Slow and steady does not win this race depicting the troubles of John Nash's struggles with schizophrenia while working hard on his scientific work

That was boring. A Beautiful Mind is to fall asleep.
True story, whatever. This movie don't convey this story good. All the time the viewer must have pity.How awful. I hate such pity-movies. In the matter of schizophrenia I prefer Fight Club.

Very average film, Crow's performance it's hard to believe, it is definitely a good story but it was a bad selection on the actors, not saying that the ones that appear on the movie are bad actors just think they are not the best for this particular story. Slow in some parts of the movie. If you want to know Nash's biography but you don't want to read you may watch this movie but don't expect too much thrilling moments.… Expand

This was by far wonderful movie. Not only did it give the reality of the 'sane' characters, but it gave a reality to a schizophrenic so that you don't even know he is one until half way through the movie. A success in every way. More movies should be this bold.

too conventional and too sweet considering that it's about an unconventional life of a genius mathematician. certainly not the best of 2001 ( a great year for movies).

This film is absolutely stunning. I have been a great fan of Russell Crowe for a long time now, and when I heard what this was about, I had mixed feelings. It wasn't even close to the things I would usually watch. But when I sat down to see it, I was truly amazed. The acting done by all the cast is just great and so believable. And the fact it was based on a true story just blew me away, as I only found that out after I had seen it. Even thinking it was just made up, it left me in tears at the end, and I wouldn't usually get sad with films. I strongly urge all who reads this to watch this film.… Expand

Through "A Beautiful Mind", neither director Ron Howard or actor Russell Crowe understand what to actually do in this dull film. The lead and tone is tedious and mediocre, with absolutely 0% of plot twists.

The Idea of this film was so brilliant, so spectacular, so amazing, i just can't stop qualifying this film in the best ways possible. Russell Crowe (I still think he was better then Denzel Washington, but that's just my opinion) & Jennifer Connelly tear the whole film down, they were fantastic, 2 of the best performances that I ever saw. This is without a doubt Ron Howard masterpiece.

A Beautiful Mind is a very touching movie. The way the plot develops,with subtle hints to the twist constantly popping up, is very well constructed and acted. A lot of reviewers say that the acting isn't great, and the plot drivel, but, I honestly believe, aside from the fact it is Hollywood writing all over, it works. It is good. I have never been so moved by a film in my life, and as incorrect some facts may be, if you take it as it is, and ignore some inaccuracy's, it's a great film. I should really have rated 9, but as I said, it's the most moving film I've watched.… Expand

What can you say? Amazing film. For me, however, it doesn't deserve the 10 points because after the first two thirds of the film it kind of lost me. Yet, it's well directed and Crowe shows amazing acting.

A very good movie but can be a little to heavy. Slow paced but worth watching.

A great cast and a superb script help the story of Nash's troubled mind become an exhilarating and mesmerising experience that will be hard to forget. First class!

This was truly a moving movie due to some superb acting. Crowe is so spot on with his character that at times it is almost frightening. Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris are also wonderful (Harris being a blatant Oscar snub). A great supporting cast and score. To all the people who hated it because not everything was accurate: IT WAS A MOVIE IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE 100% ACCURATE!!!!!!

it's a classic. i love the story. i usually don't like Russell, but in this movie is great. the movie shows the fight with a particular disease. the society is usually rejecting these kind of people.

Bravo performance by Crowe.. yet again. Nicely directed and interesting storyline. Much better than average movie and one you will watch again every so often on TV - true test of a good movie imo lol.

Great film!!! Crowe is awesome, he plays a genius and mentally sick man with bold and fine brushes. His decent into the dark side is wonderfully subtle and you forget that he's Russell Crowe and an Australian to boot. A true Brando of his generation. This film will not disappoint you, it might leave you a little blue, no heal clicking when you leave, but a true window into mental heath and the fight to overcome its obstacles.… Expand

Maths genius, big career ahead of him, goes to work for the government or maybe he doesn't, schizophrenia, Nobel Peace Prize.
Ron Howard's brilliant film about John Nash with a great performance by Russell Crowe & also a very good & strong supporting cast.
The whole schizophrenia thing is done very well to the point where you really feel for the main character.

