This is such a great movie on a very complex subject. Schizophrenia is very misunderstood. To watch this man battle his demons, so to speak, as an every day occurrence was fascinating to watch. Although I had seen this movie years ago, watching it again brought back some things that I had forgotten about. Now, I have the opportunity for many more friends to see the movie and give their opinions. I actually have an Abnormal Psychology student that I let watch it so that she could see some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. She said that it actually did help her understand some of the concepts. Regardless of what type of character John Nash may or may not have been, the movie with Russell Crowe is excellent.

A Beautiful Mind is a good film but not brilliant. Russell Crowe does a fine job as College professor John Nash but the real magic performance goes to Jennifer Connelly, she is truly amazing as Nash's understanding wife. Ron Howard is a fantastic director but this film is probably is most flawed. A Beautiful Mind is an important film but it left me disappointed.

I LOVE this movie. Russell Crowe gives a wonderful performance. It is the story of one man's battle with mental illness and would be an inspiration for anybody, with or without problems. I highly recomend it to anybody.

This is great filmmaking. The acting was top-notch, the score was beautiful. Its hard to believe this was based on someone's life. Its heartbreaking but interesting at the same time. And Russel Crowe did a fantastic job as Nash. I can't believe he lost that Oscar. Its such a shame. But a great film nonetheless.

There is not much more to say about this movie except that it is excellent. You may have to watch it more than once to really understand the seriousness of mental illness. Anyone that has any type of mental illness in their life-whether themselves or a family or friend will completely be able to relate to this movie. It is done beautifully, tastefully and carefully. Also a true story.

I purchased this DVD through Amazon because of the price, availability and delivery. I incorporated it into a mental health unit for high school students. The students loved the movie- it took three days of classs to view- and I got good feedback from them regarding the characters mental health issues. An excellent movie for all to see- can open up many eyes regarding the diagnosis, treatment and stigmatism associated with mental health illnesses.

This movie film too much to play twists on the audience. Through-out the entire movie you try to figure out whether Crow is truly insane, then the director throws more tiresome scenes into the mix. In the end this film tries too hard to be Dramatic & loses its focus mid-movie.

This was a brand new movie and very interesting...thanks. I had to watch it for a class, but liked it for personal enjoyment also

I have seen this movie many times and it's the kind of movie that
will touch your heart and you will watch it over and over again.

A Beautiful Mind is just a very touching movie.

This is a truly beautiful movie and probably Ron Howard's best work IMHO. It's a lesson of how one man fought off his demons, real and imagined, with the loving help of his wife and a commitment to discipline his own mind.

Direction, acting, writing, cinematigraphy, music... it's a perfect storm of great cinema.

Regarding the DVD there is one thing to keep in mind... be careful to check the aspect ratio of the DVD you buy. There are many different versions of this title, apparently I got stuck with a lemon as I wanted the "widescreen" version but got, instead the "fullscreen" version.

They trick you here... "FULL Screen"?? Is this as opposed to "Half-Screen"? It's a misleading term that makes you think it's "widescreen" but it's not -as the aspect ratio is only 1:33-1. If you want the real FULL screen -as it was in the theater, make sure the copy you buy is 1:85-1.

I first saw this movie about five years ago. My wife had asked me to go see it with her. After we watched, I said to her, "I don't know how to tell you this, but I got to tell you something, and it is kinda hard to say." She said, "Go ahead, honey." So I said to her, "I don't know what that stuff is that Crowe has in that movie......" She says, "go on." "But I have it, too." She then says, "Well, we got to get you some help." The next day she tells me the soonest a psychiatrist can see me is in a month and a half. I tell her that I can't last that long. I need to see someone right away. A psychiatrist tells her to take me to the nearest ER room at a hospital.

Sitting in front of the ER doctor at a large hospital in the Denver suburbs, the doctor asks me, "So what's bothering you?" I tell him, "Oh, nothing really." (I'm afraid they are going to lock me up forever.) My wife across the little room says, "You have to tell him everything, to get help." So I proceed to tell him, "I'm hearing voices which are telling me to do terrible things. They are loud command voices, they don't stop, and I can't deal with it anymore. They say people in the neighborhood are plotting to kill me and my family."

He says, "Oh, you must have a microchip implanted in the back of your head."

