Doubt Review

Meryl Streep is one of the best actresses of our time. She has remain a titan in the industry and is up with Katherine Hepburn and Judy Garland as the the greatest of all time.

In Doubt Streep plays Sister Beauvier, an old fashioned nun pulling the strings in a catholic school as the principle. Amy Adams plays Sister James, a young naive and easily manipulated newbie who is slowing being conformed by Beauviers ways. To top the all star cast we have Phillip Seymour Hoffman playing Father Flynn, a charismatics and likable preacher whom Sister Beauvier alleges molested a young boy which sets up the plot of the movie.

Streep spends a decent part of the movies attacking Hoffman in scenes that define the movie. The ying to each others yang, the two actors are a joy to watch. They go about their attacks in such different approaches, Hoffman playing the innocent yet stern priest and Streep as the confident and pissed off nun trying to convert everyone in a society that's past her by. The two actors are at the top of their game, Streep in particular is fantastic. Even Amy Adams, who some critics are saying is a low point of the cast, I found perfectly subdued behind Streep's powerhouse performance. Viola Davis is great in her 10 min scene as the alleged molestation victims mother. She isn't in the movie very long and certainly not in it long enough to constitute an Oscar nomination, but she's amazing as well.

Even amidst the great performances though, the movie is much to subtle. No one ever blatantly comes out and says what it was Father Flynn did which makes following the characters confusing at times. You can figure it out and if your seeing the movie, odds are you already know what it's about. Beating around the bush the whole movie though doesn't give you enough information. At it's heart this movie simply thinks it's too smart for the common moviegoer. At one moment Streep yells "I have my doubts." I do as well. While the movie is a performance party platter, filled with well rounded character actors playing interesting people, a platter is not a meal, and for that, Doubt looses my certainty. Grade - B+