly recommend this movie to any eccentric person with a strongly driven passion, whether it be for math, physics, or dancing. This movie shows the darker side of the creative struggle in a way that is somewhat exaggerated but still very honest.