Doubt

Doubt: Meryl Streep plays a strict nun and Philip Seymour Hoffman plays an unconventional priest, I doubt you can find two better actors for such roles. The story is set in the 1960’s when child molestation scandals within the Catholic Church were not as prevalent as they are today. The period when the film is set works in favor of the story for this reason. The scandal remains within the school walls and only involves the priest, two nuns, the boy, and the boy’s mother. The acting by Streep and Hoffman creates some tense moments, but I would have actually liked to see a few more of those moments. The script was adopted from a stage play and it is easy to see how well this would work in the theater. The film tries hard to create the Catholic school atmosphere and I thought that this is where it succeeded the most! Amy Adams plays the nice, naive nun. She is perfect in contrast to Streep’s character who is at the center of the accusations. Since there is never any hard evidence to convict or reprieve the priest, the premise is one of belief and doubt, religion and faith - making this a great film to discuss with friends. This is a well executed film with great acting…however, I think the story would work better as an intimate play than as a motion picture.

Ry's Rating: B

If this movie had parents they would be: Deliver Us from Evil & The Scarlet Letter

With a run time of 104 minutes,

This film is rated PG-13