Winner of 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind is directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard and produced by long-time partner and collaborator, Academy Award winner Brian Grazer. A Beautiful Mind stars Russell Crowe in an astonishing performance as brilliant mathematician John Nash, on the brink of international acclaim when he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. Now only his devoted wife (Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly) can help him in this powerful story of courage, passion and triumph.
A Beautiful Mind manages to twist enough pathos out of John Nash's incredible life story to redeem an at-times goofy portrayal of schizophrenia. Russell Crowe tackles the role with characteristic fervor, playing the Nobel prize-winning mathematician from his days at Princeton, where he developed a groundbreaking economic theory, to his meteoric rise to the cover of Forbes magazine and an MIT professorship, and on through to his eventual dismissal due to schizophrenic delusions. Of course, it is the delusions that fascinate director Ron Howard and, predictably, go astray. Nash's other world, populated as it is by a maniacal Department of Defense agent (Ed Harris), an imagined college roommate who seems straight out of Dead Poets Society, and an orphaned girl, is so fluid and scriptlike as to make the viewer wonder if schizophrenia is really as slick as depicted. Crowe's physical intensity drags us along as he works admirably to carry the film on his considerable shoulders. No doubt the story of Nash's amazing will to recover his life without the aid of medication is a worthy one, his eventual triumph heartening. Unfortunately, Howard's flashy style is unable to convey much of it. --Fionn Meade

Customer Rating:
Summary: 3 stars out of 4
Comment: The Bottom Line:

An often-moving story, A Beautiful Mind sometimes rambles or takes too long on a dead end of a plotline, but deserves praise for taking one of the most formulaic genres (the biopic) and doing something completely different, mainly successfully.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A great love story and a great movie
Comment: I'm very touched by the movie, especially the love of John Nash's wife to him. Love is patient, love is endurance, love is not just after one's own benefits, and love shines. And Jennifer Connelly's Oscar is well earned.

Highly recommended.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Movie
Comment: Russel Crow delievers again in this really well done movie. I enjoyed the story a lot and at some points didn't know who to trust. Don't miss this film.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A great insight into Mental Illness
Comment: I resisted this movie for awhile. I tend to rebel against anything or anyone who appears to be over-hyped. I got tired of hearing about Russell Crowe. Finally I broke down and bought the movie.

In a way, this is two stories in one. The beginning story is totally engrossing and believable. You watch this beautiful mind, this talented man emerge into his field, gather followers, find love, and get an intriguing, dangerous job. Then you learn The Truth.

The remainder of the story depicts a man's struggle against his "emotional illness," eventually without the use of drugs (because they diminished his Beautiful Mind, his brilliance).. His struggles to hold onto his beloved wife and family.. and his eventual story of humble triumph.

This was a great movie, and made me a Russell Crowe Fan.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Piece of My Complex Mind
Comment: Russell Crowe's portrayal of John Nash's life is simply superb. It will forever stand as the definitive movie on that imperceptible line separating the truly genius from mere mortals. If considered from the perspective of "Complex Viewing", this movie has many spiritual implications.

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