A Beautiful Mind (2001)

After a brilliant but asocial mathematician, John Nash, accepts secret work in cryptography, his life takes a turn for the nightmarish.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Akiva Goldsman, Sylvia Nasar (book)

Stars:

Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly

Top Rated Movies #148 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 31 wins & 63 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Russell Crowe	...	John Nash
Ed Harris	...	Parcher
Jennifer Connelly	...	Alicia Nash
Christopher Plummer	...	Dr. Rosen
Paul Bettany	...	Charles
Adam Goldberg	...	Sol
Josh Lucas	...	Hansen
Anthony Rapp	...	Bender
Jason Gray-Stanford	...	Ainsley
Judd Hirsch	...	Helinger
Austin Pendleton	...	Thomas King
Vivien Cardone	...	Marcee
Jillie Simon	...	Bar Co-Ed (as Jill M. Simon)
Victor Steinbach	...	Professor Horner
Tanya Clarke	...	Becky

Storyline

From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experienced it all. A mathematical genius, he made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his tragedy, and finally - late in life - received the Nobel Prize.

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Plot Keywords:

mathematician | conspiracy | cryptography | nobel prize | school | 

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Taglines:

The Only Thing Greater Than the Power of the Mind is the Courage of the Heart

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, sexual content and a scene of violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Universal [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un homme d'exception

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,501,096 (USA) (21 December 2001)

Gross:

$170,708,996 (USA) (24 May 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlize Theron tried out for the role of Alicia Nash.

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Goofs

The student's "bad" tie shows stars and double helices. Although someone might have drawn those patterns already before the late 1940s when this scene takes place, the double helix as scientific symbol had its breakthrough not until 1953.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Helinger: Mathematicians won the war. Mathematicians broke the Japanese codes... and built the A-bomb. Mathematicians... like you. The stated goal of the Soviets is global Communism. In medicine or economics, in technology or space, battle lines are being drawn. To triumph, we need results. Publishable, applicable results. Now who among you will be the next Morse? The next Einstein? Who among you will be the vanguard of democracy, freedom, and discovery? Today, we bequeath America's future ...

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: The Worst Christmas Special Ever! (2013)

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Soundtracks

All Love Can Be
Music by James Horner
Lyric by Will Jennings
Performed by Charlotte Church
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Limited

User Reviews

John Nash, schizophrenic genius.

John Nash is something of a mathematical wizard. Constantly searching for something with which to make his name, he finds his calling by code breaking for the government. But with that comes a sense of paranoia and pretty soon John is sliding desperately into schizophrenia.

There is a school of thought that says any decent film about the mentally ill or afflicted is a sure fire way to attract the awards givers. Personally it bothers me that it bothers me that people view these films in this demeaning manner. If a story is worth telling then lets get it out there for all to see. Would the cinema world and all those stuffy film lovers really be happy if film makers didn't tell these remarkable stories? A Beautiful Mind is one such picture that divides opinions, although exemplary made and well put together, it doesn't adhere quite to the facts of Nash's life-it's an interpretation that smooths out the drama by way of delivering a safe and watchable biography. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning four for Best Film, Best Director {Ron Howard}, Best Supporting Actress {Jennifer Connelly} and Best Adapted Screenplay {Akiva Goldsman adapting from the book by Sylvia Nash}. Yet as great as that roll call is, the big surprise is the omission of a win for Russell Crowe in the Best Actor category. For as tidy and engrossing as the film is, and it is folks, it's because of the big Kiwi that the film breaks free of your standard emotional heart tugger. It's a superlative performance from Crowe and him not winning is probably more to do with his much publicised dust up at the BAFTAS a few weeks before the Oscar ceremony: than his undoubted acting ability.

The film as a whole should not be viewed as a representation of John Nash's life, many important things from Sylvia Nash's book have been omitted. But crucially it's important to note that in making this film, the makers have brought Nobel Prize winner Nash to the public's attention, whilst simultaneously giving awareness to the sadness of those suffering with schizophrenia. OK, so it's far from perfect in its portrayal of Nash the man, but ultimately the cinematic world is a far better place when the likes of A Beautiful Mind are being made and the film lovers are flocking to see it. And then some. 8/10