Proof

2005

Proof

Critics Consensus

Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins give exceptional performances in a film that intelligently tackles the territory between madness and genius.

63%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 144

59%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 88,758

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Movie Info

A devoted daughter comes to terms with the death of her father, a brilliant mathematician whose genius was crippled by mental insanity, forcing her to face her own long-harbored fears and emotions. She adjusts to his death with the help of one of her father's former mathematical students, who searches through her father's notebooks in the hope of discovering a bit of his old brilliance. While she comes to terms with the possibility that his genius, which she has inherited, may come at a painful price, her estranged sister arrives to help settle their father's affairs.
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for some sexual content, language and drug references)
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Directed By:
    John Madden
  • Written By:
    David Auburn, Rebecca Miller
  • In Theaters:
     limited
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $7,468,700
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Miramax Films

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Cast

Gwyneth Paltrow
as Catherine
Anthony Hopkins
as Robert
Jake Gyllenhaal
as Hal
Hope Davis
as Claire
Roshan Seth
as Professor Bhandari
Danny McCarthy
as Cop
Tobiasz Daszkiewicz
as Limo Driver
Gary Houston
as Professor Barrow
Anne Wittman
as Friend at Party
Leigh Zimmerman
as Friend at Party
Colin Stinton
as Theoretical Physicist
Leland Burnett
as Band Vocalist
John Keefe
as University Friend
C. Gerod Harris
as University Friend
Chipo Chung
as University Friend
Lolly Susi
as Airport Check-In Lady
Daniel Hatkoff
as Student
Haroula Spyropoulos
as Student
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Critic Reviews for Proof

All Critics (144) | Top Critics (42)

  • Madden stages the action with a minimum of imagination and gets a career-worst performance out of Davis in a key role, but the material still sputters to life on the strength of the writing and Paltrow's commitment to the part.

    Nov 25, 2006

    Scott Tobias

    AV Club
    Top Critic

  • An elegant adaptation to the screen, with the play's qualities largely intact and great performances from Paltrow and Hope Davis, as her sister. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anthony Hopkins complete a dream cast.

    Mar 17, 2006 | Full Review…

    Paul Byrnes

    Sydney Morning Herald
    Top Critic

  • We are invited to believe that Hopkins, Paltrow and Gyllenhaal all have, in their various ways, alpha-brains. They look to me like they couldn't recite the three-times-table without smoke coming out of their ears.

    Feb 11, 2006 | Rating: 1/4 | Full Review…

    Peter Bradshaw

    Guardian
    Top Critic

  • Sadly, the impact of the clever parallelogram of emotional and philosophical concerns in Auburn and Rebecca Miller's screenplay is deadened by the director's overly literal -- mechanical -- cinematic interpretation.

    Feb 9, 2006 | Full Review…

    Wally Hammond

    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • For patient viewers, it does offer a carefully considered and ultimately inspiring examination of how the need for order and logic is less important than a willingness to embrace chaos.

    Jan 31, 2006 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Stella Papamichael

    BBC.com
    Top Critic

  • Madden does a competent job transferring the film from stage to screen.

    Dec 24, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/5

    Bill Muller

    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (144)

Audience Reviews for Proof

  • Apr 03, 2018
    Good story. Unfortunately both sister characters are unlikeable, making almost every scene unpleasant to watch.
    Ed K Super Reviewer
  • Oct 06, 2015
    Proof is a nice little film I rate up mainly on account of the performances and some good moviemaking. Gwyneth Paltrow gives an earnest performance and makes for a sympathetic and believable lead. The other actors are up to par and nicely compliment her character. The film tries to hit a sentimental note, and move the audience with some dramatic scenes. I cannot say it totally comes off, but it comes off well-enough. Proof is a bit like a modern day Bergman film, with similar kind of heart, but is more optimistic.
    Robert B Super Reviewer
  • Aug 05, 2014
    Gwyneth Paltrow gives the performance of her life in the powerful character drama Proof. In the wake of her father's death after a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer's disease, Catherine starts to question her own sanity, which gets exacerbated when her father's former grad student discovers a mathematical proof that she claims to have written but looks like her father's work. Accompanying Paltrow are Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal, who both deliver extraordinary performances. But it's Paltrow's outstanding work that carries the film, as she gives a brilliant introspective look into the mind of Catherine as she struggles to find the truth and come to terms with her fears. Yet some credit needs to go to director John Madden, who does an incredible job at drawing the audience into Catherine's struggle, and keeps the question of her mental illness and the authorship the proof constantly in question. Proof is an exceptionally well-crafted and transcendent film that deals with some provocative and controversial issues.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Feb 11, 2013
    Paltrow shimmers and shines in this look at real inheritance, what the DNA leaves, as Pop (Hopkins, dynamite) is a math genius who, ummm, loses track, shall we say. Will the daughter follow in Pop's enormous footsteps ... in each and every way? Tension aplenty with a great supporting cast. Pretty damn good if you ask me.
    Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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