Shopping Cart: $0.00 (0 items)
Doubt
- Directed by: John Patrick Shanley
- Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, John Costelloe
- Genre: Dramas
-
Rating:
- Rating Reason: for thematic material
- Theater Release: 12/12/2008
- Video Release: 04/07/2009
- Run Time: 1hr 44min
Synopsis
A tough-as-nails Catholic school principal, Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) tries to trick a confession out of a progressive priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) whom she suspects of being a pedophile in this terse drama, directed by John Patrick Shanley, based on his hit stage play, set in the mid 1960s in the wake of the Kennedy assassination. There's a feeling of dread and claustrophobia in the parochial school air: the kids can't sit still and they quake in terror of being called downstairs to face Sister Aloysius's wrath. Amy Adams is the sweet-natured sister in charge of eighth grade, who first suspects Father Flynn (Hoffman) may have seduced a withdrawn African-American boy in her class. Sister Aloysius becomes convinced of the priest's guilt, but it's hard to be certain if her judgment is obscured by the change he represents or is just the result of her hardened years of experience.
Director of photography Roger Deakins brings a lived-in bleakness to the cold wintry Bronx settings: paint peeling off the rectory walls, bare trees reflected in frosty windows, wrinkled white linen, and old, wizened faces in the gloom of the actual location photography. This all contrasts impressively with the hothouse nature of the performances; when Hoffman and Streep finally go toe-to-toe, you can feel the gods of acting rise to attention. The real scene stealer here however is Viola Davis, shattering as the possibly victimized boy's hard-working mother. She even leaves Streep at a standstill, and that's saying something.
A tough-as-nails Catholic school principal, Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) tries to trick a confession out of a progressive priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) whom she suspects of being a pedophile in this terse drama, directed by John Patrick Shanley, based on his hit stage play, set in the mid 1960s in the wake of the Kennedy assassination. There's a feeling of dread and claustrophobia in the parochial school air: the kids can't sit still and they quake in terror of being called downstairs to face Sister Aloysius's wrath. Amy Adams is the sweet-natured sister in charge of eighth grade, who first suspects Father Flynn (Hoffman) may have seduced a withdrawn African-American boy in her class. Sister Aloysius becomes convinced of the priest's guilt, but it's hard to be certain if her judgment is obscured by the change he represents or is just the result of her hardened years of experience.
Director of photography Roger Deakins brings a lived-in bleakness to the cold wintry Bronx settings: paint peeling off the rectory walls, bare trees reflected in frosty windows, wrinkled white linen, and old, wizened faces in the gloom of the actual location photography. This all contrasts impressively with the hothouse nature of the performances; when Hoffman and Streep finally go toe-to-toe, you can feel the gods of acting rise to attention. The real scene stealer here however is Viola Davis, shattering as the possibly victimized boy's hard-working mother. She even leaves Streep at a standstill, and that's saying something.
Distributor Notes
From Miramax Films comes one of the most honored and acclaimed motion pictures of the year, DOUBT. Based on the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play, DOUBT is a mesmerizing, suspense-filled drama with four riveting performances from Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis that will have you pinned to the edge of your seat. Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep), the rigid and fear-inspiring principal of the Saint Nicholas Church School, suffers an extreme dislike for the progressive and popular parish priest Father Flynn (Hoffman). Looking for wrongdoing in every corner, Sister Aloysius believes she's uncovered the ultimate sin when she hears Father Flynn has taken a special interest in a troubled boy. But without proof, the only thing certain is doubt. Nominated for 5 Golden Globes(R) and 6 Critics' Choice awards, there is no DOUBT it is "One of the best pictures of the year," (USA Today, Rolling Stone, New York Post, San Francisco Examiner, Roger Ebert).
