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111 of 125 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting Performances by an Excellent Cast, October 23, 2005
This is an entrancing movie which marvelously tells an engaging story; the four cast members who totally dominate the film all deliver superb performances. Gwyneth Paltrow reprises the role which she played on the London stage, twenty-seven year old Catherine, the daughter of Robert (Anthony Hopkins), a mathematical genius who has died days before the first scene in the film occurs. Robert's worshipful former student Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is currently a university lecturer, is beginning the task of reading through the multitudinous notebooks which Robert compiled in his final years in the hopes that he will find some traces of Robert's former brilliance amid the voluminous ramblings. The audience soon is presented with the bare bones outline of the central element which forms the backdrop for the remainder of the film, Robert had increasing succumbed to mental illness during the last four years of his life and Catherine gradually withdrew from all aspects of the life which she was leading to provide full-time care for him in order to avoid his institutionalization. The final element of the story which we are to watch unfold during the remainder of the film is soon introduced in the person of Catherine's super organized older sister Claire (Hope Davis), who arrives from NYC not only to attend the funeral as Catherine has expected but to also to quickly get her father's estate in order and help provide Catherine with a new direction for her life.
The juxtaposition is startling, Claire is as self confident, assured and ready to take charge as Catherine is apathethic, confused and withdrawn; Paltrow and Davis play off each other to develop the contrast between their characters extremely well. As the story unfolds through very frequent flashbacks interspersed with a gradual progression of action in the present, the complexity of the backstory and how it has affected both of the sisters is developed in a very nuanced way which succeeds in keeping both of them (especially Davis) from becoming the caricatures which could easily have resulted. An additional element of the story is the tension of Hal's relationship with Catherine, both because he is attracted to her and wants to help her escape her angst and also in her role as the daughter of his "hero" and the person who controls the access to Robert's notes, which might allow Hal to jumpstart his career.
The key moment in the story occurs soon after Robert's funeral, when Catherine allows Hal access to a notebook which has been locked away separate from all her father's other work and which contains the PROOF of a mathematical puzzle which not even the most brilliant mathematicians have been able to solve. Without giving away the details which make up the rest of the film, Claire and Hal suspect that it is a work which Robert completed in his lucid moments during the periods of remission from his madness which Catherine's care afforded him; Catherine soon reluctantly declares that it is in fact her own work and is crushed and completely withdraws emotionally when they both refuse to believe her. While we have previously seen very brief hints that she has inherited her father's genius, she herself seems ambivalent about the implications of this fact for her future life. Of course, by attempting to help her sister Catherine regain her equilbrium, Claire instead accentuates Catherine's fears that she has inherited their father's illness as well as his genius and thus both effectively making Catherine appear a more pathethic figure while emphasizing the worst elements of her own overbearing nature.
David Auburn's play received both the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony award, and he and Rebecca Miller have adapted it marvelously to the screen although in many ways its structure still has substantial elements of a stage presentation (which I wish I had seen). Despite the fact that Robert dies before the film begins, Anthony Hopkins' performance is so complete and the directing and editing so deft that the moviegoers soon forget that they are watching a dead man. There are several comedic moments to lighten the otherwise almost constant tension, but this is a film for those interested in a serious well told tale.
CAVEATS: first, this film obviously ends but there is no conclusion to the story, it is a story to be continued in the lives of Catherine, Jake and Claire. There clearly is reason for hope but the optimism must come from the recognition that they all have the ability to control their own futures. I definitely agree with another reviewer that this is one of the few films which I think could actually benefit from being lengthened to more than its 100 minutes in running time. Second, while the story telling technique of interspersed flashbacks is very effective, it is also disconcerting at times. Although it is immediately clear that the scenes involving Hopkins are flahbacks, at times the shifts between the past and prsent involving the other characters are so abrupt and frequent that they are momentarily confusing. While the last criticism would normally be sufficient for me to downgrade my rating, given the quality of the film I regard it as a relatively minor quibble. My five star rating is for the thought provoking nature of the story, the excellent performances of the cast (perhaps of Academy award quality), and my total enjoyment of the film and how it completely captivated me.
Tucker Andersen
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28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting drama, February 16, 2006
Proof of a mathematical equation and proof of madness are the two driving forces in John Madden's film. Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow) who cared for her brilliant mathematician father Robert (Anthony Hopkins) is afraid that she's inherited his other "gift"-mental illness. Catherine cared for her father Robert during the end. When Claire (Hope Davis) Catherine's sister arrives home for the funeral she expresses concern for Catherine's mental state. Catherine begins to doubt her own teetering sanity. Robert's assistant Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal) rummages around Robert's papers the night before and after the funeral trying to find an important equation her father was working on before he died. Featuring a group of strong performances, "Proof" is a compelling drama about grief, madness and emotional seclusion. Although Madden's drama suffers from the stage origins of the play but the emotional high wire act the cast performs makes it worthwhile. Whether or not there's "proof" of this film being a "great" film is based on how drawn into the drama you are by the appealing cast. A warning about some of the other reviews here--there good reviews but some of them have spoilers that give away a lot of the plot of the film. If you want to be surpised and enjoy the ride then I'd suggest you skip reading these reviews.
"Proof" looks extremely good here with natural skin tones, sharp image quality and nice definition. The 5.1 audio isn't exactly designed for the format since this a dialogue driven film but there is nice ambient sounds evident in the other speakers.
A clinical but interesting commentary track by John Madden is interesting to listen to but would have been enlightened by the cast's contribution. We also get deleted scenes none of which are revelations "From Stage to Screen" covers the adaptation of the stage play to film. One of the challenges was staying true to the stage roots while opening up the player and making it less stage bound. Producer Allison Owen makes an interesting comment-she imagined the film as the type of film that would have been made in the 70's where moving and powerful drama was still king in theaters. The cast and Madden discuss their characters and what attracted them to the project. Madden comments that many audience members thought that the play was like watching a movie which is a bit unusual but that was because of the fact that the play was told from a variety of different points of view and the staging.
A fine film that touches on madness, emotional isolation and the fear of what lies down the road for anyone; "Proof" is a fascinating drama that works amazingly well due to the strong performances. Madden who worked with Paltrow in "Shakespeare in Love" clearly connects with Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
appreciate it for the writing., March 17, 2007
It's interesting that most people tend to have a problem with the screenplay for this movie, when it is almost word for word the stage play, which is renowned for its elegance and simplicity. Perhaps the issue comes up in the flashbacks and the ending, both of which disagree with the play. Still, as a stage adaptation to film, Proof does the job beautifully. The characters remain true to their original 2-dimensionality; it is the apparent lack of emotion that actually lends itself to intense feelings from the viewer.
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