A Beautiful Mind (2001)

78% of critics liked it
(183 reviews)
91% of users liked it
(449,059 ratings)

The true story of prominent mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. is the subject of this biographical drama from director Ron Howard. Russell Crowe stars as the brilliant but arrogant and conceited professor Nash. The prof seems guaranteed a rosy future in the early '50s after he marries beautiful… More The true story of prominent mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. is the subject of this biographical drama from director Ron Howard. Russell Crowe stars as the brilliant but arrogant and conceited professor Nash. The prof seems guaranteed a rosy future in the early '50s after he marries beautiful student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and makes a remarkable advancement in the foundations of "game theory," which carries him to the brink of international acclaim. Soon after, John is visited by Agent William Parcher (Ed Harris), from the CIA, who wants to recruit him for code-breaking activities. But evidence suggests that Nash's perceptions of reality are cloudy at best; he is struggling to maintain his tenuous hold on sanity, and Alicia suspects a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Battling decades of illness with the loyal Alicia by his side, Nash is ultimately able to gain some control over his mental state, and eventually goes on to triumphantly win the Nobel Prize. Based loosely on the book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar, A Beautiful Mind (2001) co-stars Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Christopher Plummer, and Judd Hirsch. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 2 hr. 14 min.
Directed By: Ron Howard
Written By: Akiva Goldsman
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Dec 21, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Jun 25, 2002
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy, Variety
Consistently engrossing as an unusual character study and as a trip to the mysterious border-crossing between rarified brilliance and madness.
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
Director Ron Howard's deftness in suggesting the subjective experience of Crowe's character, who's later diagnosed with schizophrenia, makes for inspirational narrative, but certain plot points are so reductive.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
A light veneer of condescension hangs over A Beautiful Mind.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
It makes you understand what it feels like to have a serious breakdown in powerful, empathetic ways that no movie has ever done before.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
Nash's subterranean nightmare takes on the gripping elements of a psychological thriller.
Joel Siegel, ABCNEWS.COM
You can't believe Russell Crowe is the same actor who won an Oscar one year ago for Gladiator. The film has a reveal so startling I almost got whiplash, shaking my head in amazement.
Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews
Cynics will hate it, but others will rightfully see it as a great cinematic accomplishment which is backed by excellent performances, great direction, a moving score and exquisite cinematography.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Oscar-winning biopic is too intense for tweens.
Nick Rogers, Suite101.com
Crowe, Goldsman and Howard aren't trying to solicit love or tears for John Nash, as detractors bitterly claimed. "A Beautiful Mind" sought only acknowledgement of the silent, invisible and brave struggle that so many with mental illnesses endure each day.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
A masterpiece.
, Film4
A typical Oscars movie. Solid, middle-brow and worthy.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
I can't deny how solidly it's crafted, how well-acted, and, wonder of wonders, how intelligently written and directed.
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
I particularly enjoyed the fact that Nash comes across as quite fallible in the film despite his attempts at perfection. His character in the film is as unpredictable as I would expect the real Nash to be.
Philip French, Guardian [UK]
Unfortunately, as the picture goes on, the haunting of Nash by figments of his troubled mind becomes a trifle simplistic.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Despite serious omissions from Nash's real-life (homosexuality, anti-Semitism), Ron Howard's middlebrow treament of the subject makes for an enjoybale film largely due to the compelling performances of Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly.
Adam Smith, Empire Magazine
If this were fiction, it would be an example of superior storytelling, and it's certainly gripping.
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy
A pedestrian film with a rudimentary script that forces the actors to create believability where there might otherwise be none.
, Time Out
At its most effective when it seems to lose the plot in a scrambled second act that posits the Cold War as a collective paranoid delusion, the film reverts to type (and to fact) for a sentimental anti-climax.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
It presents itself as a biography of the flesh-and-blood John Nash. And in fact, it is really only a flashy, sentimental Hollywood movie, inspired by a few particular details of the John Nash story.
James Plath, Reel.com
Crowe delivers the best performance of his career

