Doubt

Director: John Patrick Shanley
Starring: Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
Rating: 15 (PG-13)
Company: Miramax Films, Goodspeed Productions
Duration: 104 Minutes

The Church has always been a controversial topic in the world of film, being represented as both defenders of the world and the evil cult villains. Too many jokes and hits have been aimed at the Catholic Church, wondering if all of this is justified. Meryl Streep puts on the habit to face these issues head on with the dramatic thriller ‘Doubt’. But is it a holy masterpiece or a trip to doubtful damnation?

The period piece is set in 1964 at St. Nicholas Parish and Catholic School on the rough side of the Bronx. A charismatic priest named Father Flynn, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, is trying to upend the schools’ strict and traditional customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Meryl Streep’s character Sister Aloysius Beauvier, an iron-gloved Principal who uses the power of fear and intimidation to set out discipline. During this time of political change, the school decides to accept its first black student, Donald Miller. When Beauvier and her young and innocent associate Sister James begin to suspect the reasons behind the rather close relationship Father Flynn has with Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a harsh crusade to uncover the truth, leading up to a battle of wills. Taken from a play written by the director of this piece, John Patrick Shanley, the premise of the film is one that could have had enough interest and subtle reflective tones to create an exciting mystery film. The only problem is that, ironically, he has adapted it to the screen so poorly that the film becomes almost cringe worthy to watch, with whatever messages it had being completely overshadowed by it. The conclusion itself is also muddled, having it played ambiguously until the final act where it was pressuring the audience to follow a rather underdevelopment and unsatisfying route.

Meryl Streep prays for a better movie deal

The performances in ‘Doubt’ are ludicrous. I am truly surprised that these scenes were even considered to be Oscar worthy. All the actors are playing their parts almost like a Pantomime dame, being so exaggerated and melodramatic that it becomes laughable. This and the combination of badly written dialogue and illogical character development transformed this serious context into a farce. What makes this even worse is that the film starts and ends with every single theatrical cliche you can possibly imagine with gusts of wind and bolts of lightning, trickling tears, shots of supposedly metaphorical imagery and all the other obvious clues appearing at the most convenient moments. It shifts from dramatic to unintentionally comical, disrupting the flow of the film, even if the other parts in the middle are incredibly dull and underplayed.

‘Doubt’ is a film that is trying way too hard to be appreciated. It is so unashamed of its melodramatic approach that it can no longer be taken seriously in any shape or form. It is a terribly written piece of self indulged garbage with irrational direction and hammy performances that concentrate more on trying to win awards than to entertain its audience. I have doubt that we will see another nun movie any time soon.

Rating: 1/5
(Expelled for irrational signs of doubt)