A Beautiful Mind (2001)

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

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Akiva Goldsman, Sylvia Nasar (book)

Stars:

Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly

Top 250 #192 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 51 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

A biopic of the meteoric rise of John Forbes Nash Jr., a math prodigy able to solve problems that baffled the greatest of minds. And how he overcame years of suffering through schizophrenia to win the Nobel Prize.

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Plot Keywords:

student | nobel prize | teaching | mathematician | school | 

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Taglines:

Wenn die Realität sich gegen Dich verschworen hat, ist nichts mehr sicher... (If reality has ganged up on you, nothing is safe anymore...)

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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:

Universal [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Una mente brillante

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$977,271 (France) (15 February 2002)

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

The movie was named as one of "The 20 Most Overrated Movies Of All Time" by Premiere.

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Goofs

On the wedding day the trees in the background are full of green leaves, when there is snow on the ground. Throughout the movie, there are times when the scenery does not match the apparent season.

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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 Behind the Scenes of 'House of Sand and Fog' (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331"
(uncredited)
(First Movement - Andante grazioso)
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Unknown performer

User Reviews

Crowe Does It Again!

The more I watch Russell Crowe, the more I am becoming a big fan of his acting talent. Here again, he demonstrates his skills in a role that had me spellbound. Of course, mentally-ill people are usually fascinating. Look how popular the cable television show "Monk" has become.

Crowe's character, mathematician John Nash, is not nearly as eccentric as "Monk," but his schizophrenia makes for a fascinating portrait of a very troubled man. This is another of those Ron Howard based-on-a-true-story films, so don't take everything here as gospel truth....because it ain't so. (One example: in real life, Nash's wife was anything but as supportive as Jennifer Connelly was portrayed here.)

The first time I saw this film I was disappointed. Maybe I expected more, maybe I felt the story was unfair to the viewer and I felt like this was just one more attempt at Liberal Hollywood to make fun of those in the 1950s who were opposed to Communism. Well, on the second viewing, just a few weeks ago, I didn't have a problem with any of those things, just enjoying the performances and the classy-looking cinematography, thanks to one of the best cameramen in the business, Roger Deakins. I'm not always a fan of director Ron Howard, but his films are usually interesting and pleasing to the eye. He and Crowe seem to be a good pair, too, as witnessed by 2005's "Cinderella Man."

For those who enjoy a cerebral thriller, this is a very intriguing film. Ed Harris, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Judd Hirsch, Josh Lucas and Anthony Rapp all deliver solid supporting help and, if you haven't seen this, this story will deliver a big surprise. If you know the ending, a second viewing is even more interesting as you trace Nash's actions from the beginning.