In theaters

A BEAUTIFUL MIND, directed by Ron Howard. Written by Avika Goldsman. 129 minutes. PG-13.

Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind” stars Russell Crowe as John Forbes Nash Jr., the Nobel prize-winning mathematician whose 30-year battle with paranoid schizophrenia was described in far greater detail in Sylvia Nasar’s 1998 biography of the same name.

The film’s treatment of Nash’s life is extraordinary for a lot of reasons, but mostly because of what it chooses to omit, such as his divorce from his wife, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly), whom he eventually remarried; his bisexuality; the illegitimate child he fathered and ignored; and the real reason he was expelled from the RAND Corporation, which involved the sort of men’s room proclivities that got singer George Michael into so much trouble a few years ago.

What audiences are left with is a biopic spanning more than 50 years that excises the more salacious and interesting details of Nash’s life. Whether Howard and his screenwriter, Avika Goldsman, chose to do so in an effort to spare the film from being slapped with a less-commercial R rating – or because they wanted to focus instead on Nash’s schizophrenia – remains unclear.

What is clear is this: While “A Beautiful Mind” is a misrepresentation of Nash’s life, it nevertheless stands as a reasonably thoughtful examination of his fight to overcome his illness and find meaning within the ongoing turmoil.

That’s the trick of Howard’s film. On those limited terms, it succeeds, mounting a finely acted story that becomes increasingly involving as Nash struggles to mine the truth – and thus what’s real – from his hallucinations.

Deepening the film is the sly, unexpected sleight of hand Howard and Goldsman bury within its second act. It’s a major twist that won’t be revealed here, but it’s handled so well, it sends a thrill when it’s exposed, lifting the film with a surprise that Howard, who’s never been so subtle, somehow resists to telegraph.

With Connelly, Ed Harris and Christopher Plummer all strong in supporting roles, the key to “A Beautiful Mind” rests with Crowe, whose excellent performance keeps the film from becoming the sentimentalized piece of drivel the television ads make it appear to be.

James Horner’s occasionally bloated score and Howard’s flabby ending undermine the film’s final third, but Crowe, mirroring the fortitude of his character, manages to overcome those demons, allowing audiences a riveting glimpse into Nash’s struggle even while he’s prevented from fully showing us the man.

Grade: B-

On video and DVD

GREENFINGERS, written and directed by Joel Hershman. 90 minutes. Rated R.

Joel Hershman’s “Greenfingers” follows a group of imprisoned, blue-collar thugs whose lives are forever changed with the help of some unwanted weeds, rough hedges and a clutch of tendrils.

This odd mix of murderers, sociopaths and crooks – all of whom, incidentally, are about as threatening as a plucked petunia – are the latest to be saved by the redemptive powers of the British comedy.

Loosely based on a true story, the film, which Hershman also wrote, stars Clive Owen (“Croupier”) as Colin Briggs, a gruff, mysterious bloke sent to a low-security prison after serving 15 years in the big house for committing murder.

Now perfectly unhappy at Her Majesty’s Prison Edgefield, the grimacing, smoky Briggs eventually meets Fergus Wilks (David Kelly), an elderly “lifer” who hands over a package of seeds and urges Briggs to plant them.

Naturally, the seeds take off, somehow producing a vivid spray of double-violets in Edgefield’s infertile soil. Now, with the word out that Briggs has a splendid set of greenfingers, the prison’s first garden is set into motion, an event that not only turns these men into buttercups, but which garners the attention of well-known gardening maven, Georgina Woodhouse (Helen Mirren), her shy daughter Primrose (Natasha Little), and those who matter at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

What follows is predictable, preachy entertainment, a movie that tries so hard to prove that even murderers have a heart, its seams pop from trying. Mirren is fun as the flighty Georgina and Owen proves he’s long overdue for a major Hollywood film, but unlike last year’s “Saving Grace,” the excellent British comedy that starred Brenda Blethyn as a sweet English lady who grew pot to pay the bills, “Greenfingers” only finds modest humor among the roses.

Grade: B-

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, Tuesdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5” and Thursdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5:30” on WLBZ-2 and WCSH-6. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.

The Video-DVD Corner

Renting a video or a DVD? NEWS film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores.

The Fast and the Furious ? B

The Glass House ? C

Greenfingers ? B-

What’s the Worse

that Could Happen ? D

The Center of the World ? C

Evolution ? D-

Two Can Play

That Game ? C+

Moulin Rouge ? A-

The Princess Diaries ? C+

Scary Movie 2 ? D

Hedwig and the

Angry Inch ? A

Jurassic Park III ? B-

Lost & Delirious ? C-

Rush Hour 2 ? D

The Score ? B

American Outlaws ? F

Ghost of Mars ? C-

Pearl Harbor ? D

Summer Catch ? C-

Bread and Roses ? A-

Divided We Fall ? A

Made ? B

Pootie Tang ? D+

Osmosis Jones ? C-

Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch

Stole Christmas ? D+

Planet of the Apes ? C-

America’s Sweethearts ? D+

crazy/beautiful ? B

Tomb Raider ? D+

Doctor Zhivago

(DVD debut) ? A-

The Golden Bowl ? C+

Legally Blonde ? B+

Shrek ? A-

Aimee & Jaguar ?A

The Animal ? B

Swordfish ? C

With a Friend

Like Harry ? A-

Dr. Dolittle 2 ? C-

Dumbo (DVD debut) ? A

Final Fantasy:

The Spirits Within ? C+

Freddy Got

Fingered ? BOMB

Monty Python and the

Holy Grail ? B+

Angel Eyes ? C+

Cats & Dogs ? B+

Star Wars: The Phantom

Menace (DVD debut) ? B