Doubt (John Patrick Shanley, 2008)

Message

#1 Post by **Jeff** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:21 pm

[i]Variety[/i]'s Anne Thompson wrote:The trailer for John Patrick Shanley's film adaptation of the Broadway play Doubt goes up on Apple Friday.

The play is a dynamic, provocative piece. Judging from my exclusive preview of the trailer, in the movie, three strong actors form a triangle in a titanic power struggle. Representing the force of the old ways is Meryl Streep as the older nun who sees a popular, younger, hipper, kinder form of Catholic authority--priest Philip Seymour Hoffman--threatening her power. Her accolyte is sweet, trusting younger nun Amy Adams. Streep and Hoffman each try to persuade Adams to take their side. Viola Davis, another explosive actor, plays the mother of the little boy at the center of the drama unfolding at Madison St. Nicholas School. These actors are laying it down: yelling, cajoling, screaming, fighting for their lives.

Miramax is releasing this meaty picture December 12. It's a slam dunk for Oscar consideration with performances like these. I'll have to see the movie to know for sure how far it will go. The question mark is director Shanley, who won an Oscar for writing Moonstruck, but didn't fare so well on his first directing gig, 1990's Joe Versus The Volcano. We can assume that Shanley is more in control of his own material here.

Doubt is in the Zone, with the talent on board: producer Scott Rudin (No Country for Old Men) helped Shanley assemble an Oscar-friendly support team: cinematographer Roger Deakins (Old Men and The Assassination of Jesse James), editor Dylan Tichenor (There Will Be Blood), costume designer Ann Roth (The English Patient), and production designer David Gropman (Cider House Rules). As for the music: here's new news: it's Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings).

UPDATE: Someone who has seen Doubt writes:

"It's a knockout. I had read the play and the movie took it way beyond. Meryl Streep is definitely on the best actress list. Shanley's direction is very 'on.'"

#2 Post by **domino harvey** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:02 am

Looks fantastic and I'm sure we'll all be talking about it come award time

Antoine Doinel · #3 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 9:25 am

Wow! Looks great.

#4 Post by **mfunk9786** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:00 pm

Ladies and gentlemen, we have our best picture.

That looks incredible. And when Streep's actually invested in a project, it shows.

tavernier · #5 Post by **tavernier** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:27 pm

And it's got the cache of a big award-winning play, which Oscar loves (Man for All Seasons, Amadeus, Driving Miss Daisy).

I still have vivid memories of the powerhouse performances by the onstage quartet -- Cherry Jones, Brian F. O'Byrne, Heather Goldenhersh and Adriane Lenox -- but obviously no one would go see a movie with those names.

#6 Post by **swo17** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Will I like this if I liked Joe vs. the Volcano?

Grand Illusion · #7 Post by **Grand Illusion** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:14 pm

More of this, please. I'm so glad we're getting out of the summer doldrums of cinema.

And kudos to Deakins for bringing in the canted angle while Streep shouts, "What happened in the rectory?"

jesus the mexican boi · #8 Post by **jesus the mexican boi** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:13 am

I don't know. It feels very stagebound from the trailer with that from-a-play claustrophobic sensibility. Which may work in its favor.

MarioB · #9 Post by **MarioB** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 11:30 am

Shanley is undoubtedly influenced by the theatre, you can see as much in the quasi-expressionist production design of Joe vs. the Volcano.

Haggai · #10 Post by **Haggai** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 11:22 am

I saw this yesterday. Having seen the touring production in DC last year, I think they did a great job translating it to the screen. There are maybe a couple of superfluous things thrown in for added emphasis on occasion, but the dramatic structure is pretty much the same as it was in the play, without much of anything that changes what you do or don't know about what the characters know. It's still mostly a showcase for the actors, and they're all terrific.

