At the Movies with Fatwayne

If you are looking for action, adventure and car chases, avoid this movie.  On the other hand, if you would like to view a film with top notch acting and a subject matter that will cause you to think, this just may be your cup of tea.

Doubt is aptly named since the subject matter of sexual abuse by a priest is the essence of this story but is the priest in this case actually guilty of this heinous crime?

That is pretty much left up to us to figure out (did I mention that you may have to think?).  We have a dictatorial, no nonsense and self- righteous nun played by Meryl Streep (Sister Aloysius Beauvier) who locks horns with a charismatic parish priest depicted by Philip Seymour Hoffman (Father Brenan Flynn).  Sr. Beauvier is convinced the Fr. Flynn is guilty of abusing a young student attending the grammar school where she is the principal.  Be aware that she has no concrete proof that this is occurring but she is convinced that her cause is righteous.  On the flip side, Fr. Flynn vehemently denies any wrong doing and is desperate to protect his reputation against these damaging allegations.

That in a nutshell is the movie.  What makes it so successful is watching two actors at the top of their craft giving performances that are positively mesmerising.  Meryl Streep is so convincing as Sr. Beauvier that she will make you hate her intolerance and her feeling that she is always right and that her ways are the best ways.  She is positively engrossing.  On the receiving end of all this animosity is Father Flynn.  Philip Seymour Hoffman pegs his character so squarely that I felt like I had just attended a Catholic service.  He makes you muse, am I watching a real priest or is this man that good of an actor?  Of course we all know the answer to that query.

Are there any real winners or losers or just an awful lot of DOUBT in the end?  This is a thought provoking story and I would advise that you leave any preconceptions of the ongoing problems being experienced by the Church at the door.  Just go and enjoy an intriguing story and watch a pair of today’s finest actors prove once again that they are among the best.

Rated  – PG 13  -

Fatwayne’s rating  –