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The Man Who Knew Infinity Review

By David Kempler

This Infinity Can Be Understood

When a movie follows the expected path and never veers off that path, it better excel in other ways. Matt Brown's "The Man Who Knew Infinity" is a good enough tale that it will hold your attention and at times enthrall you, even though it's as much of a formula piece as you might ever see. It's also incredibly manipulative, but there are numerous factors that make up for it, including an intriguing, true story, excellent acting, and a luxurious look.

Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) was born in a poor section of Madras, India. From a very early age, mathematics was a language he spoke better than anyone around him. He was gifted like very few before him and was able to come up with complex formulas and theories without the usual supporting printed work. He just knows his theories are correct and will eventually be verified.

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His goal was to send his work to noted mathematics professor, G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons), at Cambridge University in London, England, arguably the Mecca of mathematics. Hardy reads Ramanujan's work and asks him to come to Cambridge to work and study under his guidance. Ramanujan gleefully accepts the offer and heads to England to realize his dreams.

Once at Cambridge, it does not go as smoothly as he had hoped. There is great resistance from the rest of faculty, partially because he cannot show the proof of how he arrived at his finished equations. There is jealousy and snobbishness towards this upstart who is without the proper credentials, and of course, racism. Even Hardy, his most vocal supporter, has his doubts.

It won't be giving anything away to tell you that Ramanujan is proven right in everything he says and believes. The title of the film and its tone tell you that there is no other way this can possibly end. The tension is supplied by how we get to the inevitable conclusion and it's a fun trip. No one can truly grasp the concept of infinity, but despite theories flying far above our heads, we can still enjoy it all.

What did you think?

Movie title The Man Who Knew Infinity
Release year 2015
MPAA Rating PG-13
Our rating
Summary Dev Patel does justice to a genius.
View all articles by David Kempler
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