I exclaim back, "No, no, that's not possible! I never had a microchip operation... I have a tooth. It's in the back of my mouth. It has a large filling in it. I got it when I was 15. The dentist put two pins in it, and the pins act like a harmonic receiver for a satellite in the sky." Then I paused again and looked over at my wife, and she said, "You got to keep going." I continued, "They are sending the voices to me through this tooth, and they can hear what I am saying when I speak. I am part of a super-secret military project, and they're communicating with me. For future one-man missions."

The doctor then left, and came back a few minutes later with two armed hospital guards. He read me 'my rights', and informed me that the state of Colorado allows him to put me on a '3-day involuntary commitment' to get me medication and counseling. I was ready to jump right out of there, but my wife said, "They are going to help you, but you have to let them." So I went along with them to the psych ward of that general hospital, and they helped me by giving me a 10mg dose of tongue dissolvable Zyprexa, and I slept for about 19 hours. When I woke up, they let me talk to the doctor and some counselors. The medication gave me a clear brain, and stopped the voices and delusions. They released me to my wife that day (the day after admitting me). My wife was an angel.

This movie, that "3-day commitment", and the doctors & nurses with the meds are some of the best things that have ever happened in my life. This movie gave me the courage to seek help. It was very hard to take the news that I was not part of a special super-secret military project for 19 years. But instead I have a serious, chronic, incurable, brain disease. But that's life, that's my life. I now accept the fact that I have the brain disorder known as schizoaffective. It reminds me of the movie, "Predator". And it terrifies me.

Other people here have commented that this film does not portray the actual life of John Nash. Well, maybe it's because the real story of schizophrenia is too depressing for people to want to pay money to see. There simply is no pretty Hollywood ending to our story. And besides, Hollywood has skewed other films in the past that were supposedly about the life of a real person.

One that comes to mind so unnervingly is the movie, "Emily Rose." Talk about a farce! Oh, this movie was "INSPIRED BY" the life of Emily Rose. And then two consultants to the film with the title of Msr. in front of their names (this stands for Catholic monsignor priest) proceeded to make a girl's paranoid manic psychotic episode look like demon possession. That was cute. And what a cruel joke it is to all of us who suffer from psychotic brain disease (about 8 million US people - paranoid schizophrenia, psychotic bipolar I, psychotic depression & post-partum psychosis).

I can hardly wait until the researchers find a cure for this illness. Hopefully within the next 20 to 30 years. I hope and pray for this everyday. I'm sure John does, too. For the sake of our children.

You won't hear from many people with psychotic based-illness. It is simply too horrific to talk about. You can take my word for it. I say this because you all have paid a lot of money to send me to some of the world's best schools. Schools which uniquely teach soldiers how to look fear in its face, to confront it, and then to walk right through it. As I have posted before, and in spite of this myriad of specialized training, it still terrifies me to talk about this disease like I am doing now, and it takes a terrible toll.

To everyone who had a part in making this film, thank you. Thank you for saving my life, literally. I really appreciate that. So do my wife and two children. And thank you, John, for telling your story. You have helped us all. You will never know how much, because we simply cannot talk about it. As you already know.

Russell should have received the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Nash... talk about being robbed... LOL!

The real life story of John Nash plays out as engaging and interesting as some of our more well thought out fiction. Now, as some have already noted whether here or in media scrutiny, not all of this film follows Nash's life accurately. Some of this film is fictionalized, but isn't that for the most part what always happens. Just because it's a true story doesn't mean Hollywood doesn't feel the need to tamper. At least here the tampering does not by any means take away from the power within the film and the performances that dominate. Nash's life story is still portrayed effortlessly and beautifully, compelling and entertaining and full of just about every aspect of a priceless and award worthy film. `A Beautiful Mind' truly has it all.

Russell Crowe here delivers a breathtaking performance as John Nash, a brilliant math student who gets to the top only to tumble back down to the bottom at breakneck speed. Living a life that in the end appears mostly a lie, Nash eventually is diagnosed with schizophrenia. At this point in his life, married with a child and working a steady job, Nash and those around him are finding it difficult to differentiate reality from the creations of his mind. The movie then turns its focus on Nash's recovery and the effect his sickness has on those closest to him.

Crowe is truly the star here, swallowing whole this character driven study on the human spirit and determination to survive. He engulfs the screen and makes this mans plight come alive for the audience. What's commendable here is that Howard's directing and of course the script, adapted from Sylvia Nasar's biography, allow for the viewer to really connect with the entire cast, most importantly Nash himself. This proves effective because once Nash's life is shattered before our very eyes and he begins to crumble we are brought to a place deep within our emotions that would have been impossible to touch had we not come to know Nash before his world came tumbling down. We fall in love with this man and so we feel his pain, his wife's pain and are emotionally distressed alongside them both.

