A BEAUTIFUL MIND (3 outta 5 stars)

I had put off seeing this movie for such a long time... people kept saying how good it was and how good an actor Russell Crowe is yadda yadda yadda... and I just didn't care. I was sick of the hype surrounding his ridiculously over-praised "Gladiator" movie and not seeing this movie would be my revenge! But, as luck would have it, it was on Canadian TV the other night... unedited (broadcast TV in Canada is soooooo cool)... and I figured maybe it was time. Well, the movie started to lose me at first... it started out a little too predictable and then took a few implausible turns. Just as I was about to give up on it... some major plot developments had me looking at the movie with new eyes. By the midway point, the movie had me hooked. Not a perfect movie though... Crowe's performance does seem a little too "act-y" at times... and Jennifer Connelly is... well, she does the same thing she does in all her movies... some people seem to like it... me, not so much. Once again, Ron Howard takes a movie subject that I find somewhat less than compelling (what? another eccentric genius who becomes a beloved teacher?) and turns it into a fine film.