Doubt (Miramax Films)
A Great Movie I Doubt It
John Patrick Shanleys play Doubt won rave reviews and awards when it was presented on Broadway. Now Shanley has transferred his play to the big screen and has gathered together an impressive cast to tell his story. The result is a finely acted film that never captures the audiences enthusiasm or understanding.
The time is 1964 and the setting is St Nicolas in the Bronx, a school ruled by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). One of her main teachers is Sister James (Amy Adams), a woman almost too sweet for the classroom. The head priest at the school is Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman).
There is conflict growing between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn. She thinks he is too liberal for her school and also a threat to her power. When Sister James mentions one day that Father Flynn has been paying a lot of attention to Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), who is the schools first black student, Sister Aloysius immediately becomes suspicious of his actions.
The movie develops into a war of words between the Head Sister and the Priest with only one capable of being the winner. The issue of whether or not the right one wins is the crux of the film.
The acting in this movie is awesome. Streep is at her persnickety best, pouncing on every word and turning it to her advantage. She is light years away from the role she had in Mamma Mia and uses this sisters voice and movements to show the full range of her talent.
Adams is subdued and sweet as Sister James. She is the very definition of meekness. Every movement, every soft word underlines the basic goodness of this character. Viola Davis also has a good scene as Donald Millers mother. She has garnered some of the best reviews for her acting, which seems to consist of being able to talk and cry at the same time.
Hoffman is very good in his role of the priest but you wish that he had bigger scenes with which to work. The major battle scene between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius is much too controlled for my appreciation. The audience needs a battle royal and it never comes.
The film is rated PG-13 for adult themes.
The impact of the film, especially the ending, is confusion when deliberateness was needed. The movie feeds into the doubt but never gives a rational revelation of what actually occurred. Still the acting will make it a must see for many film fans.
I scored Doubt a religious 6 out of 10.
