Proof
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Movie Reviews of Proof
Movie Review: Acting Highlights This Film
Summary: 5 Stars
As a former acting student, I'd like to concentrate on what I liked about the performances of the
four lead actors in {PROOF}.
Gwyneth Paltrow, as Catherine, plays the daughter of a genius father who has recently died. Her sense of loss after caring for him for the previous five years, and her fear that she might have inherited his insanity colors Paltrow's performance throughout. The subtleties Gwyneth uncovers of her character's dilemma remind me of a well rehearsed symphony. There are no wrong notes anywhere.
Anthony Hopkins, as Robert, the father, expertly portrays the agony of a brilliant man losing his ability to do his life's work. In the hands of a less experienced actor, this could have been over-dramatically done. But, in the hands of Hopkin's, every time he was on screen, I had just the right amount of sympathy, hope, and affection for his character.
Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays Hal, Robert's zealous former student, plays this multifaceted character with all the uncertainty inherent in his desire to bring glory to his former professor, satisfy his desire for Catherine, help her solve her dilemma, and finally to bring glory to his own career. Gyllenhaal is one of those actors that in theater terms is someone who has stage presence in spades. I have to watch everything he does and says on film.
Hope Davis, as Claire, Catherine's sister, plays the over-confidant, irritatingly organized, much-too-late to be really helpful sibling to perfection. From the minute she shows up, I'm turned off, and as I see that she and Catherine's personalities mix like vinegar and water, I despise her character more and more, but was forced when the film was over to admit, "Wow, she did that really well."
Movie Review: "Proof" adds up perfectly
Summary: 5 Stars
Based on David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Proof" revolves around Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow), the daughter of a brilliant, recently deceased mathematician (Anthony Hopkins). Although Catherine has inherited her father's mathematical genius, she fears that her knowledge might come with a heavy price. Her father had a history of mental illness for many years, and Catherine is worried that the disease has been passed on to her. To make matters more complicated, Catherine's pushy sister (Hope Davis) returns to town for her father's funeral and is intent on bringing Catherine back to New York City to stay with her. However, when Catherine shares a breakthrough mathematical proof with her new lover, who also happens to be her father's former graduate strudent (Jake Gyllenhaal), tensions arise as the authorship of the proof is questioned. Did Catherine's father write this amazing proof before his death, or is Catherine its true author?
I thought this film was an excellent adaptation of Auburn's play. Paltrow gives an outstanding performance as a young woman coping with the death of her father, her own personal regrets, and mental instability. Hopkins also delivers a great performance as the delusional father figure, although I wish he had a bit more screen time. The only performance I was slightly disappointed with was Gyllenhaal's, who is kind of a putz. However, his character is a bit of a putz, too, so I guess I can't hold it against him too much.
"Proof" is an excellent movie about family obligations, mental illness, and self-discovery. Put this one on your must-see list.
Movie Review: Significance of the "i"
Summary: 5 Stars
PROOF turned out to be an extraordinary film of 2005. It was intellectually and intelligently done, and it even stars two of the most versatile actors today, Jake Gyllenhaal (Hal) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Catherine) as well as seasoned actor, Anthony Hopkins (Robert Llewyln) and supporting actress, Hope Davis (Claire). The core of the film centers on Catherine coming to terms with her father's passing, and what evolves from her experience is her struggle with her identity. Who is she? and What is it that she really wants to be or does not want to be? The film goes through the process of her grasping and grappling with the reality that she too is a mathematician as her father, but she appears to deny it or hide it for fear of upstaging his work. In addition, Catherine temporary loses her ability to make pertinent choices that would reflect her own life.
The film is intense and perplexing. The direction by John Madden and the screenplay by David Auburn and Rebecca Miller were highly effective in showing the complicated storyline, and their use of flashbacks allowed the viewer to understand Catherine's relationship and her witness to her father's debilitating condition. Also, the investigative technique used to reveal the truth behind Catherine's father's notebook and Catherine was quite intriguing as well.
I recommend this film for anyone who likes a thought provoking film. You certainly do not have to be a mathematician to solve this Proof, but it will keep your mind reeling.
Movie Review: Brilliant drama with an interesting plot and characters
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start by stating that dramas are not typically my cup of tea. I enjoy who-done-its, thrillers, and action movies but periodically venture into other categories (and thankfully so). This movie tells the story of a brilliant mathematician (Hopkins) who suffers from a mental disorder such as schizophrenia. Catherine (Paltrow) is the mathemetician's daughter who drops out of college to care for him while Catherine's sister moves to New York. After Catherine's father dies, a mathematical "proof" is discovered in the house by a former student of the father. This proof is believed to have huge significance in the field of mathematics. There are many facets to this movie but at the center is a mystery: Who wrote the "proof"? With flashbacks to the past, move forward to the present and back again, the mystery slowly unravels to a dramatic conclusion. "Proof" is also about relationships between father and daughter, sisters, and the young student and Catherine. Without giving away the story, let me say that this movie touch me in a very personal way. My father was no genious but he seemed to have endless talents. At the end of his life, my father (like Catherine's) needed care. Although the situations were different, I really identified with the movie characters and the relationships that exist. I highly recommend "Proof" because the characters are so real and the story is touching as well. Finally, this was a "who-done-it" after all...
Hope you found this helpful.
Movie Review: *** Paltrow & Madden -- a potent combination
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie successfully transitions a great play into a great movie. There are three keys to this success: a beautiful script, an incredibly gifted lead actress, and a director who knows how to sustain the energy of a film from scene to scene, beginning to end. Other reviews have outlined the story, so I won't waste space with another rehash. Besides, the story line is not the essence of the movie. Paltrow gives her best performance of her career, and that is saying something. The story itself catches a whiff of doing mathematics, which is a pretty difficult thing to put on the screen. I especially liked the way Jake Gyllenhaal's character wavered between the obvious fact that Katherine (Gwyneth Paltrow) really had proven the stunning result that the movie revolves around and his obvious ambition to prove his own mettle as a budding mathematician. Mathematicians are at once extremely collegial and extremely ambitious. The script and Gyllenhaal's execution hit just the right tone. Since this is the 58th review of this movie here at Amazon, I won't stretch this out. Know that this fine movie has been carefully transferred to the DVD medium. The film is intense, lean, crackling with energy, fast, endearing -- it made me love mathematics all over again.