Movie Review: Doubt

Saw Doubt with the missus last night.  Now, from an Academy voter perspective, its likely to win a lot of awards.  The acting was very good; all three principle characters – Meryl Streep as the mean headmistress, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the beloved priest, and Amy Adams (yes, from Talledega Nights) as the mousy young nun – deliver strong – if one note – performances.  Streep, in particular, crafts the most self-righteous, evil screen villian we’ve seen in a long time.  Her Sister Aloysius makes you really see how someone in the pursuit of righteousness can go waaayyy overboard and turn that pursuit into a single-minded witchhunt.  Her character alone is the reason many, many people resist the church, religion and Christ.

Acting aside though, I really didn’t like this film.  I have no doubt (pun intended) that it makes for a wonderful stage play; the interplay between the characters is wholly believable and credible.  On Broadway (where it won several Tonys), you can focus on this aspect of the work and marvel in the actual acting being done before you.  However, on screen, I guess I just expect more action, more plot.  I focus more on what’s happening rather than who’s doing it.  And, in all honesty, not much is happening in this movie.

One other drawback to Doubt: The Movie:  there’s really no closure.  I hate when filmmakers leave things up in the air or force the viewer to draw their own conclusions about the events in their films.  I guess that just harkens back to my 12-year old self watching The Empire Strikes Back when Boba Fett leaves with Han Solo and Luke just finds out that Darth Vader is his father and then the movie ends.  What do you mean I have to wait three years to find out what happened?  Close things out for me people.

So, if you’re an Oscar fanatic or an acting fan, go see Doubt.  Just don’t expect to be entertained very much.