Alongside Crowe both Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany deliver astounding performances as Nash's longsuffering wife and imaginary best friend. Jennifer's Oscar winning performance is full of so much life, so much pain and emotional attachment that we can relate to and understand her feelings every step of the way. We watch her transform from this woman who knew how to control the things around her, including Nash, to a woman scared of what was going to happen next, a woman who felt detached from all she thought was real. Bettany's portrayal of Nash's college roommate is high spirited and refreshing. He serves as our brightest comic relief but also our biggest heartbreak as we watch Nash realize he never truly had his friendship at all.

Crowe, one of our finest actors, is a true chameleon and he engages himself so far into this role that he becomes John Nash, and watching that transformation is utterly rewarding. His determination and fervor are so invested in this performance from the moment he appears on screen that one is automatically drawn to him and connected to him entirely. From start to finish `A Beautiful Mind' proves itself worthy of our attention and consideration and is sure to astonish and amaze you. From its heartbreaking story to its brilliantly crafted direction to its powerhouse performances, `A Beautiful Mind' is a winner from the top of its head to the tip of its toes. The well rounded supporting cast including the likes of Ed Harris and Josh Lucas continue to astonish in their respective roles and aid in delivering one of the warmest and beautifully articulated Hollywood experiences. This, my friends, is what going to the movies is all about.

I've always been fascinated by hallucinations. So this movie naturally appealed to me. It made me think, "My gosh, what if I'm like this guy and I've had a friend who isn't real all along?" Holy cow. Spooky.

And the worst thing about it is the guy's hallucinations never go away. He just has to pretend they aren't there. What a bummer. And some of those hallucinations were his best friends at one point too. Geez. Star Trek The Next Generation could do six full-length episodes based on the content of this film alone.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in psychology, philosophical logic, insanity, or any combination of the three. It can present you some mysteries, that's for sure.

I am compel to say that Amazon.com provides a wonderful shopping experience for their on-line customers. Why I'm force to say this? Well, it is because they stand by there word and give the customer what they need when they need it. Thank you Amazon.com for helping me to make the grade in my Psychology class when I needed you the most.

Russell Crowe did an incredible job of portraying the real-life story of Princeton Professor John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who won the 1994 Nobel Prize, despite his dysfunction due to schizophrenia. My heart went out to this amazing man for all he suffered; his perseverance tugged at my heart strings; and I was heartened by his wife standing beside him through thick and thin. I'm highly encouraged that Professor Nash managed to kick his dependence on the schizophrenia medicine and go on to reach some of his major goals in life.

Thanks to the brilliant directing of Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind is one of those bittersweet movies with a satisfying ending that left me feeling good about life and the human conditiion ... a lasting impression of "hope."

Russell Crowe and the entire cast are to be commended for their sensitive, caring performances in this fine drama.

SIDENOTE: You may have noticed that Amazon has made some changes to its website. If it looks the same to you right now, look out for a new format that will be rolling out gradually in the weeks to come. If you can see the changes, especially the review format, I'd like to know what you think. Please leave me a comment with your opinion.

"Love the new look" or "Hate the new look" comments are perfectly acceptable.

My e-mail address is at top of this review. Thank you for your time."

I got it as a gift for someone's birthday. They loved it. Fabulous!

The best part of the film were when the leading character was delusional. That's not a good basis for a film to grow off of, especially when sanity brings the viewer a happy boring ending. There was no real romance to speak of, instead the idea of exchanging bodily fluids and skipping any small talk prevailed. The director Ron Howard reaffirms that he does not know how to craft love stories.

I did not find the characters to be believable as portrayed. The acting by Russell Crowe was horrific. The phoniness of his stammering accent reminds me of having sticky fingers. You can't get rid of it and the longer it goes on the more annonying it gets. His wife lacked any character development. She is similar to an immovable pillar which remains in the same spot and the same shape less some aging. I can hear Crowe's character saying, "that's a good wife, now stand over there and cry when I get all the accolade."

The makeup showing the aging of characters appeared planned and formulated. It was great the first dozen movies we saw it but now it doesn't work. I found myself successfully guessing where the plastic pieces were applied to the faces. There wasn't much else to do as I was completely bored waiting for the credits to roll finally releasing me from this yawner.

