Doubt

Playwright John Patrick Shanley, who adapted and directed his gripping stage drama, clearly doesn't have the cinematic chops to make Doubt a truly classic piece of moviemaking, but he's captured the original's raw narrative power, and is aided by a stellar cast. In 1964, Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep)—the stern, didactic principal of a Bronx parochial school—quietly declares war on the new parish priest, Father Brendan (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a man whose support of Catholic Church reforms mandated by the recent Vatican Council rubs her the wrong way. The unflappable sister senses an opportunity when naïve Sister James (Amy Adams) reports that altar boy Donald Miller—the school's first African-American student—returned to class from the rectory with wine on his breath. The inference drawn is that Father Brendan has behaved improperly, spurring Sister Aloysius into action. What makes Doubt so mesmerizing is the even-handedness with which Shanley handles the central allegation: neither in the script nor in Hoffman's performance can the viewer find conclusive evidence of Brendan's guilt or innocence—hence the title. Garnering five Oscar nominations, including acting nods for Streep, Hoffman, and Adams, Doubt is highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with writer-director John Patrick Shanley, a 19-minute “From Stage to Screen” featurette, a cast featurette roundtable discussion hosted by Entertainment Weekly's Dave Karger and featuring costars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis (14 min.), “The Sisters of Charity” featurette on real-life nuns (6 min.), a four-minute featurette on the score, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this acting powerhouse.] (E. Hulse)