Doubt

There's little doubt of the heavyosity factor going into Doubt. Not only is it based on a play that won the Tony and a Pulitzer the cast includes Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Viola Davis and Amy Adams. The production design, costumes (the Sisters of Charity actually wore bonnets in this era), cinematography and score are above reproach. Which leaves me even more puzzled why I though Doubt was a weak-kneed attempt at a prestige picture. This is hardly a case of an emperor with no clothes, there are substantial issues brought to bear and early feedback has included numerous critic group awards and Golden Globe noms.
Doubt presents itself as an important picture and most film goers are ready to accept that position on faith. Set in the early 1960s when Vatican II reforms were about to change the state of the Catholic mass Doubt wants us to leave the theater in debate. That's its strong point, because you will want to discuss the ending. The whole point of John Patrick Shanley's work is to create doubt in both the audience and the fine cast they are watching. I would tell you what I think of the confrontation between Streep and Hoffman but that is precisely the thing that's supposed to be in question. The film is a litmus test that asks the viewer to take sides, like an impartial judge, of a he-said and she-said battle of wills.
Streep plays a crotchety mother superior, Adams is a first year nun and teacher learning the ropes, and Davis is a hard working mother whose son attends their school. Hoffman stands accused of being too familiar with his wards. The whole affair seeks to raise these characters above their element, it's not a text in which the church is lambasted. There's a speech Hoffman gives that recalls the story of a gossip who must tear open a down pillow and retrieve all the feathers to undo the malice created by rumor and innuendo. This speech is Catholic guilt speech number 101, and anyone who's ever attended church has probably heard the same parable.
Shanley previously won an Oscar for the screenplay to Moonstruck and directed the delightful Joe vs. the Volcano. Despite its platitudes I was nonplussed by Doubt. It's a minor effort where Streep overacts, Adams plays a nun that looks so beautiful it's hard to believe she took the vow, and Hoffman professionally nails the inner turmoil of his character. Viola Davis stands to gain the most as her performance will vault her to another pay level.