The Paineful Truth · #11 Post by **The Paineful Truth** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 10:30 am

Three Oscar worthy performances. (Streep's amazing; from Fortune 500 arrogant CEO in The Devil Wears Prada to a hyper-strict schoolmarm/principal/terror nun.) And the story is right on target, both politically and philosophically--although I had my doubts about where it was going right up until the end. Amy Adams continues to impress me as the counterpoint to Streep, going as she does from Enchanted princess innocence, to repressed, to awareness. And I can't remember the last time Hoffman was anything less than excellent. I actually enjoyed his three sermons (I can't remember the last time I darkened the door of a church except for attending a wedding), even though the first sermon seemed somewhat irrational when he was addressing the title issue.

A word of warning to the action freaks, this is a dialogue movie which uses more subtle action (e.g. a slap on the back of the head).

9/10

The Paineful Truth · #12 Post by **The Paineful Truth** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 10:22 am

It just occurred to me that Streep's motivation for pouring herself into this role was penance for her part in Mamma Mia. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the play, but she, and Brosnan even more so, may go down as the worst castings of the decade.

LQ · #13 Post by LQ » Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:03 am

Caught this last night and was riveted, but a bit disappointed. Its a shame that Shanley didn't give the directing reins to someone more competent. Random off-kilter shots, overusing awfully cheesy weather as punctuation, banal symbolism, etc...one of the more exasperating moments was while Hoffman was delivering a particularly interesting (and pointed) parable about gossip being like feathers in the wind, instead of letting it eddy in the imagination, Shanley chose to cut away to a ton of feathers wafting in the breeze. It was more than unnecessary, it took away from a very taut scene.

That said, I'm still very glad that I saw it. I was unfamiliar with the play before, and found both the material and the acting excellent.

exte · #14 Post by **exte** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:42 pm

Is Viola as strong as they say in her performance? Does she really steal the film?

Haggai · #15 Post by **Haggai** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 12:41 am

I agree about the stuff with the feathers--it's clunky and sort of intrusive--but there wasn't anything else I noticed as being particularly in the way of the story.

exte wrote:Is Viola as strong as they say in her performance? Does she really steal the film?

She's very good, but she's only it for one sequence. "Stealing the film" is pretty hyperbolic, considering that it stars Meryl Streep!

Grand Illusion · #16 Post by **Grand Illusion** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 7:08 pm

Great film with a lot of layers. The battle of new vs old, the fight for the soul of the young nun, the obvious child abuse aspect, and the social climate of the time all blend together seamlessly. It's essentially a filmed play, but that's cool with me. Film gives us the necessary close-ups on all of these great performances. It's an effective chamber drama with very smart writing, and, as such, will be discounted in favor of more schlocky movies when it's time for the awards to be dispensed. And it's all wonderfully ambiguous through-and-through.

Leon Thomas · #17 Post by **Leon Thomas** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:36 pm

I love this film. Wonderful acting matched with sharp, clever dialogue.

#18 Post by **mfunk9786** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 10:02 pm

LQ wrote:Caught this last night and was riveted, but a bit disappointed. Its a shame that Shanley didn't give the directing reins to someone more competent. Random off-kilter shots, overusing awfully cheesy weather as punctuation, banal symbolism, etc...one of the more exasperating moments was while Hoffman was delivering a particularly interesting (and pointed) parable about gossip being like feathers in the wind, instead of letting it eddy in the imagination, Shanley chose to cut away to a ton of feathers wafting in the breeze. It was more than unnecessary, it took away from a very taut scene.

That said, I'm still very glad that I saw it. I was unfamiliar with the play before, and found both the material and the acting excellent.

lacritfan · #19 Post by **lacritfan** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:58 pm

