Brilliant performances from Streep and Hoffman, however, make it well worth seeing.
Comment
02/12/09
Doubt (2008)
77
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:204
Fresh:158
Rotten:46
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: Doubt succeeds on the strength of its top-notch cast, who successfully guide the film through the occasional narrative lull.
Theatrical Release:06-02-2009
Synopsis: John Patrick Shanley brings his Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play to the screen as a gripping story about the quest for truth, the forces of change, and the devastating consequences of... [More]
Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Director: John Patrick Shanley
Reviews for Doubt
Doubt is a provocative, pared-down work that in the theatre carried the subtitle "A Parable", and it has four outstanding performances.
02/12/09
The moral grey area of the title perhaps worked better in the stage play; exposed on screen it's not "doubt" being expressed, it's the sound of Streep's headmistressy voice demanding, "That Oscar – on my desk, NOW."
02/10/09
A clutch of fine performances helps to silence any reservations you might have about the screen version of Doubt.
02/10/09
Doubt looks like some sort of upscale horror film, complete with crows and swirling leaves like The Omen. It's actually a terminally muddled piece of star-studded Oscar-bait.
02/06/09
Top CriticThere are times when Doubt feels like a sermon. Shanley highlights key themes as if the audience was a particularly dim-witted congregation. His direction, too, when it's not dolloping on the symbolism, can be stilted.
02/06/09
Top CriticWhat possessed the once credible Meryl Streep to take on the caricatured role of crusading Sister Aloysius? And why is her performance so uniformly unconvincing?
02/06/09
Doubt is an old-fashioned talkfest which often betrays its origins as a play. It relies for its power on a series of stagey arguments.
02/06/09
The story is slight and unsatisfactory. And the final line is cringeworthy.
02/06/09
A mighty actor, a smart play, a clunky adaptation.
02/05/09
Top CriticEmpathy is one of the dramatist’s slyest weapons and Shanley uses it wisely.
02/05/09
Top CriticIntelligent and incisive, Doubt is a credible attempt by Shanley and his cast to adapt his play for the screen. Powered by finely tuned dialogue and performances, the result, while never explosive, is a gripping and engaging.
02/05/09
Top CriticThere is just one key element that grates, and that is Meryl Streep’s monstrously over-the-top central performance.
02/05/09
Top CriticImmensely powerful drama, beautifully played and delivering an emotional punch that offers a small glimmer of hope.
02/05/09
Though Shanley’s first film as director since 1990 flop Joe Versus The Volcano never strays far from its theatrical origins, his unfussy direction and compelling script provide a perfect platform for his talented cast.
02/05/09
The dialogue is vitamin-rich. “Where’s your compassion, Sister?” appeals Hoffman. “Nowhere you can reach it,” ripostes Streep. The actress shows so much culinary art in her line-readings that an Oscar nomination seems less appropriate than a Michelin star
02/05/09
It does not make the most of what ought to be rather frightening and ultimately moving material.
02/05/09
Impressively directed drama with a gripping script and a pair of powerhouse performances from Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, though the ending may prove frustrating for some.
02/05/09
It’s more heavily staged than a fourth judge walk-out in the second week of a Simon Cowell talent show.
02/05/09
Streep, I think, subverts the film's intention by allowing us rightly to sympathise a little with a woman whose power base is under threat by a man.
02/05/09
Latest News for Doubt
May 25, 2009:
If Shanley is condemning any rush to judgment, why is the deck so solidly stacked, not just against Streep's shrew, but all the women? Not to mention dismissing priest pedophilia as a conspiracy theory by mean nuns, considering the alarming public record. 
More...
April 06, 2009:
RT on DVD: Bedtime Stories, Yes Man, Doubt Hit Shelves
This week's new releases include a few Hollywood takes on science fiction (Fox's remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still; the 1984 sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact on... More...
January 14, 2009:
Oprah Sought Viola Davis' Role in Doubt
Eager to share a screen with Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey approached "Doubt" director John Patrick Shanley about a role in the film -- but, as Winfrey recently told a surprised... More...
January 08, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking. A list of nominees follows below, with winners in bold: More...
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