The hidden point would be the following. Nesh has mathematically proved that socialism is a better system then capitalism. But I believe Nesh himself was not aware of that. He was a genius, but for mathematics, not for social sciences. Because of this essential prove he made, he came into a strong CIA and FBI focus as a serious threat for American system. It is a terrible shame what they did to him (giving him "top-secret tasks", following him to see if he has contacts with USSR, and finally taking him into mental intuition. (would a normal society take its famous scientist into a mad-house during his lectures to a distinguished audience given in a distinguished place?). Nesh has always been a true patriot, but nevertheless CIA/FBI doubted him and made him really suffer. Think about this while watching the film again and again, and try to disprove the point made here.… Expand

Heartlessly inaccurate, exploitative, and slandering. It takes mental illness along with John Nash's life and unsympathetically lies to you just to earn Oscars. It portrays the mentally ill as violent and the mental health world as an incompetent sham of an institution. It fabricates and overstates virtually every aspect of John Nash's life for the sake of more melodrama. It9;s not impossible to think that the mentally ill were further stigmatized and slandered by this astronomically overstated portrayal of both schizophrenia and John Nash's own experience with it. It's so mind-bendingly insensitive and callous to its source material that it's an unrestrained travesty that it exists, much less win eight Oscars. It shamelessly deceives solely for that purpose alone. Deserves no praise, since it is all manufactured exclusively for that.… Expand

A beautiful mind is a truly amazing and beautiful film, and one of the best films that I have ever seen. A beautiful mind tells the story of John Forbes Nash Jr.( portrayed with uncanny brilliance by Russell Crow) A brilliant mathematician and code breaker who's genius is crippled by mental instability and only his devoted wife and friends can help him trough his times of trouble as he looks for the answers in his own life, A beautiful mind is one of the best biography films I've seen yet. It's an amazing portrayal of courage and strength that will show everyone that just because your lost doesn't mean you can't be found. I very highly recommend this amazing film.… Expand

Oh, please. People are rating this movie a 10, placing it in the company of the Godfather, Citizen Kane etc? Formulaic but intriguing.

I personally think that this is one of Ron Howard

Best film ever. invidual. awsome.

Sugar-coated, inaccurate and manipulative drivel that is only rescued from the depths of utter unwatchability by Connely's stand-out performance.

This movie is modern classic - extremely well put together. For metacritic to attract only a 72, alongside slash and beat movies, shows that this place is frequented by the wrong crowds. Something is broken with metacritic to give this a 72, IMO.

72? Some of these critics honestly don't know shit, this is one of the most powerful, captivating and interesting drama movies you can see, the acting and the story is very involving, the movies soundtrack is just bliss, I could watch this film over and over and over, by the way Ed Harris is great in this film, its true.

This is only a split second of the life of John Nash, and I can only try to imagine how his life has been for him, and for his family. But the movie did its finest work there. It might not tell the hole truth, but it is what you want to tell the viewers, that is important here, a hint about a very special life of a genious.

Whenever Crowe is in a movie... everyone sparkles! What an inspiration. The other actors (Connelly so good) are certainly very good too, but Crowe is beyond ekstraordinary good! Fantastic!!! Love this story also. About ackward people, who are seldom wanted in our 'normal life', but we can't and must not live without them. Who can make them hero's other than prizes and sometimes a beautiful movie.… Expand

This conventional yet wonderful biopic is both haunting and heart-warming at the same time. Director Ron Howard conducts the plot with such a compelling sensitivity that will have most people drying up the tears on their faces while watching it. There are surprising plot twists, beautiful imagery and many touching moments. A solid, competent film that deserved every Academy Award it received. Highly recommended for those who enjoy moving, dramatic motion pictures.… Collapse

This movie is about the power of love, i think no body really get it, more satisfactory than a beautiful mind is finding a beautilful love.

It's sweet as hell. Russel Crowe is the man.

Boring, Oscar type movie.

Crowe's full frontal nudity was ace! otherwise booooring!

Beatuiful filmed and wonderfully performed by Russel Crowe, Paul Bettany and Ed Harris. Although I thought Jennifer Connelly was there for there for the "woman" effect. Excellent nonetheless.

I used to think the life of a geek was unbelievably dull, hardly better than a Hollywood cliche. I was wrong. But the sequel about Connelly's Dependent Personality Disorder should be riveting.

