The Man Who Knew Infinity Movie Poster Image

The Man Who Knew Infinity

age 12+
(i)

 

Compelling story, but WWI-era math biopic needs more zest.
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  • Review Date: April 29, 2016
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Drama
  • Release Year: 2016
  • Running Time: 108 minutes

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What parents need to know

Positive messages

When you have exceptional abilities, it's important to make use of them, even if that means leaving your friends and family behind as you seek success.

Positive role models

Ramanujan is brilliant mathematician who must learn to collaborate with a fellow scholar, even though they have very different approaches to the discipline. Together, they make important advances. 

Violence

While living in England, the main character experiences discrimination and threats because of his Indian background. In one scene, he's attacked and beaten by a group of soldiers solely because of his race. Some war imagery.

Sex
Not applicable
Language

Infrequent use of words including "bloody," "damn," and "hell." Racist comments.

Consumerism
Not applicable
Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Characters smoke cigarettes, and meals are sometimes accompanied by wine.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Man Who Knew Infinity focuses on the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel), a real-life mathematical genius from India who studied at Cambridge University before and during World War I. The film showcases Ramanujan's devotion to his studies, especially in the face of significant racism (he's attacked and beaten in once scene). It's appropriate for teens and even older tweens, who may be impressed with Ramanujan's work ethic. There's no sex and only a little language ("hell," "damn," etc., and some racist comments), though a few scenes do show people drinking and smoking cigarettes, and there's some non-graphic war imagery.

Kids say

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What's the story?

Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) is a mathematical genius with a profound understanding of complex ideas. He recognizes that it will be almost impossible to share his discoveries with the scientific world in 1914 India, so eventually he finds his way to Cambridge. There, British professor G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) helps Ramanujan refine his discoveries and publish his theories, despite strong opposition from many of their peers who have deeply ingrained racist beliefs and are opposed to recognizing Ramanujan's contributions.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY is constrained by pedestrian storytelling. Ramanujan certainly had an unusual and eventful life as a mostly self-taught mathematician who was eventually recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Society -- one of the United Kingdom's highest honors. But an unusual life isn't the same as one that lends itself to an interesting movie, and that's the main flaw with this biopic.

In the end, the story feels more reverent than entertaining. Patel and Irons share a nice rapport, and Patel deftly expresses Ramanujan's fish-out-of-water experience as a devout Hindu living in England. But it's tough to make math visually compelling, and several of the scenes feel like they're checking off boxes: the racist attack, the character's unpleasant reaction to local food, the discrimination of the Cambridge elite, and more. In the end, they don't add up to create a whole movie that calls out to be seen. 

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about racism. How did it impact Ramanujan's life and professional accomplishments? Do you think things have changed significantly since the time the movie takes place in? Does the movie use the topics of racism and stereotyping to help convey any positive character strengths?

  • How does The Man Who Knew Infinity compare to other movies about scientific geniuses? What are the challenges involved in making advanced mathematics compelling on the screen?

  • What do think about the relationship between Ramanujan and Hardy? Why did Hardy insist that the Indian mathematician conform to English academic practices?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:April 29, 2016
Cast:Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Toby Jones
Director:Matt Brown
Studio:IFC Films
Genre:Drama
Topics:Book characters, Friendship, History
Run time:108 minutes
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:some thematic elements and smoking

This review of The Man Who Knew Infinity was written by

S. Jhoanna Robledo
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging; great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging; good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging; good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging; OK learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Parent of a 10 and 11 year old Written byrks67 May 8, 2016
age 11+

Beautiful, moving biopic

We saw The Man Who Knew Infinity at our local International Film Festival with two almost-12 yr old girls and two 10-1/2 yr old boys. It was the first dramatic biopic any of them had seen -- and they were all glued to the screen the entire time. Really drawn into the storyline and the struggles of the characters. They all left (somewhat to our surprise, I'll admit) teary, and saying they thought the film was GREAT. Meanwhile, I (and the entire theater, judging by the standing ovation) found this true but largely unknown story fascinating and very moving. The cinematography is also beautiful. Reading the CSM critic's review here, I can understand perhaps the comments about predictability -- but I have to heartily disagree that the outcome of that is a film rated two stars. Especially for kids who haven't seen many of these types of films before, I think it's a fantastic entry point. FOUR stars, for sure!
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Parent Written byMcChen May 21, 2016
age 11+

Worthwhile

We enjoyed this film as a family, felt that it was better than some mainstream reviews made it out to be. In addition to bits shown in trailers related to one bombing scene with one victim; one physical attack scene; and some mildly gory scenes and noises of human suffering in makeshift medic camps created on the campus, the only other thing to add could be tuberculosis. Ramanujan develops TB and (spoiler, apologies) near the end of film dies. There are scenes where he is clearly quite ill, in pain, racked with fever/hallucinations, coughs up blood, tries to commit suicide due to prognosis. Not a showstopper but some families may want to be prepared to speak about TB then and now. Smoking and language seemed period/accurate. Obvious racism and classism (the latter even amongst the Brits themselves) are good springboards for further discussion.
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