Doubt - REVIEW

"Doubt" and "Frost/Nixon" both faced a big challenge this year. Both had to overcome their stage roots and reinvent themselves as competent movies, and had to structure themselves so that they did not feel limited like they were on stage. So the first question that would pop into many heads would be, "well which one does it better?" The answer?: hard to say. Frost/Nixon probably succeeds better in blending in more as a movie, but Doubt manages to be a better showcase for actors, despite its small scale (99% of the scenes take place somewhere on the campus of St. Nicholas Catholic School in the Bronx). While Frost/Nixon maintained its two key cast members (Sheen and Langella), Doubt threw out everyone (including Cherry Jones, who won a Tony for the role of Sister Aloysious) and replaced them with big names. Not having seen the stage play, I can't comment on who is better in each role, but I can say that the four principle actors are all very strong, and if the stage cast is better than them, they must have been truly phenomenal. Doubt is the type of movie that is buoyed by its writing and its actors, all of whom are in top form. Had it not been for them, the movie could have sunk into total mediocrity, due to the use of dialogue as the driving force of action. The story opens in the Bronx at (or at least around) the school, most likely just before the completion of the Vatican II Council (one excerpt of a Mass shows the priest facing away from the congregation and speaking in Latin, as opposed to English). At its core is a mostly unfounded charge of inappropriate relations between parish priest Fr. Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and the school's first black student. Bringing this charge is young nun Sister James (Amy Adams) and she takes said charge to her immediate superior, Sister Aloysious (Meryl Streep, shot so intimdatingly  as to make her appear to be hovering like a vulture in every scene). From there, the story consists of nothing but confrontation after confrontation, and each one adds another layer of fascinating ambiguity to the question of "did he or didn't he?" Perhaps what works best about the screenplay is that it never gives you the answer, and leaves it up to you (and there's plenty of evidence for both sides, along with plenty of red herrings). Adding to the mystery of it all is a little background knowledge. Any time the show is staged, the director informs the actor playing Fr. Flynn of whether or not he actually is guilty. No one else knows, not even the other cast members. Knowing this, it becomes even more interesting: what did director/writer John Patrick Shanley tell Mr. Hoffman? Hoffman, for one, had me worried initially, because I had a hard time picturing him as someone who would be able to pull of the ambiguity of the character, but he does, and does it damn well. Whether it's an expression on his, or someone else's face, he'll have you flipping between "aha! He did it!" and "aha! he's innocent!" the entire way through. Acting as a perfect sparring partner is Streep as Sister Aloysious, a woman who, despite her tough exterior, is never made out to be a one-note villain who sits in her lair and hisses. Everyone is given a well rounded portrait, sometimes directly, and other times through carefully written dialogue that answers questions, but also asks five more. Then there's Viola Davis as the Mrs. Miller (the child's mother), who only has one twelve minute scene, and uses it to prove how to make the most out of limited screen time. As her confrontation with Aloysious escalates, the scene becomes electrifying, mostly thanks to Davis' ability to hold her own against the formidable Streep. Amy Adams, though a talented actress, is probably the weakest link, though it's more of the script's fault than hers. Apparently Sister James had a small role in the play, and it was actually expanded for the screen, so there was never as much for Adams to work with, even though she does it very well. The script also succeeds in the quality of its dialogue, which can be nuanced, explosive, and even quite funny. Where the film missteps is more in its pacing. The set up leading to Sister James' charges feels slightly sluggish, even if it is necessary to set up the characters and environment. However, once the action starts going, the film increasingly picks up steam, and the wry humor of the first half gives way to increasingly explosive dialogue, which the actors never hold back. Rarely has full blown shouting been so layered. Is there another ensemble this year that can top this one for sheer dramatic force? I doubt it.

Grade: B+/A-

Nominations: Best Actress - Meryl Streep(#1 WINNER), Best Actor - Phillip Seymour Hoffman(#3), Best Supporting Actress - Viola Davis(#2), Best Adapted Screenplay(#1 WINNER)

Number of 2008 films seen: 49

Top 10 of the Year:

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. The Dark Knight
3. Australia
4. WALL-E
5. In Bruges
6. Doubt
7. Frost/Nixon
8. Burn After Reading
9. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
10. The Fall