THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY - preview review

THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY
Director: Matt Brown
Cast: Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Toby Jones, Stephen Fry, Devika Bhise

Synopsis: Growing up poor in Madras, India, Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar earns entrance to Cambridge University during World War 1, where he becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories with the guidance of his professor G.H. Hardy. 

Hello there friends. It's been a while. I've been trying to catch a few films here and there, but that bloody thing called life keeps getting in my damned way. Between working my "real" job, working at my passion job, and trying to find time to spend with my SO and friends, I haven't had 5 seconds to myself, let alone two hours to catch a movie. Luckily for me, I had a minute to myself on Friday and I took myself to the preview screening of THE MAN WHO KNEW INIFINITY. I didn't know too much about it, but I like Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons and Toby Jones, so I figured it couldn't be all that bad, and I have to say I was right. It wasn't all that bad. It could have been better, but it wasn't all that bad.

THE MAN WHO KNEW INIFINITY is a pretty standard paint by numbers biopic of Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel), one of the greatest mathematic minds of the 20th Century. He overcame poverty and hardship, all the odds were stacked against him, but he never ceased to believe he was on the verge of something great. He fought his way into a job, got someone to take notice, sent countless letters to people, until finally someone stood up and took notice. That someone was G.H Hardy (Jeremy Irons). Hardy brought Ramanujan to Cambridge and set to work on proving the mathematical theories that were spewing forth from his beautiful mind. Pushed by Hardy, Ramanujan worked at his proofs, and solved such great mathematical mysteries such as partitions (look at me talking about it like I know math and stuff). A fascinating tale for a non-mathematically minded person such as myself.

THE MAN WHO KNEW INIFINITY delved into this world, but focussed mainly on the notional story, the one that will connect itself to the wider audience. I didn't mind that so much, if it had been purely focused on the math I would have been like a small child lost in the vast chasm of a shopping mall.

                                  

However, I can imagine the frustrations of someone who does know math (like my SO who studied quantum mathematics - what?!) when the film does little more than glaze over the mathematical genius behind this story.

Patel is no stranger to playing the loveable character who overcomes all odds to succeed (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL to name a few), but the familiarity of the character does not do justice, his loveable-ness did not exude the sheer intellectual brilliance that I think Ramanujan should have had. Not to say that Patel didn't play the scripted role well, he did, but I think the script failed him in this instance. Jeremy Irons lucked out with the character of Hardy, a stubborn cantankerous atheist Prof who struggles with personal interactions. That character was meaty and well written, and Irons was brilliant in playing it. The rapport between Irons and Patel as teacher and student, atheist and believer, and eventually friends, carried this story, the pair are lucky they had a great on screen chemistry otherwise it would have lost me.

Patel and Irons strolling the grounds of Cambridge University

Image via Warner Brothers Pictures

The side story about his wife and mother left behind in India, did nothing for me, it was predictable and distracting. I appreciate that it was meant to show a driving force behind Ramanujan's work, mind and increasing loss of spirit, but the constant flashes back to that world interrupted my viewing. It will connect the audience on an emotional level to the characters and the story, I don't doubt that. Everyone loves a good star crossed lovers theme with a meddling mother, but there was too little of it to be of significance, and too much of it not to be disturbing. They either needed to make more of it or leave it behind on the cutting room floor.

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The thing that got me in the feels was Ramanujan's deteriorating health and eventual death, it left me wondering how much more could have been achieved if this great mind had survived in the world. Imagine all of the accomplishments that would have got a little mention in the closing credits if he had been able to continue his work, just imagine.

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Overall I think the general movie goer is going to enjoy THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY, it gives a glimpse into the life of a mathematical genius, and there is enough to tug on the heartstrings and keep you connected to the characters. I just think it's a bit sad that after two hours, I still don't really know what the hell he managed to do and why it was so important. The little mentions in the closing credits expressed some pretty important stuff, like using his theories to do stuff with black holes and the like. That seems like a big deal to me (although really what do I know about math?!), and I think there should have been more attention paid to the mathematical breakthroughs.

3 out of 5 purple hat wearing aliens

Xoxo The Blonde Bombshell