Review: Doubt (2008)

Director: John Patrick Shanley

Cast: Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada, Sophie's Choice), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson's War, Capote), Amy Adams (Enchanted), Viola Davis

The Deal: A charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Hoffman), seeks to loosen the strict customs of St. Nicholas school, which is run by the stern Sister Aloysius (Streep). When Sister James (Adams) informs Sister Aloysius of her suspicion that Father Flynn is giving too much personal attention to the school's first African-American student, Donald Miller, Sister Aloysius embarks on on a personal crusade to unearth the truth with no evidence beyond her own personal certainty.

Thoughts: I've read some reviews that claimed the acting was over the top, but I tend to disagree.  Streep was relentless and absolutely vicious as Sister Aloysius, and I thought her performance was perfect for the role. As usual, Hoffman gave a stellar performance as Father Flynn, displaying both power and compassion. I was fairly surprised by Adams' performance given her past credentials, but she was excellent. Her character was so innocent and slightly naive, and fit her talents very well.

I am a little surprised that Viola Davis got an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. It's not that she didn't do a good job, because she did, but rather that her character had a very brief role in the film. The vast majority of screen time was taken by the leading three, and Davis was on screen for less than 10 minutes.

The story itself was well written and constantly gripping. The war between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn was full of tension, and Sister James was great attempting to be somewhat of a moderator, but clearly in over her head. The ending was very powerful, and possibly a little surprising, though the title of the film is "Doubt." I like that it is open-ended to a degree, as it forces the viewer to really think over the film and try and construct their own conclusion.

Verdict: A gripping film marked by very powerful performances. It deserves all the critical praise it has gotten, and is definitely one of the year's must see films. ☆☆☆☆