A Beautiful Mind
2001  PG-13  DRAMA  2h 15min
CAST— Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Paul Bettany, Christopher Plummer, Adam Goldberg, Judd Hirsch, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, Austin Pendleton
MUSIC— James Horner  DIRECTOR— Ron Howard  BASED ON— A Beautiful Mind (book), by Sylvia Nasar

     Director Ron Howard delivers another moving drama, ripe with pitch perfect performances by all. This delicate portrait of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash examines his career, his love, and spans nearly sixty years of his life. Beginning his academic career as a brilliant young mind from West Virginia, he soon moved on to his own department, where he met a beautiful young student who would one day become his wife. As he takes the next step in his profession he grows increasingly paranoid, claiming that his work has been designated “classified”. Due to his extreme paranoia and stress he is institutionalized. For the remainder of his life he battles schizophrenia, with his wife standing by his side through thick and thin, while the world all but gives up on him. The central story is not one of mental anguish, but one of lasting love in the midst of despair. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly are well paired in a film that scores a solid hit. You do the math; see for yourself. Oscar-winner for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Connelly), Best Adapted Screenplay.
OUR RATING— ***