This film was awarded Oscars in 2002 for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director (Ron Howard). It is a human drama inspired by events in the life of John Forbes Nash Jr. and in part based on the biography "A Beautiful Mind" by Sylvia Nasar. From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. lived it all. A mathematical genius, he made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But, the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery due to mental illness. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his tragedy. Finally, late in life received the Nobel Prize.
There are difficult aspects of John Forbes Nash Jr.’s life. There is also the horrible reality of his professional and personal life ruined by insanity due to schizophrenia. This film smoothes away his very rough edges but tells a story of the messy realities of his life. There is also a sense of manipulation and dishonesty since this is not a documentary? The facts can be inaccurate and details embellished? During this time period, society was not kind to people who lacked social skills, had paranoid hallucinations, were bisexual, had a child out of wedlock and a divorce.
Some material might be very upsetting for children or for anyone who has relatives with mental illness. Also, those who know very little about this subject may struggle with this topic. There are some strong scenes of family filled with tension and peril. This includes a child in jeopardy, scuffles and potential domestic abuse. There are graphic scenes of shock therapy and self-destructive behavior. There is a character in danger involving a shooting. There is also some crude language with sexual references. 5* (I really liked this movie)
135 min, biography directed by Ron Howard and written by Akiva Goldsman, based on a book by Sylvia Nasar with Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connellym, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, Jason Gray-Stanford, Judd Hirsch, Austin Pendleton, Vivien Cardone, Jillie Simon, Victor Steinbach, Tanya Clarke.
Note: Imdb 8.2* out of 10* with 847,207 reviews , Rotten Tomatoes 64% with 213 critics 93% with 491,007 audience scores, empireonline.com 3* out of 5* Adam Smith, reelviews.net 3 1/2*, The Independent 3.5* Richard Propes, Common Sense Media Nell Minow, age 14+, 5*, 3* violence, sex, language, drinking, drugs & smoking, 4* positive role models & representations.
Special Note: In the scene towards the end of the film, where John Nash contemplates drinking tea, is based on a true event when Russel Crowe met the real John Nash. Crowe spent fifteen minutes deciding whether to drink tea or coffee? The equations seen on the classroom chalk boards are actual equations written by the real life John Nash. Nash visited the set and Russell Crowe said later that he had been fascinated by the way he moved his hands. Crowe tried to do the same thing in the movie. He thought it would help him get more into the character. John and Alicia Nash were killed in a car accident on May 23, 2015. The driver of a taxi they were riding in lost control of the car and collided with a guard rail and a second car on the New Jersey Turnpike. The New York Times said that the two drivers suffered only minor injures but the Nashes were ejected from the cab and pronounced dead at the scene. John was 86 and Alicia was 82.
Mistakes: The aerial view of the Pentagon includes the modern-day helicopter landing pad. In 1951, Nash drinks from a paper cup with the "recycled" symbol on it. The student's "bad" tie shows stars and double helices. Although someone might have drawn those patterns before the late 1940s when this scene takes place, the double helix as scientific symbol had its breakthrough in 1953. In the first scene in his dorm room at Princeton in 1947, Nash listens to a recording by the early-music ensemble Gothic Voices featuring soprano Emma Kirkby. Emma Kirkby was not born until 1949. The recording, of Hildegard von Bingen’s "Columba aspexit," was not done until 1981.
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