Un homme d'exception

"A Beautiful Mind" is an exceptional story, but it is only and exceptional film because of its director. Ron Howard does an amazing job of engaging his audience, introducing a brilliant main character, and making the audience experience the reality of mental illness. This could have been an unbelievable story to which very people could relate; however, the directorial mastery Howard exhibits throughout allows the audience to accompany Nash on his journey and awareness of his illness. Anyone who has been close to the frailties of the human mind will appreciate how respectfully and honestly this film approaches the subject. Howard is able to portray all the complex reactions to mental illness while maintaining the humanity and dignity of the patient. Superbly directed, wonderfully acted by Crowe and cast, this film succeeds on every level.

I went along to the movies not really wanting to see this movie, thinking it was a 'girly' movie, one which had more technical skill rather than a storyline. I was surprised more than anything I could imagine.

I have seen a lot of movies in my time, but this movie just took me by storm. Its uniqueness, ironically enough because it was based on a real life situation was a refreshing change from the usual Hollywood blockbuster. This movie provided a brilliant (pardon the pun) insight into many aspects of a genius at work.

This movie touched me on many levels. The psychology of the movie was intriguing, the mathematical philosophies was actually realistic from my own experience, and the icing on the cake making the movie stand out was surprisingly the humanistic side of Love. While love is a common basis in most movies, the interaction of this theme with other aspects of the plot was planned phenomenlly.

As for the cast, I have never noticed the actual difference in skill between many actors/actresses before. I like Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise etc, but I wouldn't be able to pinpoint a classic actor's performance. But Russell Crowe in this film showed me what it was like to act in a way where I was in awe of his skill in playing this character, especially when considering the extreme difference from characters in his other movies such as the Gladiator and The Insider. Russell Crowe was one of the big reasons this movie was so brilliant. Added to that the stellar performances of Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris and Adam Goldberg, and this made for the 'perfect' movie.

A Beautiful Mind was by far the most original, intelligent and entertaining movie I have ever seen. And this from a movie I didn't expect big things from. Kudos to Ron Howard, the cast and the crew of this movie. It was truly worthy of the Oscar, and Russell Crowe was definately the most deserving of this production team to miss out on the highest accolade. Perhaps politics played a bigger part than I previously would have thought.

'A Beautiful Mind' had a lot going for it. An intriguing story based on an interesting man, a great cast full of talented actors, the involvement of James Horner and Roger Deakins (perhaps one of the best modern cinematographers in the business) and Ron Howard as director (a very competent director with some great films under his belt, directing always with a lot of quality and polish if not always distinction).

Finally seeing it, always wanting to but never quite having the time, 'A Beautiful Mind' was to me a good, often very good, film, if not quite great. Of its four Oscar wins, Connelly and adapted screenplay (on the most part) were worthy wins, though there were better contenders in the Best Picture and Director categories, 'Fellowship of the Ring' for Best Picture and David Lynch for 'Mulholland Drive' for director. Again, from personal opinion, 'A Beautiful Mind's' Oscar nominations were worthier of wins generally, especially Russell Crowe for Best Picture, make-up and the film editing, cinematography also should have been under serious consideration.

There are a few things that stop 'A Beautiful Mind' from being great. Pacing can be messy, feeling rushed in some spots and then dragging in others. Admittedly though there were other places where it was perfect.

Do agree with the portrayal of schizophrenia being problematic, it is a sensitive and courageous subject to address but those with schizophrenia and mental illness in general will find problems with how it's portrayed. It is a complex and often frightening illness, that the film tries to take seriously and sensitively, but it just felt too clean and like it was being careful not to offend but ended up being too careful. Other aspects are heavy-handed.

The espionage subplot was intriguing mostly and gave some powerful conflict, at the same time parts not quite gelling with the rest of the film and feeling a little confused.

However, 'A Beautiful Mind' for want of a better word looks absolutely beautiful. The cinematography with the vibrant colours and seamless fluidity was one of the best of its year, and the period detail remarkably evocative and a joy to look at. James Horner's score has garnered mixed views, mostly leaning on the positive, personally though it added a lot to the emotional power of the film, swelled thrillingly and was beautifully and cleverly orchestrated, didn't think it was melodramatic at all.

'A Beautiful Mind's' adapted screenplay really makes one think while also capturing a wide range of emotions, more than making up for the lack of accuracy. The story is compelling on the most part with a spot on portrayal of mathematics, something that was praised by the maths community at the time including John Nash. It is very moving and uplifting, many scenes dealt with powerfully.

Ron Howard's direction is some of the best he's done. As ever from him it is rich in quality and polish but it also is some of his most distinguished and shows that he can direct with distinction (even if he doesn't always elsewhere.

Can't praise the cast enough, along with the visuals it is the best aspect of the film. It is impossible to find fault with the powerhouse and perhaps career best performance of Russell Crowe, while Jennifer Connelly is touching in a loyal and sympathetically written role (even if not as challenging as a few of her other roles such as in 'Requiem for a Dream'.

Ed Harris is chillingly malevolent, while the rarely less than game Paul Bettany and Adam Goldberg charm and Judd Hirsch and Christopher Plummer also not putting a foot wrong.

In conclusion, admirable and extremely well made, directed and acted with a sizeable range of emotions, if missing the mark of being a "great" film instead of a good and often very good film and not doing enough justice to a great man and his life. The divisiveness is understandable. 7/10 Bethany Cox

An excellent movie, and all the actors performed their roles perfectly, especially Russell Crowe, who presented the character of John in a great way, the story of the film was excellent and I did not expect the subject of illusions, the second half of the film was significantly better than the first half, I enjoyed watching the film and I recommend watching it

Ed Harris, Russel Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, and Paul Bettany were terrific.

The film had great balance and is worth a viewing.

The story boldly addresses mental illness as a handicap.

Because of the quality of the acting and directing, this movie is a beacon of hope for people of all disabilities. The film illustrates to the viewer how deeply a handicap can infiltrate the domestic, professional, and personal lives of those unfortunate to have these types of issues. I hope Ron Howard and the acting crew can get together again for something similar. This was a great film, that also serves an important role for awareness to people that might not understand how deeply debilitating these issues can be, and also gets the message across that not all should be marginalized.