Saturday, I saw Doubt and said I would write about it on Sunday; however, I did not. I have a problem called procrastination, and I assure you it is a nasty problem/addiction. My apologies. When it comes to movies, I typically don't write too much more than "Go see it" or "Worth the money that could have been used for a drink and a half." However, I feel quite strongly about Doubt and want to give it a little more than a line or two.Doubt is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by John Patrick Shanley, which also won four Tony awards in the 59th Annual Tony Awards.I don't want to say too much about the topic of Doubt as I don't want to give too much away; however, if you've seen any previews you know the movie is centered on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of molesting a black student. As you might expect, the movie deals with religion, societal roles, race, and expectations, and it does each in a fantastic way. Some of these topics are handled in a blunt manner while some are handled subtly. The movie delves into another topic that was quite taboo for 1964 and in a way is still taboo today, but mum is the word on this-- chat up about after you've seen it, and we will discuss!
Back on December 2, I posted a trailer for Doubt, and my title, which I derived from just watching the trailer, for that blog entry is "Meryl Streep + DOUBT = Oscar." After watching the movie, I stand by this prediction. Streep deserves an Oscar nomination and win for her role as Sister Aloysius Beauvier. If you disagree, you now have a two-part homework assignment. (1) Rent and watch MAMMA MIA. (2) Watch Doubt for a second time. Then, I think you will see and feel the rage of the screen goddess known as Meryl Streep.While I feel that Streep's presence as Sister Aloysius is getting most and will continue to get most of the attention in the press, I have to applaud and rave about Amy Adams as Sister James and Philip Seymour Hoffman Father Brendan Flynn. I could hardly believe Adams was the same actress who starred in Enchanted and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Well, I should say Sister James does share naivete with Adams's character from Enchanted. I'm happy Adams received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and I hope she receives an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress as well. I predict that Adams's career is going to catapult after
this performance. And, Hoffman, well, I thought it was going to be hard to see him in this role because all I could think was Capote, but after getting into the movie his performance erased all his others for me. For the rest of my life Philip Seymour Hoffman will always be Father Flynn. Yes, you know it is coming: He deserves his Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor and deserves it again when Oscar time rolls around.Bottom Line: Go watch Doubt & talk about it!
