It might be a bit of a slow starter, and it definitely takes its time allowing the story to unravel slowly. However, it's definitely worth a look, and a bit of discussion.
Doubt (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 201
Fresh: 156
Rotten:45
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Consensus: Doubt succeeds on the strength of its top-notch cast, who successfully guide the film through the occasional narrative lull.
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Dec 12, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $33,422,556
Synopsis:
John Patrick Shanley brings his Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play to the screen as a gripping story about the quest for truth, the forces of change, and the devastating consequences of...
John Patrick Shanley brings his Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play to the screen as a gripping story about the quest for truth, the forces of change, and the devastating consequences of blind justice in an age defined by moral conviction.
It’s 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Academy Award® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the schools’ strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James (Academy Award® nominee Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence.
Academy Award® winning screenwriter John Patrick Shanley (“Moonstruck”) adapted his own play for the screen and directs Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis. The film is produced by Scott Rudin and Mark Roybal, with Celia Costas as executive producer.--© Miramax
Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, John Costelloe
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Screenwriter: John Patrick Shanley
Producer: Scott Rudin, Mark Roybal
Composer: Howard Shore
Studio: Miramax Films
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Release:
Apr 7, 2009
Reviews for Doubt
The early scenes of Doubt glide past so smoothly that it's easy to miss the seditious currents underneath.
The acting talent in evidence here is astounding and nobody, absolutely nobody puts her or his performance ahead of everyone else.
A cat-and-mouse game of power and posture, played out by two of the finest actors of the moment.
The cast['s]... collective efforts go a long way to mitigating Shanley's pedestrian grasp of film language.
A well acted exploration of desperation, the destructiveness of conviction and the persuasiveness of doubt.
The most thought-provoking celluloid debate of 2008; one of the year's ten best
Brilliant performances from Streep and Hoffman, however, make it well worth seeing.
Doubt is a provocative, pared-down work that in the theatre carried the subtitle "A Parable", and it has four outstanding performances.
The moral grey area of the title perhaps worked better in the stage play; exposed on screen it's not "doubt" being expressed, it's the sound of Streep's headmistressy voice demanding, "That Oscar – on my desk, NOW."
A clutch of fine performances helps to silence any reservations you might have about the screen version of Doubt.
Contando com diálogos cortantes e concebidos (e ditos) com elegância, Dúvida mantém a força de seu título até os segundos finais.
Doubt looks like some sort of upscale horror film, complete with crows and swirling leaves like The Omen. It's actually a terminally muddled piece of star-studded Oscar-bait.
There are times when Doubt feels like a sermon. Shanley highlights key themes as if the audience was a particularly dim-witted congregation. His direction, too, when it's not dolloping on the symbolism, can be stilted.
What possessed the once credible Meryl Streep to take on the caricatured role of crusading Sister Aloysius? And why is her performance so uniformly unconvincing?
Doubt is an old-fashioned talkfest which often betrays its origins as a play. It relies for its power on a series of stagey arguments.
The story is slight and unsatisfactory. And the final line is cringeworthy.
Latest News for Doubt
May 25, 2009:
If Shanley is condemning any rush to judgment, why is the deck so solidly stacked, not just against Streep's shrew, but all the women? Not to mention dismissing priest pedophilia as a conspiracy theory by mean nuns, considering the alarming public record. ![]()
More...
April 06, 2009:
RT on DVD: Bedtime Stories, Yes Man, Doubt Hit Shelves
This week's new releases include a few Hollywood takes on science fiction (Fox's remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still; the 1984 sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact on... More...
January 14, 2009:
Oprah Sought Viola Davis' Role in Doubt ![]()
Eager to share a screen with Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey approached "Doubt" director John Patrick Shanley about a role in the film -- but, as Winfrey recently told a surprised... More...
January 08, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking. A list of nominees follows below, with winners in bold: More...
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