A Beautiful Mind Review
by Rose 'Bams' Cooper (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)January 2nd, 2002
'3BlackChicks Review...'
A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001)
Rated PG-13; running time 135 minutes
Genre: Drama
Seen at: Celebration Cinema (Lansing, Michigan)
Official site: http://www.abeautifulmind.com/
IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0268978
Written by: Akiva Goldsman (based on the book by Sylvia Nasar) Directed by: Ron Howard
Cast: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, Christopher Plummer
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001
Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamsabm.html
The good thing about not knowing ahead of time the true story this "based on a true story" movie was based on, was that I wasn't pre-spoiled in going to see the movie, and was thus very much surprised that the film wasn't anything like its early trailers lead me to believe.
The bad thing about not knowing the true, true story is, now that I've read an article pointing out the inconsistencies between the book this movie is based on, the movie, and real life, I'm completely confused about what is, and is not, Real regarding John Forbes Nash Jr. And worse - now I'm questioning how that makes me feel about A BEAUTIFUL MIND itself. And that, my friends, is most def Not A Good Thing.
THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**)
John Forbes Nash Jr. (Russell Crowe) was a brilliant mathematician, to the point of arrogance; aloof in social situations, to the point of being slapped by the women he clumsily pursued; and the winner of a Major Prize late in life. John Forbes Nash Jr. was also
quite...disturbed.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND takes the audience on a journey through Nash's life, from his early years at grad school with fellow students and scientists Bender (Anthony Rapp), Sol (Adam Goldberg) and Hansen (Josh Lucas), to his courtship of Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and his secret project for the Department Of Defense, lead by William Parcher (Ed Harris). It is this secret project - decoding information from the Russians in post-World War II/"commie scare" days in America - that leads Nash to the breaking point. The closer Nash gets to cracking the code, the more paranoid he gets about being discovered by The Russians. And throughout it all, his college roommate Charles (Paul Bettany) is there to encourage Nash. Or perhaps not: things aren't always as they appear, and Nash's version of reality, at times, isn't reality at all.
THE UPSHOT
I was all set to write up my review of this movie, until I read a USA TODAY article, by Andy Seiler, titled "It's 'Beautiful,' But Not Factual". As the title suggests, the story told in A BEAUTIFUL MIND might be based on truth, but the question is, how loosely? Now why'd I have to go and read that before I wrote my screed?
This is not the first time the truthfulness of a real-life person portrayed by Russell Crowe, has been brought into question. Many history buffs scoffed at his GLADIATOR version of the warrior Maximus; and certain key scenes in THE INSIDER, based on the life of Jeffrey Wigand, were said to be completely fabricated. But if Seiler's article is correct - and I have no reason to believe it isn't - then A BEAUTIFUL MIND is less "based on a true story" than it is an outright fable.
But all that said, does that make A BEAUTIFUL MIND any less good? Mostly, no. In spite of director Ron Howard's bent towards whitewashing movies to make them more palatable to a general audience, and Crowe's Rainman-like portrayal of Nash, I found A BEAUTIFUL MIND to be an interesting, fascinating film to watch. The visuals in "Beautiful" are as important as the story itself; even moreso, because they effectively show the inner workings of a beautiful, and twisted, mind, in a way that verbalizations would render much flatter. I commend Howard for his use of show, not tell, in this way.
I'm sure Crowe's performance will be talked about in certain circles as Best Of, but for me, it's Jennifer Connelly who deserves the most kudos; her Alicia is the one who bridges the gap between John's inner world and the reality around him. She makes this movie and its characters make sense - even if her real-life role wasn't all that the movie made her seem. But still, I'm left to wonder if, like John Nash himself, this movie's version of reality isn't all it's cracked up to be.
BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE
The bottom line is, I've ranked A BEAUTIFUL MIND as one of the top ten movies I've seen in 2001, despite my concerns about its authenticity. Still, something's gnawing at the back of my mind, and I wish I hadn't seen Seiler's article so soon, though I do recommend you check it out - later. It's just bad you can't unread stuff.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND (rating: greenlight):
Beautiful? Yes. Truthful? Hmmm...
Rose "Bams" Cooper
Webchick and Editor,
3BlackChicks Review
Entertainment Reviews With Flava!
Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001
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