'Proof' of an Oscar nod

"Proof," adapted from David Auburn's Tony Award-winning Broadway play, is a drama of mathematical proportions. There is so much going on between all the main players that the effects they have on each other almost seem incalculable -- like the math problem that keeps you up all night making you swear there is no possible right answer. \nThere was a time when Robert (Anthony Hopkins in Oscar form) was one of the most brilliant mathematicians in the world. Around the age of 26, the supposed "peak" of any brilliant mind, he begins slowly drifting into madness. Robert's mental instability causes his daughter Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow, also seeking a Best Actress nod) to drop out of college and come care for her sick father until his passing. \nWith Robert's death, Catherine begins slipping into her own world of mental problems. Frustrated by math student Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal -- so good here that "Jarhead" and "Brokeback Mountain" could make 2005 the best year in his career to date) who digs around Robert's old study in search of mathematical artifacts and hounded by her sister Claire (Hope Davis, hoping for Best Supporting Actress) to move to New York, Catherine's life is crumbling around her before she can even pull all the pieces of her mind back together. And with the discovery of a certain proof in Robert's dusty old notebooks, Hal and Claire are about to be sucked into the madness that is slowly taking over Catherine's mind.\nDirector John Madden certainly knows how to get the most out of his actors this time around, especially considering his last worthwhile movie was 1998's "Shakespeare in Love" -- I'd rather fail another math class than watch "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" again. Consider the following equation: Paltrow + Hopkins + a touch of "A Beautiful Mind" = "Proof." See any problems with it? I sure don't.\nThe way the actors interact is incredibly convincing. Catherine loves her father but hates his instability, Hal is so frustrated by Catherine that it almost makes him sick and with the way Claire offers her "sisterly love," I'm surprised Catherine didn't go insane years ago. These relationships are as complex as the proof contained within Robert's notebook. \nWhile the plot of "Proof" certainly remains open-ended, the characters are far too fascinating for such minor flaws to affect the film in any way. The true mathematics of the film aren't within Robert's notebooks -- rather they are in love, death and even Catherine's depression which Robert amusingly points out. Life is the greatest math problem that isn't meant to be solved because there is no single right answer.