Review of Doubt (2003) by Forrest P — 19 Jul 2010

Prior to this movie, the only things I'd seen Amy Adams in were the goofy, silly caricatures of "Enchanted" and "Night at the Museum 2." Here, she stands next to two stupendous actors in their absolute prime and vividly holds her ground in an almost Mary Warren-esque role.

But there are more similarities between "Doubt" and "The Crucible" than just Adams and showing off her versatility. Both are based on plays and both evoke intense, sparse dedication to religion (Spartan in the pre-Gerard Butler and "300" sense of simplistic to the point of barrenness) as the motivation to purging their respective communities of sin.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of my all-time favorite actors, and he does not let us down as the fascinatingly ambiguous Father Flynn. But it's Meryl Streep, of course, who rules the show, as the intensely dignified and fiercely resolute Sister Aloysius.

Absolutely devoid of the titular "Doubt" than Hoffman's Flynn preaches about, Streep's blazing performance is frighteningly memorable. Viola Davis also does an amazing, wrenchingly saddening job with her (unfortunately limited to one scene) role.

In his review, Alex Trivilino describes it as watching "a play being filmed," which is so completely accurate. Accordingly, the cinematography wasn't expansive or lushly vivid because it didn't have to be and wasn't supposed to be.

The only flaws were occasional slow points in the narrative, but our three big-name stars decisively carry us through. Absolutely worth seeing, but sadly depressing and bitterly ambiguous all the same.