‎A Beautiful Mind (2001) directed by Ron Howard • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

A Beautiful Mind

2001 Directed by Ron Howard

I need to believe that something extra ordinary is possible...

At Princeton University, John Nash struggles to make a worthwhile contribution to serve as his legacy to the world of mathematics. He finally makes a revolutionary breakthrough that will eventually earn him the Nobel Prize. After graduate school he turns to teaching, becoming romantically involved with his student Alicia. Meanwhile the government asks his help with breaking Soviet codes, which soon gets him involved in a terrifying conspiracy plot. Nash grows more and more paranoid until a discovery that turns his entire world upside down. Now it is only with Alicia's help that he will be able to recover his mental strength and regain his status as the great mathematician we know him as today..

Russell Crowe Ed Harris Jennifer Connelly 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 Thomas F. Walsh Jesse Doran Kent Cassella Patrick Blindauer John Blaylock Roy Thinnes Anthony Easton Cheryl Howard Josh Pais David B. Allen Michael Esper Erik Van Wyck Rance Howard Jane Jenkins Show All…

135 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by truman segal ★★★★ 3

ugh, his mind
Review by CinemaClown ★★★★

Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind is an expertly crafted biopic based on the life of schizophrenic mathematician John Nash & covers his struggle with his condition. Although the artistic license taken here makes it far more cinematic than required, the film nonetheless succeeds as a touching, entertaining & satisfying experience.

Based on the novel of the same name, the story of A Beautiful Mind begins in 1947 when the young John Nash arrives at Princeton University. Eccentric but brilliant, Nash graduates with flying colours, is hired by MIT but begins exhibiting troubling symptoms of a mental illness which in the long run affects not only his personal & professional life but also those around him.

Directed by…
Review by ScreeningNotes ★★★★ 4

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

"So what am I now, a spy?"

Not only did I manage not to have this movie spoiled for me, but despite it being a favorite of my father's and girlfriend's I managed to block out the knowledge that there was even anything to spoil about it. Before the movie started my dad even said something along the lines of, "It's never the same as the first time you see it." Thank you, brain, for selectively understanding the world around me.

There's a section of this movie which is absolutely terrifying to me, more than any horror movie I've ever seen. A Beautiful Mind plays out the idea that you can't think your way out of mental illness. There's a…
Review by Joe ★½ 1

How's this for a problem without a solution: who gives a shit
Review by Scott Anderson ★★★½ 5

I find the concept of expectations and whether or not they are met to be fascinating, especially in regards to film criticism. Last night I finally saw the 2002 Best Picture winner A Beautiful Mind for the first time, a mere 12 years after its release, and without a doubt it is a very good film, one that was elevated to that level through pretty great performances throughout but especially from the two leads. Russell Crowe is John Forbes Nash Jr. and Jennifer Connelly is Alicia, a student in his class that stuns Nash not just with her beauty but also the bold move she makes to solve a noise/temperature problem on his first day as her teacher. I truly…
Review by Dave ★★★★

Before "Noah" came along, Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly owned this highly entertaining drama about the life of John Nash. Rather than play it like a straight biopic, Ron Howard chose to go inside Nash’s schizophrenic mind, and the results are dazzling.

Crowe, disappearing once again, adds another enigmatic role to his roster of great performances. He should have won Oscars for "The Insider" and this film, not for "Gladiator," but I digress. He's easily one of our best actors-slash-movie stars in the business.

And Jennifer Connelly? Well, dammit, she can do no wrong, can she?

Recent reviews

Review by Sundus Aitazzi ★★★★

While this movie is too long to want it on DVD, it's worth watching once and has given me massive prof. crushes on Jennifer Connolly + Paul Bettany.
I do wish Alicia was given more agency, especially considering that in real life their marriage was more platonic for a large part of it + I would have liked to see that side of the marriage explored in the film
Review by Caleb Fray ★★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Don't read this if you haven't seen the movie.
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I really enjoyed this film. The mere thought that I could be imagining an entire situation for years in such depth that I wouldn't realize it is a truly terrifying thought.

That is all.
Review by nora ★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

i was on my phone during the scene were we get a clue about how his roommate ain’t a real person (you know, the shot were he isn’t really there) and I think this movie is kinda dumb and also the only russell crowe performance that matters is the nice guys okay
Review by rey 🍷 ★★★★

in the series one of my teachers made me watch this
Review by Cole Bradley ★

*extremely kimmy schmidt voice* un-watchable!
Review by Mike Palmes ★★★½

Das einprägsamste, das A Beautiful Mind bei mir hängengeblieben ist, ist eindeuzig Russel Crow er bietet hier eine unfassbar nahbare und intime Darstellung eines schizophrenen Mathematikers. Dabei sind Geschichte, sowie Inszenierung eher zweitrangig, wenngleich sie seiner schauspielerischen Leistung in nichts nachstehen, diese jedoch in den Hintergrun rückt und Crowe so die nötige Basis bieten um, womöglich, eine seiner besen Leistungen abzuliefern.

Neben Crowe springt dem Zuschauer natürlich die lebhafte kamera ins Auge. Dabei werden selbst die vermeintlich langweiligsten Labore durch geschickte Kameraeinstellungen zu interssanten Hintergründen umgewandelt. Teilweise sei dies auch den Szenenbildner zu verdanken, doch man muss anmerken, dass es doch stark auffällt wie sehr die Kamera mit der Umgebzung, den Charakteren und deren Blocking spielt um die Szenerie zu…
Review by Matthew Zechiel ★★★★

i don't know what this films writer akiva goldsman (who also wrote a lot of shit movies) did to make this film so good it won four academy awards (including best picture)
Review by posea

마음에도 없는 소릴 아름답게도 하는군.
Review by Jack Parker ★★★★

Was not expecting that