Intelligent, character-driven studio films are becoming increasingly hard to come by, and so the insanely smart “Proof” should be forgiven its only readily-apparent transgression: With numerous dialogue-laden scenes and few set changes, the movie, which finds John Madden directing his “Shakespeare in Love” star Gwyneth Paltrow, feels more like a stage play than a cinematic production. That should come as no surprise since the film is based on David Auburn’s award-winning play of same name (the playwright adapted for the screen with the help of Rebecca Miller), and the theatrical bent certainly doesn’t significantly hamper what is a very solid film.
As 27-year-old Catherine, daughter of a famous Chicago mathematician, Paltrow delivers what may be the best performance of her short, stellar career. Catherine is highly enigmatic, and has spent the bulk of her waking life battling personal demons. Gwynnie conveys her character’s complexity seemingly with ease. Catherine’s deceased father Robert (the always dependable Anthony Hopkins) was a genius plagued by mental illness who we come to know through flash-backs and Catherine’s imagined encounters. At the film’s core is a mystery: Did Catherine, as she claims to have done, write the groundbreaking mathematical formula that Robert’s former star pupil Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal) discovers among his mentor’s notebooks? Gyllenhaal delivers a strong supporting effort, as does one of Hollywood’s greatest unsung talents, Hope Davis, as Catherine’s domineering big sister. The actors’ performances in “Proof” are proof that the Oscar contenders have arrived early this year. (Rated PG-13. Running time: 100 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 16, 2005. Read the original PDF.