"Proof" and "Doubt" - (not identical) twin producitons
Added 2/12/2009
After we saw this movie, my husband and I both agreed that "Proof" and "Doubt" are twin (if not identical) productions, and would make a great theater/film class assignment: examining the themes of both works, how the characters were similar, etc. It's interesting to note, as well, that the title of both works have just five letters. Loved it! Gwyneth, Jake and Hope were insanely fantastic in their strange, riveting, sometimes irritating roles.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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A Beautiful Mind - Again
Added 9/8/2008
Adaptation of a play with little action, but some decent dialogue. Gwyneth Paltrow plays a crazy daughter of a crazy math genius. The 'proof' is a math term. I was entertained, but this is fairly forgettable stuff. The sister has some nice moments playing down to the crazy one. You won't laugh and you won't cry.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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If you are a mathematician, you will hate this movie -- nothing in it will remind you of the math world you know. Just think a minute: How many people in your math department look like Gwyneth Paltrow? Or even Jake Gyllenhaal? That should give you a hint to how realistic this movie is.
I found the movie so frustrating, I had to turn it off after about 20 minutes. Examples:
High-school-level conversation about insanity between two people who are both supposed to be exceptional mathematicians.
Ridiculous back-and-forth between Paltrow and Gyllenhaal where they keep changing attitudes and even personalities. I know it's based on a stage play, but couldn't they calm it down a bit for the screen?
Lazy screenplay shorthand for bossy woman: talking on cell phone about china patterns while walking through airport. Grrrr!
And finally, what made me shut it off: That insane conversation between Paltrow and Hope Davis, where one thinks the other is hallucinating for no apparent reason.
Spare me! Spare yourselves.
3 out of 9 people found this helpful.
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Great acting
Added 5/13/2008
Gwyneth Paltrow is great in Proof. She appears depressed, creative, brilliant, vulnerable, etc. as the genius-level daughter of a brilliant father. This is the best work I've ever seen her do. Better than Shakespeare in Love, the film that won her an Oscar. This role seems like it would be far harder to pull off than most, but Ms. Paltrow's performance is fluid, flawless, committed, and carries a subtle sense of humor throughout. Realistic and inspirational story.
3 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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Very good acting in a very bad cause...
Added 3/17/2008
The idea that mathematical genius is somehow strange or crazy
is very bad doctrine. People with power of innovation and original
thought are produced in the gene pool with regularity.
They are almost as likely to be found among the poor
as among the wealthy.
Much of the real advancement of civilizations has depended on them
braving misunderstanding and persecution to bring their ideas forward.
Contributing to their problems as this movie does,
even with the very good acting is not a good idea.
The Nash's of the world are seldom and very much not the "rule".
2 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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