From Miramax Films comes one of the most honored and acclaimed motion pictures of the year, DOUBT. Based on the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play, DOUBT is a mesmerizing, suspense-filled drama with four riveting performances from Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis that will have you pinned to the edge of your seat. Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep), the rigid and fear-inspiring principal of the Saint Nicholas Church School, suffers an extreme dislike for the progressive and popular parish priest Father Flynn (Hoffman). Looking for wrongdoing in every corner, Sister Aloysius believes she's uncovered the ultimate sin when she hears Father Flynn has taken a special interest in a troubled boy. But without proof, the only thing certain is doubt. Nominated for 5 Golden Globes(R) and 6 Critics' Choice awards, there is no DOUBT it is "One of the best pictures of the year," (USA Today, Rolling Stone, New York Post, San Francisco Examiner, Roger Ebert).
Reviews
"The tension between unbending principle and the call for compassion and human understanding could scarcely be more pointedly evoked than it is here, and Davis' performance is devastatingly great..." (Variety)
"[Davis] has one significant scene, but it is long, crucial and heartbreaking. Davis goes face to face with Streep with astonishing conviction..." (Chicago Sun-Times)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Hoffman nails every nuance in a complex role. And Streep is unmissable and unforgettable....There's no doubt about this mind-bender. It'll pin you to your seat." (Rolling Stone)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Streep delivers a bravura performance....Philip Seymour Hoffman is ever bit her equal in his spectacular portrayal....DOUBT compels viewers to examine their own assumptions as they become caught up in this fascinating tale." (USA Today)
"Ms. Streep blows in like a storm, shaking up the story's reverential solemnity with gusts of energy and comedy." (New York Times)
"On the stage as well as on the screen, DOUBT is a highly polished piece of business, with every speech and every action calculated for maximum effect..." (Los Angeles Times)
Ranked #8 in Rolling Stone's 'Movies Of The Year' -- "[A] stinging film..." (Rolling Stone)
4 stars out of 5 -- "[F]uelled equally by anger and compassion, writer-director John Patrick Shanley's DOUBT is a terrific and troubling drama of ideas bristling with nuance and grief." (Box Office)
4 stars out of 5 -- "Streep and Hoffman are superbly matched, while Adams brings a touching sincerity to her wide-eyed innocent. As fine as they are, however, it's Viola Davis who shines brightest..." (Total Film)
3 stars out of 5 -- "[Streep] slips something human between the gusts of piercing anger: wry grace notes written into her pursed lips and arching brow." (Empire)
"The tension between unbending principle and the call for compassion and human understanding could scarcely be more pointedly evoked than it is here, and Davis' performance is devastatingly great..." (Variety)
"[Davis] has one significant scene, but it is long, crucial and heartbreaking. Davis goes face to face with Streep with astonishing conviction..." (Chicago Sun-Times)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Hoffman nails every nuance in a complex role. And Streep is unmissable and unforgettable....There's no doubt about this mind-bender. It'll pin you to your seat." (Rolling Stone)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Streep delivers a bravura performance....Philip Seymour Hoffman is ever bit her equal in his spectacular portrayal....DOUBT compels viewers to examine their own assumptions as they become caught up in this fascinating tale." (USA Today)
"Ms. Streep blows in like a storm, shaking up the story's reverential solemnity with gusts of energy and comedy." (New York Times)
"On the stage as well as on the screen, DOUBT is a highly polished piece of business, with every speech and every action calculated for maximum effect..." (Los Angeles Times)
Ranked #8 in Rolling Stone's 'Movies Of The Year' -- "[A] stinging film..." (Rolling Stone)
4 stars out of 5 -- "[F]uelled equally by anger and compassion, writer-director John Patrick Shanley's DOUBT is a terrific and troubling drama of ideas bristling with nuance and grief." (Box Office)
4 stars out of 5 -- "Streep and Hoffman are superbly matched, while Adams brings a touching sincerity to her wide-eyed innocent. As fine as they are, however, it's Viola Davis who shines brightest..." (Total Film)
3 stars out of 5 -- "[Streep] slips something human between the gusts of piercing anger: wry grace notes written into her pursed lips and arching brow." (Empire)
