I’m sure I can’t be the only one disappointed in the already-critically-acclaimed film Doubt, based on John Patrick Shanley’s award-winning play. Other than Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Sister Aloysius, not much else came to life on screen for me in this one. I found the story and most of the performances uninspiring. The end of the film left little doubt. Without giving it away, I can say that the viewer is never given an alternate explanation for Father Flynn’s final action, leaving only one possible reason for it. Although it was a film built on innuendo, there really wasn’t much subtlety in the way the story was told: The stormy weather that always seemed to whip up at just the right dramatic moment; the light bulbs that popped on cue; the cat that caught the mouse, which alone might have been a nice touch except that Shanley felt the need to comment on it not once, but twice, in case we missed the thematic implications the first two times. Although I may catch some disagreement on this, I thought the characters were a bit stereotypical as well. Everything was done to make Streep as physically unappealing and as hard as possible; Sister James (Amy Adams) was the innocent and sweet child-nun, the film’s collateral damage; Father Flynn was the sensitive, sincere, and progressive priest; Mrs. Miller (played well by Viola Davis), the mother of the young black boy, was troubled, weepy, left with no choices, and just wanting to give her little boy a chance in life. Sympathetic, yes, all of them, even Sister Aloysius in her own way, but made-to-order down to the last rosary bead. The not-quite-right execution of the compelling themes in Doubt left me frustrated. Gosh, I love Hoffman, but he seemed uncomfortable in this role. Mildly Recommended.
Of further interest….
Slant’s review of Doubt. The most honest one I’ve seen so far. Explains a bit about why the play seemed to work so well and the film did not. I’ll add to it by pointing out that Shanley wrote and directed the film, which appears not to be his most natural art form.
