Lacking faith

The Oscar parade continues this week as I just got Doubt through Netflix.

Doubt boasts an impressive cast of Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, all of whom were nominated for their work here along with Viola Davis. It's important to note though that even with these four acting nominations, the film did not receive a nomination for Best Picture. After seeing the film it became abundantly clear why that was the case.

The film, set in the 1960s takes place at a Catholic church where the pastor (Hoffman) is suspected by Sister Aloysius (Streep) of innapropriate acts with the only African-American boy attending the church's school. Already leery of the priest's modern attitude, the nun begins a witchhunt in order to take him down. As a result we get some really good, intense scenes between the actors as they debate the story's key points and try to make the other crumble.

If you didn't already know, as you watch the film, you'll quickly pick up on the fact that this story was originally designed for the stage. The film is very dialogue-heavy, which is fine given the story. However, the few artistic touches that the director adds seem heavy-handed and unnecessary. They detract from the film rather than add anything, which makes me question why they bothered turning this into a film in the first place. There's nothing here that film medium adds to this story.

Perhaps though this was the only way to get top notch actors involved with the story. And if that was the case, well then I'm thankful because they are all great here. Streep is perfect as the prim and strict Mother Superior. As for Hoffman, here's a guy who I couldn't stand for a long time, but have recently begun to appreciate his talent and he shines again here. He plays this role in such a way that makes it so easy for you to understand why someone would be suspicious of him, despite the lack of evidence proving anything. And while I think Amy Adams can be too precocious for her own good at times, that works in her favor with the naive nun she plays here. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Viola Davis too, who may turn in the best performance of everyone, even though she's really only in one extended scene. Playing the victimized boy's mother, she runs through a gamut of realistic emotions while discussing the situation with Sister Aloysius.

While I may not have been alive during the 60s, so much of this film felt realistic to me. Having grown up Catholic and attended a Catholic grade school, I saw a lot of similiarities that rang true to me. It probably helped that nothing was new in my school and the building looked like you were still living in the 60s. I'm getting away from the point though. I just wanted to commend the film for giving such an authentic feel to the church and school scenes.

I was really into this movie until the very conclusion. The final scene (not unlike this year's Wrestlemania) completely negates all of the goodwill that the film had built up. Regardless of who you side with in the film, you won't feel satisfied by the conclusion. It's ambiguous and completely undercuts several of the film's main characters. The final line of the film sounds so hacky, like it came from the screenwriter of a bad off-Broadway show. It's meant to be profound and powerful and instead it's cringeworthy.

I hate not recommending the film, because the performances here deserve to be seen. I'll just say don't have anything loose lying around as you watch this because you'll likely want to throw something at the TV as the film concludes. Go ahead and see this movie because it can produce a lot of good discussion, even if it is just to debate how bad the finish is. Though not a perfect film, it's a good one to enjoy watching great performers do what they do best. Grade: B