If I were ever lucky enough to have the power to cast a film, I would be ecstatic to land Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman for the respective leads. No actress has ever been more respected than Ms. Streep. While Hoffman has quite a ways to go as far as establishing a resumé, his body of work to date takes a backseat to no actor working today. John Patrick Shanley wrote "Doubt" and has the luxury of directing these two all-time pros. He is up to the task but this is an actor's flick, all the way.
It's 1964, and the setting is a Catholic school in the Bronx. Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep) is the principal and she rules the school with an iron fist. She is stuck in the past, still of the belief that a slap to the skull of a student whose mind isn't focused is the way to go. The rest of the Sisters are all on the elderly side except for the fresh-faced, sweet, naïve and terminally cheerful Sister James (Amy Adams). Father Brendan Flynn (Hoffman) is the priest in charge and he is usually smiling, with an easy going personality that endears him to the youngsters. He stands in total contrast to Sister Beauvier.
"Doubt" centers upon Sister Beauvier's non-specific distrust of Father Flynn and her quest to learn if he is of questionable character. When Father Flynn takes a special interest in a young boy who is attending the school, the wheels are set in motion for the inevitable showdown between Sister Beauvier and Father Flynn. When it finally does come, it does not disappoint as both Streep and Hoffman strut their stuff in a powerful clash. The other performance worth noting is that of the child in question's mother, played by Viola Davis. She is in only one scene, with Streep, but it is possibly the most intense section of "Doubt".
However, there is one big problem with "Doubt." Its course is determined at the outset and except for the aforementioned scene with Viola, it never waivers from a very straight line that holds virtually zero surprises. In the end, we are left with a virtuoso acting performance by two giants of the screen that greatly overshadows the very ordinary and predictable plot. The performances are outstanding but the story is sorely lacking, leaving you feeling somehow unfulfilled.
If this film had been released ten or twenty years ago, it would have been far more powerful. Today it borders on "ho-hum." If you want to watch virtuoso actors at work, then by all means, see "Doubt". If you want to see a great movie, you may be better off attending one of the other films currently showing at your local cinema.