Abysmally played out and perhaps the most manipulative film about a psychological disorder ever made. Quite simply, the worst film of the year.

The first third of the film is intriguing, the momentum keeps building, and the shocking revelation about Nash's illness is genuinely unsettling in the same vein as the similar scene in The Shining. Rest of the movie falls under conventions of schlock, concentrating on the power of love to heal; but it's effective schlock, well-written and nicely performed by everyone, especially by the lovely Connelly who really knows how to radiate her startling beauty, and the message, though a cliche among cliches, isn't necessarily false. In this sense, one can say Beautiful Mind is like a great umpteenth pop song above love; boy-meets-girl theme is yet again reinvigorated. Crowe does a creditable job of portraying the range of Nash's eccentricities, from his delusional arrogance to his insecure loneliness, and it's far more satisfactory than a one-note gimmick performance of, say, Hoffman in Rain Man. Ron Howard doesn't overreach which is good. He understands that it's nearly impossible to convey genius to lay people--99.9% of us--and though the movie seems to be relying on one of the lamest stereotypes of genius--the mad scientist(in this case, mathematician)--Crowe's sensitive performance restrains Nash from veering off into looney freak show territory. Coulda been better, shoulda been better, but hardly anything to be ashamed about. … Expand

I definitely rate this movie as a 10. I know a person with schizophrenia and it is a difficult disease to deal with. Crowe portrayed this character with great detail and with great mannerisms. I cried my eyes out watching how this man had to deal with everyday life. Every day was a constant struggle for him. This movie is one of the best movies I have seen and I would definitely recommend it to others. … Expand

Worse that it won Best Screenplay than Best Picture. What a horrible film this is. It completely trashes the novel and turns it into Hollywood drivel. A catastrophic mess.

An unintentional comedy. The story is so contrived that it crosses into hilarity. i was laughing at all the wrong moments. How this film actually got any positive reviews is beyond me. It's simply a disaster. A preposterous disaster.

A fairly good movie, but not a film that I would watch more than 2 or 3 times. Crowe was good, but not award-worthy. He simply just made the character believable. Connelley's performance deserved the Oscar and Ed Harris also did a good job. The twists worked quite well too. All in all, a good movie, but not something I would crown a "Best Picture" to.

Actually, despite some reviews below, Crowe most definitely did not deserve the Oscar. Of those nominated, it belonged to Denzel. However, I would have much rather seen it go to Guy Pearce for Memento or Gene Hackman for The Royal Tenenbaums. This movie is one pretentious mess, from start to finish. I hated it.

Despite Connelly's devastatingly wonderful performace, there is nothing of worth here. The plot is a labyrinthian mess, progressing at unfollowably fast speeds one moment, and like a turtle in cold tar the next. Crowe is so ridiculously over-the-top in this performance that leaves no room for caring about him - and the story is so manipulated that you would prefer not to. But perhaps the most irritating aspect here is that it promotoes the assumption that schizophrenia can be conqered with love, which is, sadly, very untrue. Another pathetic choice for Best Picture by the Academy. … Expand

The way a biopic should be made with balanced attention on the strengths and weaknessess of the main character while not sensalitionizing the disease.

What I can't believe are the people who have slated this movie. Sure its Holywood, but then its an attempt at demystify Schizophrenia. As I am myself diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia I think this film does nothing but good. As to Stephanie.H's statement about the love of a good woman...my wife has been a tower of strength to me during my recovery.

Sure, it's sad and based on real peple, but Beautiful it is not. The twists are fun, but Crowe is no Denzel Washington, and this could not have been the best of the last year.

