Doubt

Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Joseph Foster
Directed by: John Patrick Shanley
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A parish priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is accused of inappropriate conduct with a male student (Joseph Foster), he proclaims his innocence- which satisfies one nun (Amy Adams) but only raises the suspicion of another (Meryl Streep).

Review:

Tim: Doubt is a very heavy movie- there is almost nothing light or funny about this film. It is a movie heavy on dialogue, heavy on emotion, and heavy on drama. I almost felt like gasping for air after watching the movie. However, it is also very, very good. The story is interesting, and will undoubtedly keep you guessing until the very end. I appreciated that in such a dense movie, there was this big mystery to keep the audience engaged. This movie's success, though, comes almost solely from its cast.

The cast is absolutely amazing. You will be hard pressed to find a movie featuring three performances as powerful as these three. Philip Seymour Hoffman is just remarkable as Father Flynn. He plays the role so convincingly and so ambiguous that I was completely unable to guess as to his true intentions. If he a good hearted, kind man, or a monster? I honestly had no idea, and I believed both possibilities could be true. That is a testament to his impressive performance.

I have to give credit to Meryl Streep, however, as she gives the best performance of the film. I had a hard time believing I was watching Streep, with her thick accent and nun garb she nearly disappears into the role. I watched her, stunned. Amy Adams also gives a surprisingly good performance. Although during a few moments, she starts to disappear in the shadows of Hoffman and Streep. However, for the most part, she manages to hold her own.

This movie features a few scenes that are absolutely amazing. The scene with all three actors going back and forth in Sister Aloysius' office is remarkable. The emotion rises to the boiling point and bubbles over. Watching Hoffman screaming at Streep and her battling right back is one of the greatest acting moments I've seen. It was beautiful.

Doubt is a movie fueled by three powerful, memorable performances. It is a dream come true for Hoffman, Streep, and Adams. Sadly, the movie is just a bit much. It is not a movie that I could watch over and over because part of me felt exhausted at its conclusion. I also thought there was definitely room for some more emotion to come out. I was interested in the mystery and impressed by the emotional performances, but those never translated into much of an emotional impact on me. I also was shocked to see that Viola Davis received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She is definitely good, but she is not in the movie nearly enough to warrant such an award. Yes, her few minutes on screen are powerful, but simply not enough.

In addition to Davis' Best Actress nom, Amy Adams received a Best Supporting Actress nomination, Meryl Streep received a Best Actress nomination, and Philip Seymour Hoffman received a Best Supporting Actor nomination. This movie received 4 Academy Award nominations in acting categories (plus a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination)- that shows how powerful the acting was in this film. It didn't win any awards, but the nominations are still impressive.

Doubt is an entertaining movie, and one that definitely deserves a viewing. I don't think it was one of the best movies of the year, but it certainly earned the Academy Award nominations it received.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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