A Beautiful Mind is a biopic loosely based on the life of John Forbes Nash, a Nobel Prize winner for his work in Economics. The film follows his life from enrolling at Princeton University for Undergraduate studies up till his Nobel Prize ceremony. His beautiful mind was unfortunately offset by his case of schizophrenia, which is an aspect of Nash's life that is thoroughly examined in the movie.
The story itself is well rehearsed in that it thoroughly portrays Nash as a "numbers guy" and not a "people person." One of my favorite scenes from this film is the "Ignore the Blonde" scene, which does a splendid job of showing Nash's brilliant mind and social handicap. The movie's character development of the supporting cast is also throughly executed as the audience grows a connection to Charles, Nash's roommate at Princeton who also happens to only be a figment of John's imagination. At that juncture of the film, the audience is unaware of Nash's condition and they are only exposed to the truth once Parcher is introduced. Parcher, an agent and figment of Nash's imagination, mysteriously recruits John for code breaking. As the audience grows suspicious of this character, the truth of the condition is revealed, creating a raw feeling of sympathy shared by everyone watching for Nash. Not only does the viewer strongly sympathize with Nash, but perhaps moreso with his wife, Alicia, who must struggle through his disorder with him. In Alicia's introductory scene, it is obvious that not only is she elegant, but she is also witty and smart. By having a strong connection with the characters, A Beautiful Mind creates a more realistic struggle and story.
Now the one flaw of this movie is that through its tremendous success, it has become popular culture's quick and simplified reference to schizophrenia. I would say that this film is a poor and unjust portrayal of real life economist John Forbes Nash. Rather, this movie is a powerful story regarding the idea of a John Nash. It may not have hurt to alter a few of the names in this film as it truly isn't about John Forbes Nash. Instead, it is about a character who's accolades have been based off of him and has a condition similar to the actual man. Conclusion: Must Watch
Rating: 8.5/10
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