“Mathematics! That was a mistake. I should have made the whole thing a little easier.”
~ God (George Burns), Oh, God! Book II (1980)
There are certain parts of this big, crazy universe of ours that are absolutely vital to our existence but which don’t get a lot of badass movies made about them. When was the last time you saw a summer blockbuster about dentistry? I rest my case.
But mathematics, at the very least, does sometimes get its proper due from Hollywood. In movies that romanticize mathematicians, or try to make learning fun, or just use math as an excuse for the maddest of mad science, filmmakers have repeatedly turned one of the most abstract school subjects – the ones that are so hard they makes you want to become a film critic just so you won’t have to deal with math anymore – seem accessible, entertaining, and even kind of badass.
So whether you have a head for numbers or just admire those who do, here’s a list of the most badass math movies in film history. Math movies with violent deaths, sexy dances and thrilling heists, just the way we like them. (Will The Accountant join the ranks when it premieres this weekend? We’ll just have to wait and see…)
10 Movies That Make Math Look Badass:
Top Photo: Universal Pictures
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved, Rapid Reviews and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
Ten Movies That Make Math Look Badass
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A Beautiful Mind (2001)
The tragic life of Nobel Laureate John Nash, played by Russell Crowe, is the subject of an Oscar-winning drama that overlooks the man's most notable flaws in favor of a more romanticized narrative, highlighted by sequences in which director Ron Howard illustrates Nash's mathematical genius via amusing fantasy sequences and glowing equations.
Photo: Universal Pictures
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Cube (1997)
Vincenzo Natali's high-concept sci-fi thriller imagines a group of strangers trapped inside of a giant cube, comprised of smaller cubes. Many of the smaller cubes are filled with death traps. The only way to tell which cubes are safe and which ones are dangerous is by ridiculously complicated mathematical equations on the sides of the doors.
Photo: Universal Pictures
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Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959)
This iconic Disney educational short stars Donald Duck as he learns the importance of math throughout history from a disembodied voice, which cleverly and humorously reveals how to use math to win at billiards, how math is responsible for music, and many more applications besides. An entertained animated classic that explains why math is legitimately cool, even to the littlest of kids.
Photo: Walt Disney
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Good Will Hunting (1997)
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's breakout film stars Damon as an underachieving genius whose mathematical brilliance is revealed while he's working as a janitor as a prestigious university. Good Will Hunting focuses on the psychology behind why we sabotage ourselves, and is anchored by powerful performances from Damon and an Oscar-winning supporting turn from the late Robin Williams, playing Will Hunting's therapist.
Photo: Miramax Films
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I.Q. (1994)
Albert Einstein changed the face of modern science but he also helped two kooky kids fall in love in this odd, but charming romantic comedy from director Fred Schepisi. Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan play the romantic leads, but of course Walter Matthau steals the show as the eccentric genius, who loans a car mechanic one of his unproven formulas so he can pass himself off as a great mind, worthy of the heart of Einstein's niece.
Photo: Paramount Pictures
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Jurassic Park (1993)
The blockbuster sensation Jurassic Park didn't just introduce the world to CGI dinosaurs, it also introduced laypersons to chaos theory, a complex mathematical study of - essentially - 'the butterfly effect,' which comes horrifyingly into play over the course of Steven Spielberg's classic thriller. And of course, our lessons in chaos theory come courtesy of a suave Jeff Goldblum, clad in black leather and dark sunglasses, a rock star mathematician the likes of which audiences had never seen before.
Photo: Universal Pictures
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Lambada (1990)
Math teacher by day, sexy dance man by night. The strange Joel Silberg film Lambada is just like many other 1980s dance movies, equal parts sincere and ridiculous, until the big climax, which has nothing to do with dance and everything to do with a high school math contest. Hurray...?
Photo: Warner Bros.
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Moneyball (2011)
The real-life story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, is one about an industry torn between art and science. When old school methods fail, Beane turns to sabermetrics to help assemble a winning baseball team, changing the way we view the sport but only after an uphill battle, convincing the old dogs to try new tricks.
Photo: Columbia Pictures
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Pi (1998)
Is there a mathematical equation that can predict the stock market? Is there a single mathematical formula that guides the universe? Darren Aronofsky's creepy low-budget sci-fi thriller tells the story of a math genius who finds a 216-digit number that may hold all the answers, and may cause his brain to burst. Math is so important it's scary.
Photo: Artisan Entertainment
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Sneakers (1992)
Phil Alden Robinson's endlessly entertaining heist thriller, about an all-star cast of computer experts (Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix, David Strathairn), is set in motion when super-cool mathematician Gunter Janek develops a "black box" that can instantly hack any computer system in the world. It's a MacGuffin of the highest order, and Sneakers makes the convincing case - before most other movies were talking about this - that such a device could change the fabric of society.
Photo: Universal Pictures
