Overview
An extraordinary mind battles cultural and academic barriers in pursuit of mathematical greatness.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- sincere
- earnest
- inspirational
- historical drama night
- mathematics film marathon
What critics said
Critics found the sincere and accessible biographical drama too conventional, while broadly praising Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons for elevating its material.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film follows Srinivasa Ramanujan's rise from poverty in Madras to recognition at Cambridge as a pioneering mathematician.
Ramanujan's intuitive mathematical theories confront G.H. Hardy's stringent academic standards and Cambridge's requirements for proof.
Ramanujan and Hardy struggle to understand one another while collaborating on mathematics across Indian and British cultural worlds.
Ramanujan faces prejudice and exclusion in Britain while attempting to establish himself within its elite mathematical institution.
Films like The Man Who Knew Infinity, and why
A Beautiful Mind
shared biographical drama structure, intellectual ambition, mentorship, and historical struggle against institutional barriers
The Imitation Game
shared inspirational mathematician subject, academic competition, emotional restraint, and period biographical storytelling
Gandhi
shared cross-cultural historical drama, gifted outsider protagonist, and conflict between individual insight and rigid institutions
Good Will Hunting
shared warm but serious account of exceptional talent, mentorship, and personal sacrifice within an academic environment
Movie Details
- Director
- Matt Brown
- Release Date
- 2016-04-08
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (1632)
Cast
- Dev Patel
- Jeremy Irons
- Toby Jones
- Devika Bhise
- Stephen Fry
- Kevin McNally
- Jeremy Northam
- Anthony Calf
- Pádraic Delaney
- Shazad Latif
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Man Who Knew Infinity about?
- A self-taught mathematical prodigy from colonial India fights poverty, prejudice, and academic convention to prove his theories at Cambridge.
- What is The Man Who Knew Infinity like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Man Who Knew Infinity as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Man Who Knew Infinity violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Man Who Knew Infinity.
- What did critics think of The Man Who Knew Infinity?
- Critics found the sincere and accessible biographical drama too conventional, while broadly praising Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons for elevating its material.
- Which films are like The Man Who Knew Infinity?
- Films with a similar feel include A Beautiful Mind, The Imitation Game, Gandhi, and Good Will Hunting.
- How long is The Man Who Knew Infinity?
- The Man Who Knew Infinity runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Man Who Knew Infinity?
- In United States, The Man Who Knew Infinity streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now.
