Proof (2005)

The daughter of a brilliant but mentally disturbed mathematician, recently deceased, tries to come to grips with her possible inheritance: his insanity. Complicating matters are one of her father's ex-students who wants to search through his papers and her estranged sister who shows up to help settle his affairs.

Director:

John Madden

Writers:

David Auburn (play), David Auburn (screenplay),

Stars:

Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Catherine
Anthony Hopkins	...	Robert
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Harold Dobbs - Hal
Danny McCarthy	...	Cop
Hope Davis	...	Claire
Tobiasz Daszkiewicz	...	Limo Driver (as Tobiacz Daszkiewicz)
Gary Houston	...	Professor Barrow
Anne Wittman	...	Friend at Party
Leigh Zimmerman	...	Friend at Party
Colin Stinton	...	Theoretical Physicist
Leland Burnett	...	Band Vocalist
John Keefe	...	University Friend
Chipo Chung	...	University Friend
C. Gerod Harris	...	University Friend (as C Gerod Harris)
Roshan Seth	...	Professor Bhandari

Storyline

The daughter of a brilliant but mentally disturbed mathematician (recently deceased) tries to come to grips with her possible inheritance: his insanity. Complicating matters are one of her father's ex-students who wants to search through his papers and her estranged sister who shows up to help settle his affairs.

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Plot Keywords:

mathematician | notebook | mathematics | proof | birthday | 

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Taglines:

Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Auburn

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, language and drug references

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States] Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Prova

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$57,997 (Brazil) (11 August 2006)

Gross:

$197,971 (Brazil) (11 August 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Endgame Entertainment, Hart-Sharp Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Auburn's play "Proof" premiered at the Manhattan Theater Club, New York City, New York, USA in May 2000, and then transferred to the Walter Kerr Theater on 24 October 2000 where it ran for 917 performances. "Proof" won the 2001 Tony Award for the Best Play, and the Pulitzer Prize in Drama the same year.

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Goofs

Near the end when Catherine says she'd rather go to sleep than talk through her father's proof, his mouth keeps moving after he stops yelling.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Robert: [stirring her out of a dream] Can't sleep?
Catherine: Oh, Jesus! Oh, you scared me.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Gwyneth Paltrow Movies (2011)

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Soundtracks

"I'll Never Be (Your Maggie May)"
(1991)
Composed and Performed by Suzanne Vega
© Waifersongs Ltd./WB Music Corp
By kind permission of Warner/Chappell Music Ltd
Courtesy of Polydor UK Music Limited
Licensed by kind permission from The Universal Film & TV Licensing Division

User Reviews

The Bottle is the Right Shape

Greetings again from the darkness. Rarely do we get to see a film based on a Pulitzer Prize and Tony award winning story (by David Auburn). It does tend to jump the expectations a bit! There are facets of this story that we have seen on screen before in such fine films as "A Beautiful Mind", "Shine" and "Good Will Hunting". The topics of brilliance and insanity often overlap, in fact, the line is often so blurry as to prevent accurate diagnosis. Gwyneth Paltrow is spectacular in her gut-wrenching, emotional roller coaster of a role. I feel very cheated having read recently that she is contemplating giving up acting to enjoy her life and family. This would be a shame as she is only scratching the surface of her talents and artistry. Teaming again with director John Madden ("Shakespeare in Love"), Paltrow delivers an Oscar worthy performance that is emotionally deep and profound. Thank goodness she was selected over the bitter Mary Louise Parker.

The assembled supporting cast is impressive in name; however, Sir Anthony Hopkins is solid, but not great in the relatively small, but crucial role as Paltrow's once genius, then insane, now dead father. His influence on her life is beyond question and how she deals is the heart of the story. Jake Gyllenhaal, although a fine actor, is totally miscast as Hopkins' former student who tries to secure the legacy. Hope Davis is perfect as the irritating sister of Paltrow who has "been working 14 hour days" for 5 years while Paltrow cared for dear old nutty dad.

What prevents the film from being great is that it never decides what it is about. It is a film about a math genius (or two) but it shows almost no math. Is it a film about genius? Is it about insanity? Is it about caring for an elderly parent? Is it a film of self-discovery? All of these are touched on, but none are hit head-on. It is a fine film, definitely worth seeing, but it will probably leave you feeling a bit empty.