Starring:
Gwyneth Paltrow as Catherine
Anthony Hopkins as Robert
Jake Gyllenhaal as Hal
Danny McCarthy as Cop
Hope Davis as Claire
Special Features:
Commentary by: Director John Madden
Deleted scenes with optional commentary
From Stage to Screen: The Making of Proof
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
French Language Track
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following text is from the DVD cover:
“From the acclaimed director of Shakespeare in Love, Proof stars Oscar winners Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins , along with Jake Gyllenhaal and Hope Davis. It’s a powerful story of a young woman haunted by her father’s past and the shadow of her own future. Catherine (Paltrow) has devoted years to caring for her brilliant but mentally unstable father, Robert (Hopkins), a mathematical genius. But when his genius slips away, he leaves behind a mystery that affects her life… and her own sanity. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play.”
Proof is rated PG-13 for some sexual content, language and drug references.
Mini-Review:
If you like to see characters cry, fight, complain, and slowly descend into depression and madness, then Proof is for you. I’m personally not that enamored with it. I was initially on board with the film. I was intrigued by the premise of a schizophrenic math genius and his daughter. The film looked great. The dialogue was witty and funny. The cast was fantastic. However, the longer I watched it, the more I got annoyed with Catherine. She’s not really a likable character at all and she becomes less so as she closes herself off from the world. It’s hard to see why Hal falls for her. And since this movie revolves entirely upon her character, your opinion of the film depends on your opinion of her.
As you might expect, there aren’t all that many bonus features included on this DVD. There’s a feature commentary with Director John Madden, but it’s a little dry even if it is informative. He really needed the actors with him. A few deleted scenes are also included. One shows Paltrow having another conversation with Hopkins, her deceased father. Another deleted scene shows Paltrow’s character at college. It really helps to paint a picture of her as a relatively normal, grounded character. It would have helped make her more likable in the film. A final deleted scene just has a little more dialogue as Paltrow tries to convince her sister that Hal is real. The final bonus feature is “From Stage to Screen: The Making of Proof”. It’s a featurette detailing the transition of the film from stage to screen. All of the actors are interviewed and it’s actually a pretty interesting little piece.
