John Madden’s Proof: Math Drama Starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins

Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anthony Hopkins and Hope Davis each take turns stealing the spotlight in this wonderfully acted drama that shows that life is never an exact formula. Hopkins plays Robert, a now-deceased mathematical legend who went insane in his old age. Paltrow plays Catherine, the youngest of two daughters who dropped out of college at Northwestern to take care of her deranged dad.

The drama really begins at Robert’s funeral, when the aftermath of dealing with family property brings in Catherine’s sister Claire (Davis). Claire is the over-bearing sister played to perfection as Hope Davis actually turns in the best performance of all involved. The tension between the sisters as they deal with the loss of their father is beautifully played out. Gyllenhaal is also very strong in his portrayal of Harold “Hal Dobbs. Robert was Hal’s mentor and Hal has long been infatuated with his youngest daughter as well as his mentor’s genius.

The plotline is largely centered around a notebook found after Robert’s death in which one final proof seems to be left from the time during his dementia. Before his death, Robert wrote furiously in over 100 notebooks and yet most of it was gibberish. In the light of this new find, the tension ensues as to who is the author, whose property is it, and ultimately, the way that we remember those we love.

Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin) deftly handles the abilities of each actor and actress, giving them each a chance to shine. While the parts could easily be contrived because of the stereotypical characters some of them play, Madden and writer David Auburn never allows them to fully go where you might expect them.

With acting like this and the fantastic direction of John Madden, the equation here equals an absolute winner. Proof is good movie-making, pure and simple.