Throughout this year, the next Oscar Ceremony was only a vague thought at the back of my mind, but watching Gwyneth Paltrow in Proof was my wake-up call that fall is upon us, along with movies vying for the coveted prize. And Paltrow's performance certainly qualifies as Oscar-worthy.
Based upon the Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning stage play by David Auburn (who helped adapt the screenplay), the movie doesn't stray too far from a stage-like setting, and unlike many such adaptations, that's not a bad thing. While there are exterior scenes intercut in between the dialogue, the majority of the story and nearly all of the emotional moments happen in one house.
Paltrow reprises the role of Catherine, which she previously played on the London stage, the daughter of a mathematical genius (Hopkins). Her father, while hailed as a genius in his youth, has spent most of the time since his mid-twenties battling mental illness. Catherine, who shares her father's aptitude for math, has stayed with him, sacrificing her youth to care for him. But as she approaches the age at which her father first fell ill, she begins to wonder if she doesn't share more in common with him than she feared.
The title of the movie stems from a mathematical proof that is discovered in a notebook in Catherine's father's desk. Catherine claims to have written it, but both her sister and Catherine's boyfriend don't believe her. Her sister in particular has also begun to question Catherine's sanity and wonders if her claim to having written the proof isn't just in reaction to her own suggestion that Catherine join her in New York, since Catherine doesn't seem able to support herself.
At only ninety minutes the movie is short and emotionally packed. Paltrow delivers a truly great performance as the vulnerable and unstable young genius. In fact, she shines so much that the supporting players only ever get a chance to do what their name suggests; support her. She dominates the movie and the screen. What could have been an esoteric look at the similarities between genius and madness is instead given a human face by Paltrow.
For some reason this movie's release date was pushed back by a year and for the life of me I can't fathom why. While that usually indicates a troubled film, this one is brilliant. Paltrow gives the best performance of her career in a role that will hopefully be remembered come award season.
