Maudlin, paint-by-numbers biopic about math whiz John Nash that makes mental illness and marital strife look as pretty as a magazine cover.

Russell Crowe does give a good performance, I'll give the film that, but I wonder how much better a performance he could have given if under the guidance of a more interesting director than Ron Howard. Every Howard movie I see makes me feel like -- no matter what the subject matter -- he's determined to create a movie that would be o.k. for eight-year-old kiddies to watch. Works fine when you're dealing with mermaids and firemen, but not so much when dealing with material like this.

Jennifer Connelley proved that Joan Allen no longer necessarily cornered the market on mopey suffering wife roles, which turned out to be a good thing for us, because Allen was then free to play a hot CIA agent in the Bourne movies.

Grade: C