I will give the movie 3 stars. It was average at best. The editing, soundtrack and portrayal by some supporing actors were the only things saving it from a lower score. Wait for it to appear on TV. This movie won 4 academy awards. It is a terrible example of 'excellence' in film.

John Nash won the Nobel Prize in economics in 1994 for work he had done as a Princeton grad student in the 1940s. In between, schizophrenia hounded him. His wife is the real hero. The film glosses over the seamier aspects of Nash's real life (see the biography by Sylvia Nasar), and gives the impression that lots of love will cure mental illness (wrong), but this is still a moving film that explores the borders between genius and madness.

I would recommend this movie to anyone, Great story and Russell Crowe plays his Character very well. Must see this film! It is long.

Since the first time I viewed this movie, I was fascinated in a lot of factors, camera, directing, and a little bit of the acting was also very good, though in some scenes it seems like I'm watching Gladiator.

A great movie for a great price, a "must have" item.

very happy to have this movie well pleased thank you whoray33

The new generations barely are aware about the existence of " Fareneheit 451" , a fundamental sci-fi text written by Ray Bradbury, that carves in relief the chilling reality of a recent future, where the increasing frivolity of the modern times makes most of us simply have no time to read and so we have to conform with the reading of history without words; I mean the human knowledge reduced to cartoons, futile candies for a funny entertainment and pop corn images that vaguely intend to depict the complex and fascinating universe of the culture. Maybe Ray Bradbury had smiled quietly when he saw for the first time a video clip don' t you?

When you try to adapt the personal universe of such complex mind in order to intend to seduce the masses through a sugary plot, you are committing a moral crime, due the nestled reality of any human being may not be told with such linearity; even the humblest person in the world has his likes and dislikes, contradictions, phobias and little sins, because the innocence - in its purest state - is exclusive property of the saints.

In this sense, if you want to get close to a light approach of a brilliant mind, then go and astonish by yourself, but at the moment you leave the hall you, don' think you have become aware about the life and times of this man; barely you have explored the anecdotic character, and nothing else.

Brilliant performances.

Schizophrenia, a disease of the brain, is one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man... It is characterized by a constellation of distinctive and predictable symptoms... These include thought disorder, delusions, and hallucinations...

The film recounts the story of John Forbes Nash Jr., a Princeton brilliant mind, who rides up to the heights of mathematical prowess, down through mental breakdown, and finally up to regain the equilibrium...

Russell Crowe ventures on a journey of fear, humiliation and vulnerability, giving a real and moving portrait of a troubled man whose gifts were his downfall...

We see him impolite and rude, too smart to have to attend class, lacking social skills, insulting the great ideas of his colleagues, calling their work derivative, and declaring, "To find a truly original idea is the only way to distinguish myself."

Nash is obsessed with patterns... He spends his days writing perplexing formulas on his dormitory window in search of a breakthrough idea... He gets it one night, while out with his fellow scholars at a local bar where a stunning blond grabs their attention... He recreates the design of a classmate's tie reflecting light through glass... He follows the movements of pigeons as they compete for food... He stares obsessively at too many numbers, and reveals his natural ability helping the Pentagon crack the mathematical codes the Soviets are using...

He becomes friend with his roommate, Charles Herman, who is everything he is not - charming and charismatic... He somewhat refines his social manners enough to win the love of a beautiful physics student who would become his wife...

Then he begins to look for secret messages in newspapers and magazines, interpreting vague, undecipherable connections between letters and numbers...

His mental derangement grows to uncontrolled proportions and the lines between reality and delusion begin to occur as his hallucinations take control of his life in every instant... Nash soon begins to understand the nature of his mental illness and, while he is never cured of his hallucinations behavior, eventually keeps struggling to overcome it...

Crowe imparts every facet of John Nash's personality with clarity and feeling... He wins our sympathy merely by showing us a man climbing to the top, falling to the very bottom, and through love and determination fully, recapturing his potential once again...

Jennifer Connelly begins to establish herself as a young actress to watch for... She exudes class and sophistication... She makes a marvelous loving wife forced to face the realities of schizophrenia... She tries to do what's best for her husband, but in the face of adversity to take the decision she does, it is inspiring to think that love is the seed of all hope, and what makes the ride worthwhile...

Paul Bettany gives another charming turn as Nash's only true friend... He is able to extend any sympathy or understanding, frequently pushing Nash to leave his inquiries for a pizza and beer break...