Having seen all but one of the Best Picture nominees, I can very safely say, this is one of the last movies out of those that deserved to win. This was pure Hollywood at its most digestible. Whether or not one believes the circulated rumours that the movie left out the nastier details of Nash's life one still has the nagging feeling throught that one is being spoonfed baby food. The film is contrived in every way, as if Ron Howard sat back and said, "Now what will it take to win the Oscar," and then mapped out the film. Look, if we want to be honest, there's nothing -wrong- with a crowd pleaser. And that is what this film, like Gladiator, like Titanic, and numerous other Oscar winners, sets out to do. It's less a piece of art than pop culture, the current in thing to fit the public's current mood. So, though one might be entertained, those of us who believe movies should be more than just entertainment are left with a nagging, empty feeling after watching it, that is hard to explain. After all, a movie that is calculated to please, should please everyone, shouldn't it? I guess not after all. I won't comment on Russel Crowe's performance. I've seen better, I've seen worse. I will comment on Jennifer Connelly's, which I thought was awful. I can't to save my life understand why so many people, including the Oscar voters, were so blown away. She seems best skilled at just standing there and trying to look pretty and confounded, eyes sparkling. Yaaaaawwwn. She's not acting in this movie, she's modeling. The occassional sudden burst of emotion seems contrived. Eyuck.… Expand

This movie will probably offend anyone who's dealt with schizophrenia. It childishly suggests this devastating disease can be conquered if you just set your mind to it and have the love of a "good woman".

A good choice for Best Picture (although my vote went to "Monster's Ball"). Russell Crowe brilliantly evokes the spirit of a man whose genius was put on trial by schizophrenia. "Beautiful Mind" is topped off by a brilliant score by James Newton Howard, and for viewers not knowledgable about John Nash's plight, contains a mind-boggling plot twist--that, while, manipulative, does so to bring viewers closer to it's characters. One of the year's ten best.… Expand

No one who has read the book, or knows the truth about Nash's life, or about schizophrenia, can endorse or enjoy this bogus bloat of a movie.

Yes, Ron Howard shamefully white-washed John Nash's life - but the film still told a great story. And yes, Russel Crowe is an a..hole - but he still did a stupendous job in the starring role. He deserved the Oscar without question - and as everyone knows, only politics prevented him from getting it.

This is a must! It is intelligent and makes us feel and see what the mind of the character. The kind a movie you see once, think a lot about it and then see it another time.

I hate Russell Crowe. I really do...he's an awful actor and yet wins all the Oscars. Doesn't make sense. Firstly, why would they make a movie about mathematics?? If you're a computer geek, (no offense) you might just enjoy this movie, but that's even a stretch. I would have to watch this movie in increments of 20 minutes...and yet I still couldn't finish. Why oh why did this win Best Picture??? I don't get it! Definitely don't waste your time with this movie. It'll be a complete waste!… Expand

Crowe's mannered but obviously heartfelt performance is almost upstaged by Paul Bettany's natural charisma. Somewhere in the last 20 minutes the film takes a turn for the obvious, and too bad because it was fascinating for a bit.

It was good..i mean okay i guess. It definitely did not deserve THAT many Oscars!

This film is very sentimental and a provokative story of a young mathematician. The actors are great, but some points are portrayed poorly.

Russell Crowe was wonderful but this was a totally Hollywood product, giving us a fictionalized version of the real story, cleaning up the uglier details. This film certainly did not deserve the Oscar. And how did Ron Howard let that awful make up job on Jennifer Connelly as an old woman end up on film.

I have a beef. The film-makers have inserted an utterly false line into the script: Nash says he was helped by "the newer anti-psychotic medications." As the biographer (Sylvia Nasar) makes clear, Nash took no drugs of any kind after 1970, and damn few before. What is so perverse about his line is that Nasar and others have indicated that Nash's mind might have been saved because he took so few of these drugs. In whose interest was the line inserted? … Expand

This movie beat out Lord of the Rings!!!

As I walked into this movie I thought it was going to be another encredibly boring film that critics like because it could be a shread different from other films wich doen't make it better. Instead it had an amazing plot and interesting twists and for Russel Crowe's performance it just proves that all good actors come from Australia.

