Doubt

This year I have seen more of the Oscar nominees than any other. I was only missing a few of the big ones and this was one of them. I've gone into many of the Oscar movies knowing almost nothing about the plot and this was another like that. I found it helped because I really didn't know where this one was going for a while. It's not the best of the Oscar movies (which I feel is the Wrestler) but it's a solid drama. I'm starting to think I use the word 'solid' way too much, may have to work on that.

The movie is based off a play and you can really tell. There are only a few sets and many scenes last between 10-15 minutes. The plot is very simple as well. I don't want to spoil anything here since like I said, it's better to go into things blind. It's nothing terribly original, but it's done well.

This type of movie really lives or dies by two things: the dialogue and the performances. The dialogue is for the most part good. For a movie that is usually just 2 or 3 people talking in a room for long periods of time, you are never bored. The movie isn't terribly long either and moves quite quickly. Things never drag. That doesn't have anything to do with the dialogue really, but the movie is well written. However there are a few cheesy lines here and there, and I did the final line of the movie to be almost eye-roll worthy.

The real strength here comes from the performances. Several of the actors in this movie are nominated for academy awards and it's not hard to see why. Meryl Streep is fantastic as usual and she keeps making her way into the movies I'm watching recently it seems. Amy Adams is great and somehow more attractive as a nun. I didn't think she could get more attractive. Maybe because it's more of a challenge if she's a nun? I'm not sure. The real highlight for me though was Philip Seymour Hoffman. I mean the man is great in just about everything he does but here he really shines and someone manages to be the standout in a sea of amazing performances.

I very much enjoyed Doubt but it's near the bottom of the Oscar pile for me. It's a good watch but not something I will be watching again I don't think. The script is good (with some corny-ish moments scattered here and there), the pace is fast and the performances are great. If anyone else were playing these roles it would be probably a mediocre film, but it's worth watching it for the actors alone.

7.5/10