Cinema Tuesdays Review

Not Just a Math Movie, "Proof" Proves a Winner
By Nathan Cone

proof (prōōf) n. 1. the act or process of proving; testing or trying of something. 2. anything serving or tending to establish the truth of something, or to convince one of its truth. 3. the establishment of the truth of something: as, he is completing the proof of his theory. 10. in mathematics, a process for checking the correctness of a computation, as by adding the result to the subtrahend to get the minuend. — excerpted from Webster's New World Dictionary

Boasting an impressive pedigree, "Proof" makes the transition from stage to screen very nicely. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Auburn, the film stars Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis, and Jake Gyllenhaal, and re-teams Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow with her "Shakespeare in Love" director, John Madden. Or perhaps I should say re-re-teams, since Madden and Paltrow both undertook a London production of "Proof" a few years ago, to great success.

"Proof" opens on Catherine (Paltrow) in the days after her father Robert (Hopkins), a brilliant mathematician whose schizophrenia eventually sidelined him, has passed away. Hal (Gyllenhaal), a former student of Robert's, is also present, rifling through the old number-cruncher's notebooks, looking for shadows of that former genius in the old man's schizoid scribblings. Catherine's older yuppie sister Claire (Davis) enters the picture soon after, hoping to convince Catherine to get out of her self-imposed funk and move back to New York. Claire also fears her younger sister may be a bit too much like dad, and so she wants to watch over her more closely.

The die is cast when Hal finds what may be evidence of a new mathematical proof amongst the many notebooks that lie upstairs in the family home, thus setting off a chain of events that leads each character to attempt in his or her own way to prove their own feelings or hypotheses to be true. In fact, the theme of "proof" is interwoven throughout the film both broad and subtle ways. Early on, Catherine asks Hal to reveal the contents of his backpack to prove he is not stealing. As an ongoing theme, we are asked to believe whether or not Catherine is living in the real world, as she attempts to deal with her father's death and legacy. And of course there are the mathematical proofs that are the center of several characters' obsession.

Like most plays made into films, "Proof" is wordy, and I must confess I love a good talky film where the dialogue relentlessly propels you forward, as this movie does. "Proof" is one of those rare films that holds up to repeat viewings because it is so enjoyable to hear the dialogue. Director John Madden also uses flashbacks to clue the audience in to what may or may not be happening. And as for Paltrow's performance, it is spot on, and Madden reveals in his audio commentary on this DVD that her experience acting "Proof" on stage must have helped her, since the London theater where it was staged was quite cozy, bringing audience members extremely close to the actors, just as a camera sees them. Madden's audio commentary is fairly informative as he discusses the various tricks he used to successfully translate the play to the silver screen.

Also included on this DVD are a short featurette about the "Making of 'Proof'" that is little more than an electronic press kit, and three short deleted scenes that are mildly interesting. But the real reason to check out "Proof" on DVD is the film itself. Do not be dissuaded by the idea that "Proof" is just a "math movie." It is an excellent study on trust among family and loved ones.

2/16/06

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