It is hard to make a movie about mathematics interesting. I mean, I can barely sit through a math class without getting bored out of my skin. This movie is about mathematics and numbers, and it has a man I?ve never heard of in the lead character. A Beautiful Mind really had nothing going for it. But this movie surprised me a lot. I was thrilled to find out this was one brilliant film, and one that is surely going to knock the critics? socks off. I wasn?t that interested in the film at the beginning. But as I discovered as the film went on, this is one of those movies where the boring start is essential so the movie makes sense at the end. When I watch it next time I?ll remember to look closer in the first few scenes. I think this?ll be one of those films where you notice something different each time. This is one of the few examples of performances driving an entire film. Russell Crowe is the head and shoulders of this film and his performance is indescribable. I can?t exactly find the right word to pinpoint how brilliant he was in this film. All I can say is that he became John Nash, and delivered a career-best, and by far one of the best leading male performances of the last 20 years or more. Jennifer Connelly is superior to all the supporting actresses of 2001 and will get applause in bucketloads. It?s about time she did too, the actress has been around for a few years and has never seemed to get that much recognition for her work. Ed Harris is also good, and his plot twists are shocking. Christopher Plummer is the wise-old-man of the movie (for a little while anyway) and provides much subtlety to the heart of the film. As do Connelly and Crowe, who have one of those rare chemistries and sparks on screen?it was wonderful to see them act together. The direction by Ron Howard was incredible. As I was saying before, it is extremely hard to make an interesting film about a boring mathematician, but under Howard?s impeccable direction and outstanding effort, the movie works on many different levels. As it turned out, this movie is not just about a mathematician and his numbers, its about hallucinations, schizophrenia, friends, socialising, and love overcoming all of these obstacles. To write a screenplay that includes all of these things and does it in a beautiful way, ask no other man but Akiva Goldsman. He used to write silly drivel of films but the man is turning into a potential genius of the writing industry! He adapts this engrossing material with enthusiasm for making his characters 3-dimensional and I learnt a lot about the world in general in general from this film, its messages came across loud and clear, and with style. And all this is coming from the guy who wrote "Practical Magic," "Lost in Space" and "Batman & Robin." Whew! Really shows you how a guy can improve his writing skills, huh? The score and music for the film is deeply affecting to the film?s atmosphere. The score is very reminiscent of "Titanic," with the same sadness, the same great use of a choir, and the same rightly chosen instruments to display the film?s messages and morals. The song "All Love Can Be" was very touching. James Horner is the man! This movie will hopefully be nominated, and maybe even win, a few Oscars this year. All I know is it deserves it as it by far the best overall drama I?ve seen in 2001. Amazing performances, incredible writing, great direction, awesome music, stunning makeup effects (wow, Russell Crowe looks 50 years older!), neat camera tricks, good sounds and moods?all of this combined make this an inspirational piece for people who like films, and more importantly, love, and life. My rating for A Beautiful Mind is A+ or 10/10.… Expand

So while I was watching the movie I thought it was close to being a really good movie. But the more I watched the more doubts I started getting. At some point, I wasn't sure whether Nash actually achieved anything or was that also all just his hallucination. Some plots of the movie were really confusing and some were completely not needed. I must admit I was tricked into shedding a tear at some parts, but when I walked out the theater I felt ashamed because a sudden thought hit me, "I was expected to cry at that moment." It made me feel really low and robot-like since it was all pre-planned. If seriously, this movie doesn't allow any freedom of thinking and doesn't leave you any space to ponder. It's all pre-determined. When I came home, I read some of John Nash's biography. What really caught my attention is that his mental illness was always more of a side-note on his biographies but not as a main thing. But the movie is trying to make his mental-illness the main focus point and that doesn't seem right. What about his accomplishments? This movie was made more into "Matrix", "Sixth Sense" wannabe movies, but it didn't even relate to the main point of Nash's life, his mathematical accomplishments. … Expand

Beautiful Mind is "Rain Man" and "Dead Poets Society" all in one. This is not a true story, it is not John Nash's life - forget the facts, it is Hollywood looking for an oscar, a formula Ron Howard knows well. Total wimsical bollocks.

I'll give this movie one point - Russell Crowe's acting was the only thing keeping me in the theater. Otherwise, this is just Hollywood manipulating the tiny minds of middle America once again.

Did the screenwriter even read the book? Perhaps just a one paragraph summary. Nearly every important event of his life is left out, and almost none of the events in the movie are in the book. This might be an entertaining inspirational movie, if they hadn't used John Nash's name and the title of his biography. It's not about him. It is 99% fiction. The real story of his life is much more bizarre and would make a better movie. Crowe really knows how to play the part of a tortured soul, but he did it better in "The Insider". I think he could have done it here with a story actually based on the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr. I hope someone makes a movie or miniseries about the real man.… Expand

Ignore the talk of Academy Award nominations and whos better than who...this is genuinely a good film. The people who are dissing the movie obviously have some intense dislike for Crowe and Howard - a film / performance should be judged in isolation, not tainted by previous efforts. I saw the film with no preconceptions and loved it immensely. I have not seen a film which deals with this subject which puts you inside the mind of the afflicted so effectively. I was completely taken in by the story and was genuinely taken aback when the truth was revealed. Watch this movie!… Expand

This is the worst film I've ever seen.

