ShareThisSet at a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, "Doubt" is a melodrama that changes the rules in an effort to seem fresh. But at its heart it's still a boo-here, hiss-there formula romp.
That's not to say it isn't darned fascinating.
"Doubt" pulls off a nifty trick by making the hero a detestable lout and the villain pleasant and relatable.
Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius, the principal of the Bronx Catholic school who rules her roost like a prison warden. Philip Seymour Hoffman is Father Flynn, the avuncular, progressive priest who guides his flock with a gentle hand.
It's just where that hand has been that concerns Aloysius. After Sister James (Amy Adams) tells Aloysius that she's seen Flynn fraternizing with Donald (Joseph Foster), an altar boy who is the school's lone black child. James, who trembles under Aloysius' glare, says Donald acted awkward after a visit with Flynn and returned with alcohol on his breath.
As if she were anticipating such a revelation, Aloysius springs into action, sleuthing like Eliot Ness to discover and expose Flynn's supposed wrongdoing. Her first meeting with Flynn is particularly delicious, as she lures the priest into her office under the guise of discussing the Christmas pageant, then turns 180 degrees toward her desired subject.
As James sits stunned, Flynn and Aloysius maneuver in a game of liar's poker that brushes upon sexism, power dynamics, the implications of Vatican II and the perils of corruption. Steam practically wafts off the screen.
For the most part, though, it's strange to see a screen at all because you feel like you're in front of a stage.
Writer/director John Patrick Shanley adapted the film from his own Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play. He also won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for "Moonstruck," but oddly the only other film he's directed was "Joe Versus the Volcano."
This time, the volcano is Streep. The two-time Oscar winner has always been prone to overacting in the most enthralling way, and as Aloysius she holds nothing back. There are scenery chewers and then there is Streep, whose backbiting snippiness and room-commanding bellowing swallow entire segments whole. It's all Hoffman can do to hold onto his frock.
Streep's histrionics seem most bizarre when confronting Donald's mother (Viola Davis), who has a surprisingly measured and pragmatic reaction to Aloysius' revelation that chills to the bone.
Hoffman comes into his own when he's delivering homilies, most of which are reactions to the accusations he deflects. "Doubt" has many show-stopping scenes but lacks a coherent thread to tie them all together into something more.
The performance-centered, story-light film is a little too cute and measured to be profound, but there's no doubt it's entertaining.
Review
"Doubt"
3 stars out of 4
? Rated: PG-13 for thematic material.
? Cast: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Joseph Foster.
? Writer/director: John Patrick Shanley.
? Family call: Fine for mature kids.
? Running time: 104 minutes.
(Phil Villarreal can be reached at pvillarreal(at)azstarnet.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit Arizona Daily Star
