Film: Doubt

STARRING: Meryl Streep (Devil Wears Prada, Lions for Lambs); Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote, Charlie Wilson’s War); Amy Adams (Junebug, Enchanted)
DIRECTOR: John Patrick Shanley (Joe vs the Volcano)
WRITER: John Patrick Shanley (Congo, Alive, Joe vs the Volcano)
PLOT: A nun confronts a priest after suspecting him sexually abusing a student.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman give power-house performances. Not only when they are yelling at each other but also in the quiet times. Streep’s glances, rolling eyeballs and stern demeanor are chilling; way more than her Prada role. Hoffman’s facial expressions leave you guessing and truly instills doubt. Watch the film to revel in their talent.
4 The supporting actors are no slouches either. Amy Adams often plays happy individuals who seem a little too naïve. She fits perfectly in this cast as the nun who brings up the charges, and Adams holds her own with Streep and Hoffman. Viola Davis (Law & Order: SVU, Jesse Stone) gives a remarkable performance as the black student’s mother. She is only in about ten minutes of the film but her emotions are on her sleeve as she discusses the issue with Streep’s Sister Aloysius. It’s a great scene to watch.
4 The dialogue is fantastic. The quick paced interchanges mixed with accusatory stares pull you into each scene. The writing is fantastic. I would have loved to see the play on Broadway, the following observation explains why.
4 John Patrick Shanley can write but he’s a terrible director. There was no rhyme or reason to a lot of the shots in the film. He did okay with his high and low angles but made too much use of the Dutch angle (usually 45 degrees). The Dutch angle is used to create uneasiness and tension. The dialogue does plenty of that, so we don’t need to be beaten over the head with a shot that takes us completely out of the scene. Amateur hour. Also there’s this feather scene which is poorly put together. The movie should have opened with the scene so that when is gets referenced, the audience could remember the opening shot’s significance. This way it was done here was lame. Again, amateur hour. Stick to the writing Shanley.
4 The music was odd in Doubt. For many of the scenes, there was no soundtrack (much like a play), but every now and then you could hear hymns in the background. For most of the time this effect worked well. Sadly, the last scene squandered its subtlety. 'The First Noel' is played over the final sequence which is severely misplaced. 'It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas' or 'Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring' would have been a bolder choice.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for the DVD
(Terrible visuals but the acting is compelling)

COMING SOON
Film review of Valkyrie