A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Must see for true-story lovers!
4 stars (out of 4) [(2001)USA/Rated PG-13] - (2 hrs. 15 min.)
Directed by Ron Howard
Screenplay by Akiva Goldsman
Source: Sylvia Nasar's book
Lead Character/Cast
John Nash - Russell Crowe
Supporting Characters/Cast
William Parcher - Ed Harris
Alicia Larde Nash - Jennifer Connelly
Dr. Rosen - Christopher Plummer
Charles Herman - Paul Bettany
Review #2 (2nd view review):
Is Russell Crowe on a roll or what?
How'd you like to have his resume: "L.A. Confindential," "The Insider," "Gladiator" - and now this!!! (notice how I skipped "Proof of Life" - nobody's perfect!). Lucky bastard - though he did lose Meg Ryan and the Oscar in successive years (in large part to his attitude and big mouth) - but still - lucky bastard!!!
I guess it's time for the movie review - huh?
Well, this is easily the best filmed depiction of "paranoid-schizophrenia" since the film "Jacob's Ladder" (1990) and its tons more entertaining than current bleak fare like David Cronenberg's psychologically inflected "Spider" (2002).
Veteran director Ron Howard ("Apollo 13") gives the viewer a first hand look at the perceptual delusions that one incurs when suffering from this type of mental disability.
The film itself does take great liberties in the casting, as the 'real' Nash is a small gnome-like man and his wife 'Alicia' is Salvadoran, but in this case the 'Hollywoodizing' pays off as this re-imagined story features a brilliant cast (and crew) including:
--the aforementioned Russell Crowe who ranges from humble, but ascerbic, intellectual to deluded, frustrated 'madman' as he portrays the slow and steady mental breakdown and recovery of the Nobel Prize-winning mathemetician 'Dr. John Nash;'
--Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly ("Pollock") winningly plays the woman who combined both mental agility with great courage to fulfill the terms of marriage, 'for better or worse,' as Nash's soul mate and wife 'Alicia;'
--Paul Bettany ("A Knight's Tale") gives an invigorating and 'scene-stealing' performance as Nash's 'perpetual' Princeton roommate;
--veteran actor Ed Harris ("The Hours") plays a strong yet sinister 'Agent Parcher,' a figure that proves to be both Nash's savior and nemesis;
--and finally, legendary character actor Christopher Plummer ("The Insider") gives a compelling, but somewhat harsh, portrayal of Nash's psychiatrist 'Dr. Rosen.'
In addition to the casting, certain controversial elements of Sylvia Nasar's award-winning biography have been either 'sanitized' or left out of the film entirely. Nash's experimentation with homosexuality and explicit racist ideas are nowhere to be found in this film.
However, the story of a mentally challenged individual and his struggle to control and maintain his disability still makes for a powerful and ultimately empowering tale (as well as a more commercially viable film).
This is certainly a must-see for anyone interested in mental illness as well as anyone who knows somebody that is struggling with their treatment. However, some people may be deterred by some of the mental hospital scenes which do include shock therapy, though they're not much different from similar ones previously detailed in films like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.".
What really makes the film interesting though is not so much Nash's isolated hospital episodes, but his ability to manage his illness over a period of 47 years. The film covers Nash's life from his early days as a student at Princeton University (where the film was shot in it's entirety) till his latter days as a professor (at Princeton) and his subsequent receipt of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994.
Just as a sidebar, Dr. Nash still lives with his wife Alicia in New Jersey along with their son, who has also been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Add this one to your permanent collection - it gets better with every viewing.
MORE cast:
Sol - Adam Goldberg
Hansen - Josh Lucas
Helinger - Judd Hirsch
Bender - Anthony Rapp
Thomas King - Austin Pendleton
Ainsley - Jason Gray-Stanford
Marcee - Vivien Cardone
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ADDENDUM: At this year's Oscar ceremony in Hollywood, ABM was nominated for Eight Awards and received Four statuettes:
-Best Picture
-Best Director (Ron Howard)
-Best Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsman)
-Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer
Just as a sidebar, Dr. Nash still lives with his wife Alicia in New Jersey along with their son, who has also been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Dr. Nash’s story is also being told nightly at the Walter Kerr Theater on Broadway under the title PROOF (currently starring Anne Heche).
In addition to this film, there are several other films that have been recently released that deal with mental disabilities in both dramatic and humorous ways.
If you like the lighter side of mental illness, try:
I AM SAM with Sean Penn as a mentally disabled Dad and his support group of mentally-challenged friends;
K-PAX with Kevin Spacey as mental patient who thinks he’s an alien – or is he?;
BANDITS with Billy Bob Thornton as bank robber with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Then on the dramatic side there’s:
MEMENTO with a severely brain-damaged Guy Pearce trying to stay alive with only a 15-minute memory span;
or try the quirky comedy-drama THE SHIPPING NEWS with Kevin Spacey facing self-esteem issues along with Julianne Moore’s low-functioning son.
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