Read all 22 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Alexander D

It seems the Academy makes a good effort to award the Best Actor to whoever can withstand and endure the pain of portraying someone who suffers from an everyday disability. The first of these examples, excluding Crowe's performance here, that come to mind are Colin Firth in THE… More
It seems the Academy makes a good effort to award the Best Actor to whoever can withstand and endure the pain of portraying someone who suffers from an everyday disability. The first of these examples, excluding Crowe's performance here, that come to mind are Colin Firth in THE KING'S SPEECH, Tom Hanks in FORREST GUMP, and Dustin Hoffman in RAIN MAN. Of the three examples, Dustin Hoffman would be the only one who truly deserved an Oscar for his performance. His performance was made iconic by not only his perseverance, but the endless number of quotes and scenes that remain in our minds. Russell Crowe would be near the bottom of the barrel for his performance as John Nash. Not once did he say or do anything that would stick with us forever, nor did he deliver an overly convincing performance. The ones who held the film up from becoming a dull debacle were Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris. A BEAUTIFUL MIND was a huge disappointment. For me, it goes with MILLION DOLLAR BABY, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, and DANCES WITH WOLVES as films that should have under no circumstance won Best Picture. Come on, Academy, there had to be better films for you to honor in 2001. Oh, that's right. I forgot. It's your duty to honor the film about the disabled person.
Adriel L

Gripping, profound and beautiful. Gut wrenching sense of humanity.
Brad W

A moving, smart, happy, mysterious, and incredible film. John Nash (Russell Crowe) is a Princeton genius but has yet to prove it, he makes a good friend there (Paul Bettany) whp believes in him, and soon earns a place in the Pentagon and as a teacher at a university. He falls in… More
A moving, smart, happy, mysterious, and incredible film. John Nash (Russell Crowe) is a Princeton genius but has yet to prove it, he makes a good friend there (Paul Bettany) whp believes in him, and soon earns a place in the Pentagon and as a teacher at a university. He falls in love with a beautiful woman (Alicia Nash), but things go bad when a man in black (Ed Harris) offers him s job as a spy, and he needs to research the Russians. But when a weird turn of events start happening, the problem we thought about John Nash is greater than anything us or him couldve imagined. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly were incredible, genius acting from both, and Connelly deserved the Oscar. The plot was a better version of the real story, and I think it turns John Nash's story into one of the most incredible brain twisters ever made. The intense 2nd half of this film will never leave your mind, and this movie will never leave it either.
Kase V

A Beautiful Mind is definitely a typical Oscar movie, but man, it knocked me out. Not only were the performances spectacular (Crowe has never been better), but the direction and cinematography are top notch as well. I honestly don't see how anyone can have a problem with this… More
A Beautiful Mind is definitely a typical Oscar movie, but man, it knocked me out. Not only were the performances spectacular (Crowe has never been better), but the direction and cinematography are top notch as well. I honestly don't see how anyone can have a problem with this film, because the acting is too great to criticize.
Jameson W

A Beautiful Mind is a beautiful film! There's not much to be said of it really. The story is excellent, spanning over a period of many years in the life of mentally ill, John Nash, played by Russell Crowe. The plot with the reality and hallucination sequences was extremely… More
A Beautiful Mind is a beautiful film! There's not much to be said of it really. The story is excellent, spanning over a period of many years in the life of mentally ill, John Nash, played by Russell Crowe. The plot with the reality and hallucination sequences was extremely affective, and well done. Also, powerful and touching. The acting is fantastic, both leading and supporting roles alike. Supporting actors Ed Harris, Paul Bettany, Judd Hirsch, and Josh Lucas really give strong performances. Russell Crowe received an Oscar nomination...he gives a great performance, but it was the beautiful and stunning Jennifer Connelly who makes this film. Her performance as Nash's wife, Alicia, is brilliant...one of my favorite supporting performances. She's one of my favorite actresses. She definitely deserved her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Excellent musical score by James Horner! I think one of the things I liked most about the film is the emotion. Parts of the story are so sad, tragic even. I really felt for the characters and that made all the difference. There are some powerful and emotional scenes in this film. Even though this film "stole" Best Picture from LotR: The Fellowship of Ring, this is still an excellent, near perfect film. Ron Howard brilliantly directed this movie, and it will most likely remain his very best. Everything about it is excellent...I love this film! I completely recommend this!
Shawn E

