A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Russell Crowe again? Nope, only Oscar nominated this time around ... though the film did win the Best Picture Oscar. I liked this movie about John Nash, but absolutely LOVED the book (which I read about a year after seeing the film). It's worth reading, if you can make it through it. Very interesting and NOTHING like the movie, really. I understand now, having read the book, why there was such an uproar about the creative license taken by Oscar winning director Ron Howard (the film did win the Adapted Screenplay Oscar). While reading the book, after having seen the film, it was hard to disassociate Crowe from Nash. Evidently, Crowe either read the book or did sufficient research to adequately portray Nash, mannerisms and all. And, while I think Jennifer Connelly deserved the Supporting Oscar for her performance, she didn't really portray Nash's actual wife in any way (other than being beautiful, that is). That last tear-jerking scene (his acceptance speech in Stockholm) wasn't at all genuine. #93 on AFI's 100 Most Inspiring Movies list.

Of course, a movie about Nash that is true to the actual story would have never made it to the Silver Screen (much too boring, though scenes with Einstein and the "other" geniuses of Nash's time and place could have made it interesting). One particularly interesting part in the book which also could have made a truer film more compelling was the behind the scenes activity of the Nobel Prize committee(s), their overall process and the specific controversies surrounding the award for Nash.

Also, while I think Howard was right to leave out Nash's first lover, and his son from that relationship, it left him with fewer ways to portray Nash's insecurities and weak character traits. And, by ignoring Nash's enduring fear of being drafted, he left out what is suspected to be one of the key reasons for his illness. It would have also been interesting to note that his first son inherited his affliction.

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