Last year's cult hit Memento used a creative method to show the viewer what it was like to suffer from short-term memory loss: the sequence of events was presented in reverse order, so the viewer also finds it difficult to form new memories from scene to scene. It's a great way of allowing the presentation to reflect the subject matter at hand. Ron Howard's exquisite A Beautiful Mind takes this approach one step further: it lets us into the lead character's mind. See, by the end of Memento, we're not sure what to make of Lenny as a character, but by the end of A Beautiful Mind, not only are we able to see what it's like -- if only in a superficial way -- to suffer from schizophrenia, but we also have gotten to know the brilliant mathematician John Nash, respect his hardships and deeply care about what happens to him.
Nash is played with unbridled openness by Russell Crowe in what I would call a career-making performance if Crowe wasn't already a big-time Hollywood star with several Oscar nominations (and a win last year for his passable turn in Gladiator). This is a guts-and-glory effort that is complex yet jarbled, physical and spiritual, cerebral and gentle, and everything in between. The movie opens with Nash attending Princeton University in the late 1940's as a prodigy without the discipline or guidance that could propel him to greatness. With the help of a non-social roommate named Charles (Paul Bettany), Nash learns to loosen up a bit and eventually submits a paper before end of term that would contradict Adam Smith's fundamental economic theorems. He lands a well-paying job and begins doing code-breaking work for a mysterious government figure, played by Ed Harris. Nash also steps into the teaching profession on the side, where he meets Jennifer Connelly, who, in this film, certainly makes a solid argument for teacher/student relationships. At a mathematics symposium, he is the subject of an intervention headed by a psychiatrist (Christopher Plummer). Nash is institutionalized and diagnosed with schizophrenia. From this point onward, I dare not say more.
What I will say is that, while A Beautiful Mind flirts with sentimentality and dares to overreach its grasp, it is never at the expense of the characters, who are very well drawn. Akiva Goldman's screenplay (usually more of a Joel Schumacher crony than a dramatic writer), based on Sylvia Nasar's novel, takes great care to make sure that our beliefs as viewers are attuned to what Nash himself believes. It makes for an unexpected journey at the film's two-thirds point, when both the characters and the audience are expected to temper their perceptions until they can get a handle on what to believe.
I noticed that some scenes caused people in the theatre to tsk tsk quite regularly, which started to annoy after a while. This must be a sign Ron Howard is getting it right. A brief look at his directorial list would certainly confirm he is still an artist who has produced some enriching movies. I think in this particular case, he definitely lucked out by landing Crowe. Harris, Connelly and Judd Hirsch fill their parts admirably, but this is 100% Russell's baby and he shines in every scene. Overall, in a year of sub-par films, A Beautiful Mind is certainly a beautiful find.
