REVIEW: Proof

In the push for Hollywood to find its niche in the Windy City, Proof is the
first movie I've seen since a John Hughes film or a Vince Vaughn starring
role to actually use Chicago as part of it's screenplay and backdrop.
Using the Chicago Skyline as scenery and having streets that you know
referenced throughout a movie makes it surreal, however Proof without help
is still a strong film. Gwen Paltrow gets together again with her
Shakespeare in Love director, John Madden (no relation to the old Raiders
coach/EA Sports icon) to make Proof an excellent film. The premise goes
along the same old story of a mathematician going mad and accepted by
society to be insane. The "nutcase" in this aspect is played by the father
of Gwen Paltrow's character (Anthony Hopkins) who is a math genius and in a
motherless family with 2 daughters, Gwen Paltrow takes after her father's
tendencies. He initiates her mind to comprehend mathematical complications
and to take it to another level. However, Anthony Hopkins' character is
dead. He has passed in the beginning of the movie and with the use of
flashbacks, Madden intertwines present day affairs with past moments. Jake
Gellynhall plays Hopkins apprentice and Paltrow's love interest. He
initiates the importance of Hopkins' character and how he impacted the
world of math. He is also a good medium between the down the earth
unknowing to the complexity of worldly mathematics. This makes the viewer
relate better. After Gellynhall and Paltrow get together a "proof" is
found in Hopkins' desk and the problem lies in who the author is. A proof
is a piece of work that is used to turn a thought into law (in terms of
science and in this case, mathematics). It is greatly questionable because
of its complexity. Obviously it is assumed that the math genius wrote it
before passing, however Paltrow states that she wrote it. And this is
where I entice you to watch it....

Not sure if this movie is an oscar push, but it is a sentimental
masterpiece that gave me the same feeling I got after watching Good Will
Hunting for the first time (had to make another math movie reference). I
liked this film and it wasn't fancy in terms of cool effects, awesome
acting (no offense to the award winning cast), or hot sex scenes. It was
one of those movies that sorta motivated me to do something with my
writing. Like watching Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, or American
Beauty -- this movie was just well written and totally understandable in a
world that may seem blan and nerdy (math). Also, this was better than
those other math movies that I've indulged in and have won awards (no
offense to Ron Howard...you know what movie I'm talking about?).

just give this movie a shot. not heavily advertised, but a gem to those
that watch.