The best film of 2001. I definitely agree with Richard Schickel...this film was mainstream moviemaking at its highest, most satisfying level. Crowe and Connelly both deserve Oscars.

Just an okay movie with a great deal of hype. I would not want to see it again. See it if you have nothing better to do.

Russell Crowe's sensitive portrayal of a brilliant man whose life is consumed by the madness of schizophrenia was stellar. This debilitating mental disorder seemed to ooze from every pore of his body. It was fascinating to behold. Still, something was lacking in this film. I left the theater feeling unfulfilled. First, I wish the movie had revealed more about the character's "beautiful mind." Not enough attention was devoted to his genius. There was probably a lot of revealing detail left behind on the editing floor. Second, Crowe was too old to depict a young student at Princeton University (what is he now -- 40 something?). As he "aged" in the film, he was far more convincing. The compact "Hollywood ending" was a big disappointment. It ruined the movie in my opinion; thus, I would not see it again. Best actor? yes; best film? no.… Expand

What a pile of drivel!

Great Film. I'd put it in the top 5.

As a drama: 0 As a comedy: 10. One of the most hilariously over-acted, pretentious films in years. Great to watch while drunk.

Wonderful movie with superior perfomances by Crowe and Connelly.

I have lost all faith in the Golden GLobes. Whoever gives them the most money gets the globe. The oscars are similar, but they are not influenced by money as much. "Mulholland Drive" and "LOTR" and "In the Bedroom" were SO much better than this heap of crap that I can't even believe it. In a perfect world, "Mulholland Drive" would win everything.

Crowe should not win for his performance. It stunk. If anyone deserves the best actor nod come Oscar time, it's Guy Pearce for Memento - not Crowe in his ridiculously overblown performance.

Jennifer Connelly was the only redeeming factor in this otherwise ridiculous film. No insight was provided on what his mathematical formula actually DID for us, nor did it accurately portray his life. The screenplay was insanely choppy and Crowe's acting is soooooo overrated that I can't bring myself to understand why he is being hailed as one of the year's best... oh wait - it's Hollywood. And for a mystery, on doesn't really have to think much and for a thriller, the films if hardly thrilling. Connelly, however, was incredible. Her acting was simply extraordinary. That alone can make the movie watchable. The viewer looks forward to seeing her shine. Grade: C-… Expand

It was pretty good--after a rocky start, it became really engrossing, with a tug at the heart that wasn't mush--simply touching. Good going, Russell & Ron.

The movie kinda struggled the first 40 minutes, but it's all tied together. R.crowe did a supperb job. He's the front runner for another Oscar. Good film, well worth the price of admission.

An amazing movie. Simply put - you walk away from the movie with a smile.

The best I have ever seen.

This film is well done. It presents Nash's delusions and hallucinations in an incredibly believable way. Crowe, whom I have never enjoyed much as an actor and who caused me to cringe by winning the Oscar last year, delivers a wonderful performance. The only problem is the script. It sugarcoats reality. Nash was not as sweet as he is made out to be and the "magic of love" premise of the film is a departure from the true story. The film is good but would have been better with a faithful adaptation of the biography and the life of Nash. As it is, it resembles a delusion more than what was real. But a good delusion.… Expand

Yes, there is some shameless heart-tugging in this movie, but it's worth it. As Chad S. says, just give in to the movie--you can't possibly not be moved and inspired.

Excellent movie about devotion, fear, love, strength. Thought provoking. After you've seen it, think about your own illusions v. realities and determining which is which.

Works on every level. Fine writing and directing. Clean, mature, adult filmaking. You have to be moved. See it!!

Put aside your petty (but warranted) prejudices against Ron Howard and allow yourself to love this film. Forget the "Grinch." Forget "EdTv." Forget the liberties taken with the source material. And you will feel something.

Several movies in one, with a "Sixth Sense"-like progression. Gives great insight to what paranoid schizophrenia must feel like.