Proof

"The biggest risk in life is not taking one."

2005 1h 40m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 762

DramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Catherine is a woman in her late twenties who is strongly devoted to her father, Robert, a brilliant and well-known mathematician whose grip on reality is beginning to slip away. As Robert descends into madness, Catherine begins to wonder if she may have inherited her father's mental illness along with his mathematical genius.

“The biggest risk in life is not taking one.”

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Cast

Gwyneth Paltrow
Catherine Llewellyn
Anthony Hopkins
Robert Llewellyn
Jake Gyllenhaal
Harold 'Hal' Dobbs
Hope Davis
Claire Llewellyn
Danny McCarthy
Cop
Tobiasz Daszkiewicz
Limo Driver
Gary Houston
Professor Barrow
Leigh Zimmerman
Friend at Party

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Madden
Writers: David Auburn, Rebecca Miller
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 38% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Madden, shot by Alwin H. Küchler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Stephen Warbeck. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mick Audsley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The biggest risk in life is not taking one.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0377107 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Madden directs. Alwin H. Küchler behind the camera. Stephen Warbeck scores. Mick Audsley cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 38% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 21 years ago.
3Directed by John Madden, shot by Alwin H. Küchler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Stephen Warbeck. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Mick Audsley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The biggest risk in life is not taking one.".
8IMDB entry: tt0377107 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "paranoia", "mathematics", "mathematician", "proof".
10Released under 21 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Alwin H. Küchler
Original score: Stephen Warbeck
Editing: Mick Audsley
Production design: Alice Normington
Costume design: Jill Taylor
Makeup / hair: Nicola Clarke
Sound: Tim Cavagin
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $7,535,331
Return: 38% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Proof (2005)

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John Madden

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Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb280390232022-08-27
★ 6/10
Math is an exact science. A mathematical proof is a demonstration of this exactness. Math can also be, according to those who study it, beautiful – an art form even; in that sense, Proof is an aptly titled film in which mathematics overlaps with metaphysics, poetry and even faith. Proof knows its characters’ field well enough to have a little fun with it (a character and his math department buddies have a band, and once of their songs is called “i”, as in ‘imaginary number;’ “They just stand there. They don't play anything for three minutes.”); on the other hand, it assumes at times, not entirely without reason, ignorance on the part of the audience. Now, I’ll confess that I didn’t know what a Germain prime was, but the characters do, so it’s a bit of awkward exposition when one explains it to another. Other than this, director John Madden truly lucked out with this movie – which is not to say he didn’t have anything at all to do with the success of the material –; in addition to being based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, you simply can’t go wrong when you only have four characters and three of them are played by Hopkins, Gyllenhaal, and Paltrow.
CinemaSerf2024-07-18
★ 6/10
This film quite succinctly sums up the characteristics of it's principal character. At times it's potent and at others it's a mess. It's all about "Catherine" (Gwyneth Paltrow) who together with her sister "Claire" (Hope Davis) are the daughters of acclaimed mathematician "Robert" (Sir Anthony Hopkins). Now he was borderline obsessed, in a clinical fashion, with his work writing a proof that will profoundly redefine thinking amongst his scientific community. Thing is, he's dead now and seems determined to "haunt" the life of his just as determined daughter (Paltrow) who, herself, treads a very thin line between reality and fantasy. Matters are exacerbated when one of his star pupils "Hal" (Jake Gyllenhaal) asks to look through their late father's papers and discovers something of monumental importance. Who wrote this, though - father or child or both? As the intensity grows for both sisters, their mental stability and their relationship is severely tested whilst the observing "Hal" (now the boyfriend of "Catherine") looks on somewhat dazed and confused as to what to do next as the narrative becomes increasingly peppered with historical familial flashbacks. Paltrow manages quite well with what must have been a difficult part and Davis does likewise as the loving sister who does not/did not share the all-consuming compulsion of her sibling and her dad. Some of the scenes between the two quite compellingly illustrate just how frustrations were growing as 'Catherine" seems bent on a slippery slope to depression. Gyllenhaal hasn't very much to work with and isn't really much more than eye candy and with the odd intervention from Sir Anthony adding little meat to the bones, there's not really enough to hold the film together consistently. It relies too much on the emotionally turbulent aspects of their persona and fails to deliver well on the rationale of their fixation. Just what is this proof and what does it mean to ordinary people - a question frequently asked by "Claire", too.