"What do you do when you're not sure?"

Doubt, John Patrick Shanley's film adaptation of his play by the same name, opens in theatres today.
The play originally opened Off Broadway on November 23, 2004 at the Manhattan Theatre Club before transferring to Broadway in March 2005 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. It closed on July 2, 2006 following 525 performances with 25 previews. It then toured and has since been performed all over the world, including at London's Tricycle Theatre, well known for its agitprop and documentary style theatre (I once sat through an epically long production there that shall remain unnamed...because I can't remember the name). And, of course, what could follow all this but a movie? It is, after all, one of the most successful new plays in recent memory. In addition to its many productions internationally, it is the winner of a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, a Tony for Best Play, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. To say nothing of the countless awards and nominations by those who have designed, directed, and performed it (including several Golden Globe noms for this film).

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams

Set in a Catholic school in the Bronx in the autumn of 1964, a pivotal time in American history following the assassination of JFK and the "modernization" of the Catholic Church, Doubt centers on, well, doubt. A kindly, well-liked priest, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who embraces the winds of change, is suspected of molesting the school's only African-American student. Sister Aloysius (the Meryl Streep), the school's principal, passes judgment swiftly but is powerless to do anything about the priest's behaviour in a world dominated by men. And Sister James (Amy Adams), the newcomer, like us, isn't quite sure what to believe. And the ensuing drama can be summed up in the words of Flynn, "What do you do when you're not sure?"

Meryl Streep

The Meryl and Mr. Hoffman are apparently brilliant (duh.) and I will be interested to see how Amy Adams fares. I think it's an interesting casting choice and not necessarily one I would've expected next to two powerhouses of the screen and stage. I hope she holds her own; the reviews don't really have a whole lot to say about it. And since I don't generally trust just to reviews, I have included links to three: The Star, The Globe and Mail, and The New York Times. One thing they all agree on is that the show-stealer in this one is Viola Davis in her cameo as Mrs. Miller, the mother of the student who Flynn may or may not have molested. They also seem to agree that it's worth seeing.

Viola Davis

The original play was performed as a one act; the cast felt that the second act was what happened beyond the theatre, what the audience took away and discussed. Good theatre requires participation. I have a feeling that good film does as well. I'll let you know when I've seen it and, please, share your thoughts on it here. But in case you lose something in the translation, or would just prefer the stage experience, don't worry: Doubt is coming to Toronto in play form in May. The Canadian Stage Company will be putting up their production May 4-30.

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