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Movies / On DVD / Doubt
Doubt

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Doubt (2008)

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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.

Australian Rating: M [See Full Rating] Mature themes

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Dramas

Australian Theatrical Release:
Jan 22, 2009 Wide

US Box Office: $33,422,556

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... 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 blind justice in an age defined by moral conviction.

It’s 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Academy Award® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the schools’ strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James (Academy Award® nominee Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence.

Academy Award® winning screenwriter John Patrick Shanley (“Moonstruck”) adapted his own play for the screen and directs Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis. The film is produced by Scott Rudin and Mark Roybal, with Celia Costas as executive producer.--© Miramax [More]

Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis

Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, John Costelloe

Director: John Patrick Shanley

Director: John Patrick Shanley
Screenwriter: John Patrick Shanley
Producer: Scott Rudin, Mark Roybal
Composer: Howard Shore
Studio: Miramax Films

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Reviews for Doubt

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
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Tense and teasingly ambiguous...

Full Review Source: Time Out Sydney | comment Comment
02/05/09
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out Sydney
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film fails to convince dramatically, not because of the performances -- the cast are all excellent -- but because the air has been sucked out of the characters.

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment 1 Comment
02/05/09
Tom Ryan
Tom Ryan
The Age (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As close to a blood sport as is humanly possibly for something that doesn't involve any physical contact.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph (Australia) | comment Comment
01/15/09
Vicky Roach
Vicky Roach
Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a film that allows you to do your own thinking while enjoying some of the most inspired acting to be found in movies today.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/15/09
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This could be Meryl Streep's finest moment, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is the reason why.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
01/14/09
Annette Basile
Annette Basile
FILMINK (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

So clever is the writing, the direction and the performances that we swing to and fro in our trust and belief in Father Flynn. We despise Sister Aloysius for her bitter crusade one minute, but then doubt Father Flynn's innocence the next

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/09/09
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hoffman can do no wrong as he delivers yet again an exquisite portrayal against the formidable Streep; their verbal exchanges sent a shiver up my spine

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/09/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An attention-getting bit of drama built on remarkable performances.

Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | comment Comment
10/09/09
Mike Scott
Mike Scott
Times-Picayune

Shanley's continuous straining for that Great Unknown is undercut by tidy characters and cinematic deficiencies

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/26/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

It might be a bit of a slow starter, and it definitely takes its time allowing the story to unravel slowly. However, it's definitely worth a look, and a bit of discussion.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
06/14/09
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Not a cinematic powerhouse, but a good conversation starter

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
05/14/09
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit

The early scenes of Doubt glide past so smoothly that it's easy to miss the seditious currents underneath.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
04/07/09
Jeffrey Bloomer
Jeffrey Bloomer
Paste Magazine

The acting talent in evidence here is astounding and nobody, absolutely nobody puts her or his performance ahead of everyone else.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
04/06/09
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

A cat-and-mouse game of power and posture, played out by two of the finest actors of the moment.

Full Review Source: Screenwize | comment Comment
03/21/09
Simon Weaving
Simon Weaving
Screenwize

The cast['s]... collective efforts go a long way to mitigating Shanley's pedestrian grasp of film language.

Full Review Source: Miss FlickChick | comment Comment
03/02/09
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
Miss FlickChick

A well acted exploration of desperation, the destructiveness of conviction and the persuasiveness of doubt.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
03/01/09
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

this cast is nothing short of amazing.

Full Review Source: Sean the Movie Guy | comment Comment
03/01/09
Sean McBride
Sean McBride
Sean the Movie Guy

The most thought-provoking celluloid debate of 2008; one of the year's ten best

Full Review Source: Movie Dearest | comment Comment
02/27/09
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Movie Dearest

Brilliant performances from Streep and Hoffman, however, make it well worth seeing.

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (UK) | comment Comment
02/12/09
Cosmo Landesman
Cosmo Landesman
Sunday Times (UK)

Doubt is a provocative, pared-down work that in the theatre carried the subtitle "A Parable", and it has four outstanding performances.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
02/12/09
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
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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. Opens in new window
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 Opens in new window
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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