A Beautiful Mind (PG-13, 2001)

common sense media says

Oscar-winning biopic is too intense for tweens.


parents & educators say
  • 33% say there are positive messages

What parents need to know

Parents need to know the material might be very upsetting for kids, or for anyone who has relatives with mental illness or who knows very little about it. There are some strong scenes of family tension and peril, including a child in jeopardy, scuffles, and potential domestic abuse. There are graphic scenes of shock therapy and self-destructive behavior. A character is in peril involving shooting. There is also some crude language with sexual references.

Positive role models: Main character, who copes with mental illness, is successful and respected.
Violence: Tense scenes, including a shoot-out, a child in peril, and domestic violence.
Sex: Includes some crude references.
Language: Some strong language.
Consumerism: Not applicable.

More on A Beautiful Mind

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about mental illness, about how people with mental illness need to be treated, and about what is different now in the way we treat the mentally ill from the days depicted in the movie. Families who want to know more should check the Web site for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

What's the story?

What's the story?

A man sees what no one else can, and we call him a genius. A man sees what no one else does, and we call him crazy. This Academy Award-winner for Best Picture is about a man who was both. It's the true story of genius John Forbes Nash, Jr., who revolutionized mathematics and struggled with mentally illness. More than 40 years later, as he edged back into sanity, his contribution was recognized by academics in Sweden. They awarded him the Nobel Prize.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

This is an extraordinary story, and it has been made into an extraordinary movie. Crowe is, as always, simply magnificent in a role that would provide irresistible temptation for showboating for most actors. There are superb performances by everyone in the cast, including Connelly (an Oscar-winner for Best Supporting Actress), Paul Bettany, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Judd Hirsch, and a dozen others.

What is really special here is the way that screenwriter Akiva Goldman and director Ron Howard have found a way to present both Nash's genius and his mental illness in such compelling, cinematic, and accessible terms. Both in essence become characters in the story as we go inside his head and wonder with Nash what to believe. This is what makes the movie more than a disease-of-the-week special with color-by- numbers "heartwarming" moments of triumph over adversity. This is what makes the movie itself a true work of art.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Russell Crowe
Genre: Drama
Run time: 135 minutes
Theatrical release: December 21, 2001
DVD release: May 27, 2003
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: intense thematic material, sexual content and a scene of violence.

This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

15
Based on 12 parent & educator reviews:
  • 33% say there are positive messages

Most useful reviews by all members

bubbo
adult
 
Incredible, emotional, intense, and fascinating film. Good for some kids--but it may be confusing to some kids, and too intense and sad for others.

bubbleboy
teen, 15 years old
 
The Most Underrated of Best Pic Winners
This is one of the most affecting, well-crafted, and all-around successful films that I have ever seen. And I've seen a lot of films. Russell Crowe (speaking of underrated...) completely dissolves into Forbes Nash, making us buy every twitch, every utterance, selling every eccentric line without a moment's hesitation. He's brilliant. Ron Howard's direction, disputed by some, enhanced the film immensely in my opinion. He shoots it entirely through the eyes of Forbes; what he sees, we see. It helps delve us into the same world that he's living in. The film also shows us what it's like to harbor a plot twist WITHOUT telling us that in a preview. To be honest, this film contains one of the most unexpected (and completely authentic) twists I have ever seen. Better yet, it's not heavy handed; there's no "trickery", and Howard doesn't spend the film trying to lead us astray. He simply throws it at us, packing a serious punch. (It's also worth noting that I didn't even know this film HAD a twist...It's not one of the incredibly hyped "you'll-never-believe-what-happens" sort of thing). Perhaps this "Twist" was not seen as so by some. The more sophisticated filmgoer may have figured it out immediately, playing the first portion of the film as they should, considering what is fact and what is fiction carefully (as I did upon a second viewing). Okay, enough about the twist: the film is also exciting, fascinating, and heart-wrenching. It's everything you want from a movie. See it, if you haven't. It's absolutely worth it.

 
Not worth an oscar
I don't see what was so great about this one. The movie is hard to watch, confusing and leaves you disappointed and depressed. Why bother?

Mr581
teen, 18 years old
 

 
PERFECT
WOW I think its one of the best movies i have ever watched. I saw the title and i thought it was going to be dumb but it really turned out great. And for all of you who think it is depressing i think that is exactly what the directer wanted to say that his life was not a cake walk but something that was hard and that no one should have to go through.

 
One of the best movies ever made!
See this movie!!! If you don't, you are seriously missing out on one of the greatest pieces of art ever made. Some of the subject matter, such as sexual refernces, and the way the movie can mess with your mind when it comes to Nash's schizophrenia, is not app-roapriate for some children; for others, it might fly right over their head if they're young enough. All in all, however, this movie deserved all the awards it won, and more in my opinion. You would only be doing a disservice to yourself by not seeing it. PS: Russel Crowe should have won best actor for his performance

musiclover:)
teen, 13 years old
 
amazing movie, too intense for younger kids
it's an amazing movie! while watching you'll feel sad, happy, campassion and fear. it's also very educational for understanding schizopornia

 
Stressful mature themes with depictions of mental illness, rude sexual language and marital sensuality. Painful depiction of delusional thought. Beautiful depiction of marital commitment.

KunmingMom
parent of 8 and 10 year old
 
A Beautiful Wife and a Beautiful Marriage
It's the marriage that wowed me in this movie. I want my kids to see marriages like that on screen. I want them to see that it can be incredibly, unfairly hard. I want them to see what commitment means. I want them to see the joy that comes from having a life-long partner through the good, the bad, and the astonishingly painful. (The real-life love story was not as good as the movie version--they divorced and maybe remarried later--so the movie idealizes this particular marriage. But the story is 'true' in the sense that marriages like this do exist, and they show what it is to love truly and faithfully.) My kids aren't old enough for this one yet, but I'll want them to see it when they are older.

pinkyali
teen, 17 years old
 
best film ever
i think this film everyone should see but i did cry 4 most of it

 
Wonderful masterpiece!
One of the best movies. Go see it!!!

dawtpbwv
teen, 17 years old
 
meh review
great

apocalyptic ...
teen, 13 years old
 
I really REALLY loved this movie. I just don't think other kids my age will like it. Though the visuals were great and there was excellent dialogue, I found some parts a bit disturbing. Some kids might not be able to handle it.

kvirgin
parent of 7 and 12 year old
 
thanks for the reviews below: I'll wait til my son is older for him to see this
i saw this movie when it first came out, and own it on DVD and was wondering if it would be OK for my son to see (age 11) The reviews here reminded me of the intensity of the film. Glad i watched it alone.

lilypadd
kid, 12 years old
 
push
If you like that movie you should see "push"

leahxo
teen, 15 years old
 
Intense Film.
Very well done. It's the type of movie to watch alone though, because of it's deeper thinking process. Not to watch with kids though, they won't understand what's going on.

BestPicture1996
teen, 16 years old
 
Depressing movie makes a good Best Pic winner
I am very depressed after seeing this movie, I'd just like to say that. It tells the extremely sad tale of a man with a highly effective mental illness, but has a fairly good ending. The performances are near perfection, especially Crowe's, which carries the film along. Definitely a must-see for any movie buff.

who3697cares
teen, 18 years old
 
Quite possibly the most dull and ordinary movie ever made.

 
Beautiful.
A fantastic film that every teenage prodigy needs to watch. I have never been a fan of Russel Crowe, but this film has made me change my mind. Now I like him. :] A beautiful mind, a beautiful film...

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