A remarkable story that will make you question the mind's logic and reality.
Steven C

Ron Howard's "A Beautiful Mind" is a good film any way you slice it. Though, the less you know about John Nash's life is probably better because it can be a bit of a light rendition. Still, it's a lovely movie about a man dealing with his mental illness.… More
Ron Howard's "A Beautiful Mind" is a good film any way you slice it. Though, the less you know about John Nash's life is probably better because it can be a bit of a light rendition. Still, it's a lovely movie about a man dealing with his mental illness. It's well shot by the legendary Roger Deakins and well acted by Russell Crowe (one of the few roles I actually like him in) and Jennifer Connelly (in an Academy Award winning performance). "A Beautiful Mind" is inoffensive, engaging and rather timeless, just don't expect anything too challenging or thought provoking.
Tony G

Remarkable Crowe, solid Connelly and crafty Howard pull off an absorbing achievement.
erika b

I am sam and rain man are alot better than this one.
Jeff "

A Beautiful Mind is one of Ron Howards greatest achievements as a director. A well told, and acted film, A Beautiful Mind is a terrific drama film. Som,e people may not find it appealing, but if you're looking for a good film to watch about a man who triumphed over a serious… More
A Beautiful Mind is one of Ron Howards greatest achievements as a director. A well told, and acted film, A Beautiful Mind is a terrific drama film. Som,e people may not find it appealing, but if you're looking for a good film to watch about a man who triumphed over a serious disease, then this is the film for you. The story of John Nash is very interesting as he was able to cope with his Schizophrenia and win the Nobel Prize in economics. A very good film to watch, A Beautiful Mind is definitely one of Howards best films.
Nelson P

Not only is this movie thought provoking and beautiful, its also one of the most entertain and well acted movies ever made.Almost every element to this movie was done to perfection,the acting, writing, directing, etc. You almost feel as if John Nash is in this movie not Russell Crowe.
Dan S

An excellent, heart-wrenching look at a brilliant, yet still very troubled individual. Crowe is always fantastic, there's just nothing he can't do. It always helps when you have one of the best actors ever in Ed Harris, who always brings it. It's not an easy movie to… More
An excellent, heart-wrenching look at a brilliant, yet still very troubled individual. Crowe is always fantastic, there's just nothing he can't do. It always helps when you have one of the best actors ever in Ed Harris, who always brings it. It's not an easy movie to watch, definitely very saddening considering this guy had to live with these demons. If the end of the movie doesn't touch you in some way - you might want to check your pulse.
Martin S

A great story.....kind of sad. Maybe Russell Crowe is as good as they say. At least he was here.
Kyle F

A Beautiful mind has a great story and lead performance by Russell Crowe, not to mention a nicely done score. However, the way the film is shot and played out can go from being brilliant to dry and insignificant in an instant. Let's just say that a film with a different story,… More
A Beautiful mind has a great story and lead performance by Russell Crowe, not to mention a nicely done score. However, the way the film is shot and played out can go from being brilliant to dry and insignificant in an instant. Let's just say that a film with a different story, made in the same way, might not have turned out as well.
Jennifer D

VERY well conceived idea, beautifully executed.
Wahida K

If reality has ganged up on you, nothing is safe anymore
Anthony L

A beautiful mind but a boring film.
Lenny M

Crazy movie with a great script, so technical wif all da maf and science. Sorry about that, but watching this movie makes you want to get some glasses because you feel smarter. Not really though. Good stuff.
Emile T

Great. Great Movie. Russell Crowe is as perfect as in Gladiator.
Jason O

Another favorite of mine and possibly Russell Crowe's best performance ever (this or Gladiator, of course). A brilliant story of a schizophrenic that I'd call a favorite.