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Reviews
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Movie is too distant to get feel attached to any of the characters
"A Beautiful Mind" seems to buy into itself too much and leaves the viewer wondering what's going on. Unrealistic and unexplained sequences that are supposedly only in John Nash's head seem to get in the way of a story that could be interesting. We are never really told why Nash is famous or if he actually did work for the CIA. The love story between his wife (Jennifer Connely) is, again, not realistic in it's approach. Why does she fall in love with him and, more importantly, why do they get married and stay together. Russell Crowe is good as John Nash, but the distance created between the actor and the audience is too much. Jennifer Connely is good as well, but it is hard to figure her character out. I never felt attached to either character, and didn't want to root for them to overcome. Some of the scenes between the two are so over-the-top; the star-gazing scene is especially silly. The last half hour of the movie is better, as we know what is going on and his life is explained. The first portion of the movie is distant and cold, leaving a lot desired by the audience who wants to know who this guy is and what is really going on. It is unlike "The Sixth Sense" when it is such a cool surprise when you find out he is actually dead. The imaginary characters in his head are never explained to having any relevance to his disease. Not that is has to be spelled out, but why a little girl and his best friend who he never had. Decent, but not worthy of Oscar consideration.
Purpose (2002)
Pretty true account of a dot.com story
Purpose, as a whole, does a good job of showing how money, power, and life in the fast lane during the dot.com boom in San Francisco can corrupt even those with good intentions. Jeffery Donovan (Robert) is great as the smooth talking deal closer that visionary John Elias (newcomer John Light) hires to help start the company. Paul Reiser, hardly recognizable as the mentor and friend to John, is funny and adds a lot to the film. Mia Farrow looks stunning, yet believable as the financial mogul out to make some money off the new company. Hal Holbrook and Peter Coyote add to the film, if nothing else than recognizable faces and steady acting. The film looks amazing, with fantastic shots of San Francisco and creative interiors that dominate the new money internet offices. Could be a sleeper hit if all the people who lost their jobs in the dot.com bust want to re-live it. It has a deep meaning behind the story of quality over quantity. I'd recommend it.