Doubt asks hard questions, and we dutifully squirm in reply.
Comment
12/19/08
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
101 - 120 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Doubt is not exactly a tour de force, but the film succeeds on the wattage of its stars, Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, as a nun and priest at odds over an unspeakable suspicion.
12/19/08
While the Streep-Hoffman death match is the film's dramatic high point, its success lies in its defiant refusal to trot out even a slightly satisfying answer to the question: Did he or didn't he?
12/19/08
If you're looking for two actors to slowly peel away all the layers of meaning from a delicately written line, you won't do better than these two.
12/19/08
For all its high-caliber performances, its cutting dissection of the roles of men and women within the Catholic hierarchy, and its timely resonance in the wake of the church's sexual abuse scandals, there's something pat and tidy about Doubt.
12/19/08
The film's added enigma makes the play's title even more appropriate, but it results in a more ambiguous and perhaps less satisfying dramatic experience.
12/19/08
As many intriguing ideas as Doubt raises, it remains a work better suited to the stage than the screen.
12/19/08
In the midst of a cast that should have wowed more, in the midst of a film that could have rattled more, Davis' sorrow upends all.
12/19/08
Doubt is a missed opportunity, all the way through to its final scene, which isn't nearly the statement it might have been.
12/19/08
Doubt, which on the page burns with stark simplicity, has gotten a little cluttered in the translation. But if you want to see remarkable screen acting, ignore the howling wind and watch these faces.
12/19/08
Passionate performances aside, there's an odd dispassion to this stage-to-screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.
12/19/08
I loved Doubt, except for the giant spider.
12/18/08
Doubt brings assumptions about people and circumstances to the surface, and then challenges those assumptions with uncertainty and, yes, doubt. Nobody loses, but nobody wins, either
12/16/08
Only the writing and a couple of the performances are enough to leave the film stranded just barely on the right side of watchable.
12/16/08
Streep's holy woman is a beast in a habit of the very accurate throwback variety, and she will put the fear of God in you.
12/16/08
Cinematically, Doubt is something of a dud. But if it remains a play, it's an ingeniously structured one, with smart, thought-provoking words spoken by fabulous actors.
12/15/08
Worth seeing.
12/15/08
It is one of those plays that I think should have stay on the stage.
12/15/08
John Patrick Shanley’s film of his every-award-under-God-winning play Doubt is a heavy slab of dramaturgy, dark-toned and somber, yet intense as hell.
12/15/08
This is a subtle piece of writing with major social questions raised with the answers, in the end, cloaked in ambiguity. Somehow, not getting the answers makes for a satisfying film...
12/14/08
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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