Being a non-Christian who was sent to Catholic school, from a personal standpoint I was a little distracted by Meryl Streep in the first 20 or so minutes because to me it was fun to see her playing this "evil" nun (much like seeing her play Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada) but by the end it was another rock solid performance by her. PSH conveyed a guilty man caught and an innocent man shocked by accusations all in the same look, I can't imagine another actor playing Fr. Flynn better. Amy Adams' character is a little one note but I also thought she was perfect for the role (those wide blue innocent/naive eyes), much better than Natalie Portman would've been. Viola Davis really only has one long scene, I think the reason she's getting so much attention (and the reason the woman who played the role on stage won the Tony) is her character reveals devastating things that could've easily been acted in hysterics but she conveys a strength by keeping her emotions in check the whole time.
At first I thought Roger Deakins was wasted on this being the DP but he does a great job draining the color and life out of everything. On a side note this is the second year in a row RG has done THREE Oscar-caliber movies (Jesse James, Valley of Elah and No Country last year; Doubt, Reader and Rev. Rd. this year). Damn.
Shanley definitely has a talent for writing but I agree with LQ's comments on his directing. Since we're supposed to form our own opinions on whether Fr. Flynn is guilty or Sr. Aloysius is on a power trip we shouldn't need canted shots or a strong wind whipping up to tell us certain scenes are more important than others.
Much like the play if you want to see a good introspective film with great acting instead of a loud extravagant musical go see Doubt.

Murdoch · #20 Post by **Murdoch** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 5:30 pm

Just got done seeing this and it certainly is one of the best films of the year, largely due to the performances of Streep, Hoffman, Adams and Davis. I have a strong inclination to see the play now because the questions of religious conviction, innocence and guilt created a portrait of faith and Catholicism that were devastating in their complexity. The film doesn't deal in black-and-white judgment of these characters, but offers more questions than answers giving the story many different facets that lend themselves well to the overall theme of the film.

I actually thought that Adams out-shined the rest in her performance because, while her role was rather simple, she portrayed her innocent character in such a captivating way I was drawn in far more to her character than any of the others, perhaps it was those big blue eyes that hypnotized me. However, if I see this again my opinion may change because while I loved Adams in it, Streep's final lines gave me goosebumps.

#21 Post by **mfunk9786** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 5:40 pm

The final line was diminished by stagy direction. After Streep sputters it out and the camera overreacts, I half expected to hear the crowd applaud and the stage lights thump off, before the cast came back onscreen to bow. I've never seen such strong material and acting so woefully mismanaged by a director.

#22 Post by **domino harvey** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 6:57 pm

Murdoch wrote: I actually thought that Adams out-shined the rest in her performance because, while her role was rather simple, she portrayed her innocent character in such a captivating way I was drawn in far more to her character than any of the others, perhaps it was those big blue eyes that hypnotized me.

I honestly think Amy Adams is the closest thing we have to a star (in the Classical Hollywood sense) right now in that she consistently plays variations on the same role but manages to bring so many different facets to each performance that she's yet to repeat herself. She was easily the strongest performance in the film, an achievement admittedly aided by the fact that she's essentially the only fluid character in the picture but nevertheless earned.

I'm also a little more lenient on the directorial touches some of you have objected so strongly to, primarily because the film has no aims to be subtle and I kinda admired much of the picture's bluntness-- so few films go for broke quite as successfully as this one.

#23 Post by **mfunk9786** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:11 pm

I remember the first time I saw Adams, in the underrated Catch Me If You Can. Though I wasn't nearly the cinephile I am now, I recall being flabbergasted as to why her performance wasn't being discussed by many people, if anyone - and I was annoyed that she wasn't nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar. I just hoped I'd see more of her. I am thrilled to see her having so much success. And I still think she got robbed of an academy award for the also-ignored near masterpiece Junebug. I couldn't agree more with domino when it comes to her star power. Hopefully each of the four leads in this film are nominated.

LQ · #24 Post by LQ » Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:17 pm

domino..the film has no aims to be subtle? What exactly do you mean by this? The reason the direction bothers me so is that the entire film is built on subtlety. Fleeting glances, elusive, equivocal actions...its subtlety that provokes suspicion.

Grand Illusion · #25 Post by **Grand Illusion** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:26 pm

I don't really mind the weather or the cutaways to the feathers, but I absolutely agree about the ending. I'd have much preferred a two shot or a CU (on either actress, for that matter).