Ed Harris looks nicely menacing in his black fedora... You never know if the man is real, a delusion or both as he constantly drives Nash to the verge of insanity and beyond...

Adam Goldberg makes a quiet impression as a Princeton alumnus...

Ron Howard evokes the beauty of Nash's mind, and brings us with tenderness, the story of a tortured-genius... His choice to shoot much of the film from Nash's point-of-view is both effective and intriguing...

The film peacefully highlights the value of a very clever man who gains a beautiful heart, mainly through the love, faith and strength of his lovely wife...

This movie "A Beautiful Mind" can show the viewers what schizophrenia under psychosis is like - how serious the psychotic person's case is. More serious than other psychotic patients, like digging out his arm. His wife importantly explained to him how to differentiate between reality and schizophrenia's false visions and false voices.

I find this movie interesting that there are such people who are down with psychosis or schizophrenia, can be geniuses and even can be back to sane mind.

This movie was produced by the directors of the movies who may never have experienced psychosis or schizophrenia so they produced such movies in their own understanding level, not psychotic experiences.

In the contest of love and Jennifer Connelly against the infinitude of chaos, the match goes to love and Connelly, 1-0.

Mrs. Elizabeth Nash - as played long-sufferingly and with an understated intensity about her performance that can only be called gorgeous - is one of the several centerpieces of this memorable film.

You don't get a clinical presentation of schizophrenia here, and the news coverage following this 2002 film suggests that you don't get a history of Princeton mathematician John Nash's life either.

What you get are epic performances by Russell Crowe and partner Connelly, together with enormously assured supporting roles by Ice King Ed Harris and Paul Bettany, together with the kind of rich and textured cinematography that must have upped Princeton's application rate with its sheer autumnal elegance.

Crowe's heroic battle against the delusions that plagued Dr. Nash's mind are gladiatorial in scope, though it would be difficult to imagine a role more restrained and internal where that famous acting played out violently and before drooling crowds. As one of Rome's famous gladiators, Crowe found redemption by bringing down a sinister emperor. Here he does so by quietly accepting the pens ceremonially laid before him by his Princeton colleagues and then by explaining that 'it is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logical reasons can be found.'

Those who love or have been loved against the infinitude of chaos will understand Dr. Nash's discovery, regardless of whether the real Nash ever said those things from behind a Stockholm podium.

Don't overlook this film when building your posterity collection. As human drama goes, a finely crafted fiction can ring more true than the connected dots of what really went down and who said what.

I probably never would have watched this movie if my wife hadn't brought it home and said something like "I got a movie for us to watch tonight".

I found this movie gripping from the very start. Russell Crowe's intensity got me hooked from the first scene, and mind bogglingly beautiful Jennifer Connelly kept me entranced with both her looks and her great acting right to the end.

Without duplicating what others have written, I just want to say that to me the geniune brilliance of this movie is that is portrays a character who suffers from schizophrenia and allows us to genuinely share in his experience by thoroughly developing characters who turn out in the end to never have really existed.

It's like he made a schizophrenic out of the viewer for the first half of the movie! The character discovers that his roommate, the roommate's neice, and the scary Fed Spy Guy weren't real just as we the audience do. Brilliant! I really didn't know for a while how this story would end, and what reality really was.

Also, as the father of a mildly autistic child, it gave me hope for his future too. The human mind is a beautiful thing indeed, and even when it doesn't work quite right, it can self-diagnose and make corrections, and maybe solve one of the the world's problems if we just give it what it needs most, love. Bravo!

My only dissapointment is in the bonus material. I wanted to learn a little more about the supporting characters, but the casting segment was just about Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connely. That's a minor nitpick.

Based on Slyvia Nasar's book; this movie is about John Nash a brilliant mathemitician and code breaker who in turn suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. In real life John Nash only heard voices and did not see things. He starts at Princeton, where he is accepted into graduate school and where his schizophenria beginngs. He has a roomate played by Paul Bettany and his own close group of friends. He is befrinded by Alicia NAsh one of his students played well by Jennifer Connelly. They marry and throughout their marriage they are plagued by his continued delusions and hallucinations. His wife knows there's something wrong but will do anything to save her marriage and tries very hard. Ed Harris playes the imaginary government conspirator who leads John to believe his is part of a conspiracy and Paul Bettany playes the imaginary roomate. John Nash is gets so involved with his delusions that it starts to effect his marriage and his life especially after his first son is born. Christopher Plummer plays the psychitrist who tries to help him and does by hospitilation. This is a very emotional movie for anyone that has dealth with schizophrenia. I highly recommend it you will not be disappointed. Ron Howard did a brilliant job directing this movie.

