| Written by John Shea,
on 29-12-2001 08:00
|
Published in : Reviews, Movies |
One of the cruelest of all illnesses is schizophrenia. It can turn a normal person into a completely non-functional mess, leaving them almost totally out of control. Think about living in a world where you couldn't tell the difference between your imagination and reality. Any little thing the mind latches onto could become a new reality completely disconnected from reality. John Nash Jr. is a brilliant mathematician who fell victim to that illness. The movie based on his life, A Beautiful Mind, watches him over 47 years as he descends from brilliance to madness and miraculously back again.
The film begins with Nash (Russell Crowe) entering Princeton. He clearly very smart but can't seem to connect with people very easily. His classmates tend to pick on him as he's awkward socially. He's recalls that a grade school teacher once said he "had two helpings of brain and only half a helping of heart." This isn't really accurate though. Nash has plenty of heart, he just has trouble expressing it. He is obsessed with finding a truly original idea, scoffing at the work of others that doesn't true originality. He eventually finds his idea, a new economic theory that would revolutionize the field.
Later in life he is working at MIT and meets a young graduate student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). She is fascinated by his mind and asks him out. They have a very romantic but unusual courtship. She recognizes his brilliance and actually finds his lacks of social grace charming. Before long they are married and things seem great. Unfortunately with Alicia now pregnant, Nash's schizophrenia becomes shockingly apparent.
The film takes a very real look at mental illness. Frequently in movies it is just used as a character trait to make someone more interesting. But here the illness is treated in a very realistic fashion where it makes living life very difficult. Instead of using the illness for cheap laughs the movie finds its heart and humanity. Nash's struggle to come to grips with his illness and somehow find a way to get back to being a functioning individual is an amazing story. The sacrifice his wife and friends make to help him regain control are astounding and heartwarming. Rather than going for cheap theatrics to move the audience, the film gives great depth to the characters and thus builds a bond with viewers. That makes the pain and suffering they endure very real and very touching.
Russell Crowe delivers what may be the best performance of an already very distinguished career. He vanishes inside of the character and lets a wealth of feeling pour out making Nash completely believable. In his capable hands Nash goes through a huge assortment of changes. When the schizophrenia strikes we don't even realize it. So convincing is Crowe that it's very hard to accept that the character is sick and not really leading the life he (and we) thought. There is a subtle humor to the character that makes him very endearing despite his obvious handicaps socially. It's a delightfully nuanced role that evolves as Nash ages, never once seeming out of place.
Jennifer Connelly has a much smaller role but performs it no less perfectly than Crowe. She seems to radiate warmth and love, as her character takes the hard road to stay with the man she loves. Her fear and heartache that stems from her husband's illness is very real. It is a beautiful performance. It's time for her to start receiving wider recognition as the talented actress that she is.
This is one of the year's best films. It has an emotional force that is startling in its ability to use a range of extreme emotions and never feel over the top or manipulative. It has great direction from Ron Howard and equally great acting from Crowe and Connelly. It is a film that should be both satisfying to audiences and critics. That kind of range and quality are becoming rarer and rarer in Hollywood films and should thus be highly encourage. Go see it.
- John Shea
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