It was a very breezy morning. After yesterday’s heat wave, I expected the same. Biking downtown to work was pretty chilly. It would’ve been delightful to have a computer that told me the temperature outside. Yes, a television or radio tells you, but I still like to complain about being computer-less.

While using my roommate’s girlfriends’ washer and dryer for a nice free load of laundry, I realized how much I miss being able to do laundry and watch a movie during the wash. After we ate frozen pizza, sprouts, freeze pops, and blueberry salads, we decided to watch Doubt (2008). We were curious to see that John Patrick Shanley directed, wrote the screenplay, and adapted this from his own play. He definitely put in some work. Besides that, all I could find from him that I had ever seen was his screenplay for Congo (1995). It got me thinking about other Irish playwrights such as Anne Devlin. She wrote the play Ourselves Alone (1985).

Doubt, however, had a different approach than Ourselves Alone. This film was controlled by the wretched Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep). Her character dominated the film and unwontedly so. I got tired of her pickiness and monotonous dialogue as I think the director wanted the audience to take in. It was interesting how Shanley basically makes us feel bad for a priest that might have committed such sinful acts from the church. However, the film ran a little weak at points and carried too much on its dialogue. There was too much “take that!” kind of comments and it all seemed a little brash. This is probably a marvelous play, but the film adaptation wasn’t completely working. I thoroughly enjoy play to film adaptations, but there is a lot that can slow down or over exaggerate once being adapted into a screenplay.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman played his usual role as did Streep. The acting was solid, but it didn’t win me through the film. As I watched the film with my roommate whose favorite actor is Hoffman, and favorite actress is Streep, he found this to be completely disappointing. I wasn’t expecting too much, but for him, this was his fantasy cast. However, I don’t think it went too well for what he expected. I think that’s a good way to sum up this film.

Doubt (2008)
D: John Patrick Shanley
S: John Patrick Shanley
Original Play: John Patrick Shanley
* ½ Stars