What you have here is a beautiful love story between a husband & wife. When everything in John Nashs' life falls a part his wife is there for him. The story is well told and well cast.

John Forbes Nash attended Carnegie Institute of Technology on a Westinghouse scholarship. At Princeton University, he published his work on equilibrium theory and earned a Ph.D. by submitting a dissertation on non-cooperative games.

Ron Howard embellished Nash's life story reversing non-cooperative games with the cooperative theory. For example, Nash convinces the group not to go for the Blonde and in turn each would get a girl. In the movie, Nash celebrates his discovery and uses cooperative theory as a basis for his disertation. Nash theorized that cooperation help each individual realize their self-interest. Nash supervisor, under protest agrees too publish Nash's work, stating, "You know this goes against 150 years of accepted economic thought", setting the stage for a new Newton or young Einstein reformer. Nash does not uproot or imbalance the academic establishment but instead reveals certain ritualistic quagmires associated with academic thought, telling associates: "not to attend class, it will dull your mind", "I'm almost certain that your paper has not one ounce of original thought", and in one fit of insanity declare that the University was necessary to gain recognition and meaning.

Equilibrium Points in N-person Games and complexity theory seeks too explain why systems will reach equilibrium points that keep the system from exploding into diversity or solidifying into inactivity. The problem is the sheer magnitude of possible combinations makes the theory more conceptual than practical. Nash did not win the Nobel Prize because of his economic thought. Computers, MIT, and game theory make Nash look like he is in pursuit of a pointless and fruitless profession. In the movie Nash is portrayed as a brilliant and natural code breaker. Code breaking ability distracts Nash's from his true mathematically brilliance, the mathematical proofs of Riemann manifold and spirals him down into government conspiracy against the Russian's plot. Nash demostrates intriquing capability with his work on Riemann space. I doubt Nash solve the Riemann hypothesis, a conjecture by Ron Howard.

At MIT, Nash marriages Alicia in 1957 and two years later commits him to a mental hospital and attraction to a brilliant genius turns into a dysfunctional marriage. Ron Howard depicts Nash delusional and forgetting his son John whom he has place in a bathtub filling with water. Alica rescues John from drowning. In the movie Alicia does not divorce Nash but explodes in rage at his impotence and disinterest. The primary reasons in the movie for Nash to stop taking his medicine and allow his imaginary characters to emerge.

Ron Howard directs the viewers into believing in Nash's extraordinary ability to understand complexity theory and pattern recognition. Nash becomes a monster and then through the loving care of his students gains social acceptance and help to overcome his paranoia. How effective could the insulin and shock therapy be? This seems to paint the medical community as barbaric and ignorant and ridicules the quest for a cure. Yet it happened. Nash would find a fair haven in the world of computer programming, pattern recognition, and large number theory. Nash received the John Von Neumann Theory prize for his invention of non-cooperative equilibria and the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economics for game theory.

Before watching any Russell Crowe movie, I thought of him as a pretentious jerk. After watching this movie, (my first RC movie), I fell in love. So much so that I had to rent Cinderella Man and Gladiator. An exceptional actor who took the story of John Nash and made us understand the reality of Schizophrenia. You would be crazy not to watch this.

Ron Howard has the recipe - he knows all the ingredients to put into the bowl to make a product which entertains, inspires, sells lots of tickets, and in this case cops the big awards. It is scary, really, how a craftsman like Howard can manipulate an interesting, but in many ways unattractive story and make it seem magnificent. The magnificence is entirely deserved, if you imagine the struggle that Nash went through, and this is the main point of the movie. However, its entirely desceptive, when you realize that no one cares much about a story involving unattractive, boring, sick people. So he casts visually stunning people in the leads, and voila!

You can always count on a Ron Howard movie to be high quality, and "Beautiful Mind does not disappoint." I attended Princeton, studied multi-variable calculus, and took a course in "game theory." Many aspects of the movie were realisic, but many weren't. Its interesting that Howard seems to anticipate and respect this, so he packed a second DVD with bonus material that includes lots of reality - from an interview with Nash, to details about how the screenplay was developed, etc.

