MovieChat Forums > Proof (2005) Discussion > Gwyneth gives a MONSTER of a performance

Gwyneth gives a MONSTER of a performance

posted 11 years ago by RyanCShowers
4 replies | jump to latest

http://feelthefilms.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/welcome-to-normal-catch-u p/

I almost wish they could re-title "Proof" to "Gwyneth Paltrow's Acting Abilities," because that's what Proof has going for it: Gwyneth Paltrow's tour de force portrayal of a woman caught between the lines of brilliance and insanity. It's the best performance I've ever seen dealing with grief. She has a few times in the first Act she crosses the line and becomes melodramatic, but Act Two and Three prove Paltrow's work to be a hurricane of a performance. I've seen Proof twice, I must say the overall quality of the film dropped the second time around. At times Proof is misdirected and strays into melodrama, therefore loses connection with the viewer. But the director has a handle on many of the painfully emotional scenes. It does display some terrific edited sequences, the performances from Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal are air-tight, and the script is tailored in compelling drama and mystery. Paltrow's emotionally draining performance is reason enough to see it.

Rating: 7/10

Grade: B+

When it comes to torture, I trust the lady who spent three years married to James Cameron.

[–] jimmypage195 11 years ago

yes she did a great job but in some scenes i thought she was overacting

[–] always_keep_fighting 10 years ago

I agree with the OP; I think she was amazing in this movie. I think that it's difficult to play someone who is depressed, terrified that they may be on the road to insanity, unless they've actually felt those emotions. I don't mean chainsaw-through-the-door crazy; I mean the kind of crazy where you cannot trust what you see or hear, or even think. IMO, GP nailed it in Proof. I don't even think that she was melodramatic in some scenes; I would expect a young woman who just lost her father and mentor, and is afraid that she will go down the same terrible road that he did, to BE melodramatic. Brilliantly done.
Another performance portraying a clinically depressed woman is Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia. Also a beautiful, touching performance.

[–] iopjklbnm 9 years ago

Seriously? I watched this movie for the first time last night (only because Jake Gyllenhaal is it in) I've personally never seen many of Gwyneth Paltrow's movies, the only one that currently comes to mind is view from the top, I actually thought she was good in that movie. In this movie though I thought her acting was cringe-worthy, I was certainly surprised to see that she was nominated for a golden globe for this movie specifically.

[–] mayani 8 years ago

I watched it yesterday for the second time (the first time I saw it I missed the beginning). She really nailed the part. I dislike her for her recent roles and her media personality (vag-steaming and other nonsensical new-age crap), but she was really great in this. Too bad she turned her career into a pile of crap by choosing easy roles and concentrating on being a 'life guru' or whatever she deluded herself into thinking she is.