Review – Pi

I suppose I could have used the symbol rather than spelling the title out, the way the film distributor did. But I’m too lazy to change the font, using the symbol would create a question about the proper alphabetization of this entry, and to be blunt I think the whole symbol-as-title thing is more than just a little pretentious. Speaking of pretentious, I’m not a big fan of the black-and-white-as-graphic-statement approach to film-making either. All that notwithstanding, this is a somewhat engaging tale of a mentally-disturbed mathematician in search of a number that will provide the key to some sort of universal understanding. He is pursued by cabalistic Hasidim and Wall Street brokers until finally the whole mess drives him beyond the brink of insanity. The art film clichés end up interfering with what might otherwise have been a better production of a clever, intelligent script, or at least a concept for same. Mildly amusing