The real hero of this movie is Alicia Nash. "Beautiful Mind" could have been called, "Beautiful Wife," because it is the spectacular loyalty of Mrs. Nash that was truly heroic. I can't imagine the character she must have possessed to stick by him all of those years. {...which is yet another area where reality disappoints. In reality, she was very loyal, but in fact, they did separate and live apart for many years....}. Once again (this is why I like Ron Howard), this point is not overlooked due to the marvelous ending (Ron; you should have done it with the audience disappearing!).

The breath-taking visual impact of Jennifer Connally, which on the surface could not have been more unrealistically cast, would appear to be entirely wrong for the part. But Connally's performance in the role as the movie played out, made it entirely appropriate when you imagine what Mrs. Nash must look like....from the INSIDE. What a woman.

Right now this is my standard by which to measure great film, and this edition showcases it beautifully. There is no incidental material on these two disks- all the extras contribute to the experience of the movie. All aspects of the production, from the biography of the man on whom it is based to the process of developing the soundtrack receive deserved attention. There are actually 2 separate feature-length commentaries- one from the director and the other from the writer with very little redundacy. The viewer is left feeling that there is plenty more material out there.

This is a powerful film which speaks volumes on its own. The special features serve not to plunder the film, but rather suggest additionallevels on which the production can be appreciated. There are so many elements in this movie that the genius of the propmasters, special effects team, costume& makeup need to be examined individually to appreciate the incredible craftsmanship involved.

It's really great to get to see how the life has changed for this intelligent mathematics man throughout the movie. It was a really sad ending to me, I heard that in real life, his wife had chosen to leave him alone instead of what happened in the movie. That is even depressing for people who knew his personal story.
Russell Crowe, acts as John Nash, the main character for this film, who is a mathematical genius and Nobel Laureate. Russell Crowe did a great job, he can fully convey John Nash's innermost world, his soul and how his mental problems came out because of the pressure from his surroundings. It is really hard to express all these feelings and bring out the message of the life of John Nash. I really like watching Russell Crowe's film.
I am also happy with how the director had changed the ending different from the real story, with his wife staying with him and went with him to get the Nobel award. That change can make the audience feel better for him, and will honor him after watching this film. This film is very touching and inspiring, that we need to treasure the people surround us and we need to cherish everything we had.

This is a superlative film, directed by Ron Howard, someone who is sure to be remembered as a legend in his own time for the number of high quality films that he has directed, thus far. He is certainly one of the finest directors around today, and this film is certainly reflective of his talent. The technique that he employs to illustrate the descent of John Nash into the world of schitzophrenia is highly effective.

Loosely based upon the biography of the same name by Sylvia Nasar, the world of schitzophrenia is brought to life in this film by a wonderful screenplay, deft direction, and superb acting. Featuring the life of Nobel Prize laureate, John Nash, this film begins to chronicle his life from 1947, when he was a young, promising, though eccentric, graduate student at Princeton University. The film delineates his lack of social skills, eccentricities, rise to prominence, marriage, and eventual descent into schitzophrenic hell. It follows his battle with madness and his own way of coping with his inner demons. It also shows how Nash's early work proved to be so influential that it netted him a Nobel Prize decades later. While a number of people have objected to the fact that this film leaves out some of the darker sides of Nash, one would do well to remember that this is not a documentary but merely a dramatization.

Russell Crowe gives a memorable portrayal of the afflicted and tormented John Nash, beleagured by the devils that existed only in his mind. Ed Harris is compelling as the slightly sinister Parcher, a shadowy government operative whose existence is intertwined with that of John's. Paul Bettany, as he did in the role of Chaucer in "A Knight's Tale", once again almost steals the show in the role of John's alleged roommate and friend, Charles. Christopher Plummer is excellent as Dr. Rosen, the psychiatrist who appeals to the dormant rationality in Nash. While Jennifer Connelly gives a very good performance in the role of Alicia, John's caring wife, it does not rise to the level of Oscar worthy, though she won an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

This two disc, widescreen, awards edition DVD clinches this as being worthy of five stars. It is an absolutely value laden two disc DVD. The first disc offers a widescreen version of the film in addition to two commentaries. One is by the director, Ron Howard. The other is by the screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman. The second disc is devoted entirely to special features. Particularly memorable is the feature with John Nash himself, explaining his theory on equilibrium. There is also a feature that shows the Nobel Prize awards of 1994 and Nash's acceptance of his in Economics. All in all, this is a great package deal and simply first rate.