I have never been a big fan of Gwyneth Paltrow because as an actress I have always thought she was over-rated. I felt that she did an average job in every movie she was in. I did not think she was worthy of the Academy Award she received for her role in the movie Shakespeare in Love. However, after watching Proof, I certainly hope that she gets another nomination for an Academy Award because she deserves it for doing a fantastic job of portraying an unstable woman.

Proof is about Catherine, played by Gwyneth Paltrow (Sylvia,) who has taken care of her father until he dies of heart failure. Her father, Robert, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins (Alexander,) was a mathematician who created many mathematical proofs before he was 22 years old, but started to lose his mind at the age of 27. Catherine is concerned that she not only inherited her father's genius for math, but that she has inherited his madness and is uncertain of her future as she buries her father on her 27 birthday.

This movie was incredible from beginning to end. Every one acted well, especially Paltrow. From the opening scene, Paltrow portrayed a troubled woman. Her movements, expressions, and speech, were all magnificently delivered by Paltrow and at no time did you know for sure if she was beginning to go insane or if it was her own paranoia creating her self doubt.

Actress Hope Davis (American Splendor) did a great job as Claire, Catherine's no non-sense sister who believes that her younger sister has inherited her father's sickness. She was perfect in her role in that every time Catherine was fighting the belief that she was sick, Claire was right there enforcing the belief that she was sick. It was clear also that Claire was offering to "help" Catherine more for Claire sake than Catherine's. She had a life to her own and did not want to have to come back out to Chicago, where Catherine and her father lived, every time her little sister had an episode.Davis did a wonderful job.

Both of the male actors in the movie, Hopkins, and Jake Gyllenhaal (The Day After Tomorrow,) did a fine job acting. Hopkins did his standard impressive performance as a man who goes insane. As I said Gyllenhaal did a fine job, but I felt that any decent actor could have done his part. I will say that his character was written the weakest of the four and yet he still pulled it off quite well.

The movie was based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Auburn, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Rebecca Miller, and is amazing. The story is engaging from beginning to end and I love how they introduce the character of Robert in the beginning of the movie, talking to Catherine, as if he is alive, and then he answers one of Catherine's questions by telling her he has been dead for a week. There are many scenes between father and daughter that are powerful. My favorite scene is when Catherine has come home from Northwestern University because she has not been able to get a hold of Robert she discovers that he is outside in the snow, working on math.

One scene I did not like is during the party after the funeral, Hal (Gyllenhaal) ended up having sex with Catherine, earning his trust and is essentially the lynch pin of the movie and I don't know if I buy if that would happen. Catherine had been so emotional with the death of her father, especially at the services, I don't know if she would succumb to her passion. However, that is the only glitch on a brilliant movie.

Director John Madden, who also directed Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love, did a great job with her in the movie. She kept her intensity in the movie and I am sure Madden had something to do with it. I also love the way he shot my favorite scene in the movie. It was dark and the lights was in the background so you could not see their expressions, but the silhouette of the their faces was wonderful. I also liked how Madden was able to keep the movie from getting confusing with all of the flashback scenes explaining what had happen to the characters.

This is a great movie and I recommend every one to watch it. This movie could be the sleeper at the big dance come February so if you can get to the theaters, skip all of the garbage that is coming out and watch Paltrow kick some butt and hopefully earn another nomination, this time she has earned it.

Brian - the Naked Gun