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Doubt (2008/I)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
25 December 2008 (USA)
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Tagline:
There is no evidence. There are no witnesses. But for one, there is no doubt.
Plot:
Set in 1964, Doubt centers on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality, and authority. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars.
Another 10 wins
&
32 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(627 articles)
Amy Adams' Ten Best Days
(From EmpireOnline. 18 November 2009, 10:58 PM, PST)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman rocks the boat on 'Pirate Radio' (IrishCentral)
(From IrishCentral. 12 November 2009, 9:28 AM, PST)
(From EmpireOnline. 18 November 2009, 10:58 PM, PST)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman rocks the boat on 'Pirate Radio' (IrishCentral)
(From IrishCentral. 12 November 2009, 9:28 AM, PST)
User Comments:
American Film's heavyweight acting champs square off.
more (227 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Meryl Streep | ... | Sister Aloysius Beauvier |
 | Philip Seymour Hoffman | ... | Father Brendan Flynn |
 | Amy Adams | ... | Sister James |
 | Viola Davis | ... | Mrs. Miller |
 | Alice Drummond | ... | Sister Veronica |
| Audrie J. Neenan | ... | Sister Raymond (as Audrie Neenan) |
| Susan Blommaert | ... | Mrs. Carson |
 | Carrie Preston | ... | Christine Hurley |
| John Costelloe | ... | Warren Hurley |
| Lloyd Clay Brown | ... | Jimmy Hurley |
 | Joseph Foster | ... | Donald Miller (as Joseph Foster II) |
 | Mike Roukis | ... | William London |
| Haklar Dezso | ... | Zither Player |
| Frank Shanley | ... | Kevin |
| Robert Ridgell | ... | Organist |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for thematic material.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
104 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:PG-13 (certificate #39360) |
Ireland:15A |
Australia:M |
Canada:G (British Columbia) |
Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) |
UK:15 |
Singapore:PG |
South Korea:15 |
Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) |
Spain:13 |
South Africa:13LS |
Hong Kong:IIA |
New Zealand:M |
Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) |
Brazil:12 |
Argentina:13 |
Netherlands:AL |
Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) |
Czech Republic:12 |
Sweden:7 |
Mexico:B |
Iceland:L
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The Broadway play ran for over a year at the Walter Kerr Theatre, with 525 performances. The original cast was: Cherry Jones (Sister Aloysius), Brian F. O'Byrne (Father Flynn), Heather Goldenhersh (Sister James) and Adriane Lenox (Mrs. Miller). All four were nominated for a Tony award. The play won four Tony awards: Best Play, Best Director (Doug Hughes), Best Actress (Jones), and Best Featured Actress (Lenox). Author John Patrick Shanley wrote both the stage play and the screenplay adaptation.
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Goofs:
Anachronisms: The mass vestments are the current contemporary style, not the ones in use in 1964.
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Quotes:
Father Brendan Flynn:
A woman was gossiping with her friend about a man whom they hardly knew - I know none of you have ever done this. That night, she had a dream: a great hand appeared over her and pointed down on her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt...
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Movie Connections:
Featured in The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards (2009) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
Is It Me?
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FAQ
A Note Regarding SpoilersThe story takes place in 1964, so why is there an MP3 player in it?
What religion are they supposed to be?
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more (227 total)
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There are no better actors working in American film today than Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Streep has been on top for some time now and Hoffman has an unmatched resume of fine performances over the past five years. Pairing off as adversaries in John Patrick Shanley's stage play brought to screen they parry and prod throughout with each landing hay makers along the way.
Change is in the wind in 1964 for both the world and the Catholic Church (Second Vatican Council) as the country moves from conservatism to liberal thought. Sister Aloysius (Streep)is the principal of an inner city Catholic school who rules with an iron fist. Lamenting the loss of tradition (she thinks Frosty the Snowman is a song about worshiping false idols) she crosses swords with the popular and laid back Father Flynn who takes a more liberal view seeing the need to keep up with the times. His progressive ways gnaw at Sister Aloysius and she is soon suspecting Father Flynn of inappropriate relationship with altar boys even though she is without concrete proof.
The scenes between Streep and Hoffman are riveting from start to finish. Both attempt at first to be civil with each other but eventually they end up at each others throat bullying and threatening. It is a titanic emotional struggle that makes for a gripping drama flawlessly acted. I'm no big fan of Streep, finding the adopted accents she employs in some of her films false and hollow, but as the self righteous Nunzilla her pugnacious style and inflection rates with her Sophie's Choice performance. Hoffman has his work cut out for him to keep up with the formidable legend but he holds his own with equal footing.
In supporting roles Amy Adams is very effective as the unintended go between Sister James. Seized with doubt she like the audience mirrors our own misgivings as conflicted objective observers. Viola Davis as a troubled boy's mother has one lengthy powerful and painful scene that begins to tie loose ends together but offers no easy solution.
Writer director John Patrick Shanley does an admirable job in keeping the plot nebulous with ambivalent scenes and peripheral characters that purposefully enhance the suspense. Scenes are tightly edited with sparse but effective dialog giving the film its steady pace. Other than some jarring oblique angle shots the camera compositions and set design provide a somber ambiance for the drama and an arena for the perfectly measured performances by two masters of the craft in this fight to the finish that remains absorbing from beginning to end.