Doubt (2008)
79%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 5 Oscars
25 wins & 97 nominations total
Doubt succeeds on the strength of its top-notch cast, who successfully guide the film through the occasional narrative lull
If you’re looking for a movie that will keep you guessing until the very end, Doubt is the perfect pick. Sure, some critics might say it’s a bit preachy or overly dramatic, but let’s be real – Meryl Streep and Viola Davis are absolute powerhouses in this film. And if you’re a fan of symbolism and visual storytelling, you’ll appreciate the way director John Patrick Shanley weaves in subtle details to enhance the tension and uncertainty of the story. Plus, who doesn’t love a good mystery? Give Doubt a chance and see if you can figure out the truth.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Miramax Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Beach and Mansion Streets, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for thematic material
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS Dolby Digital DTS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 44m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2008 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 7, 2009
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Alice Drummond, Audrie J Neenan, directed by John Patrick Shanley, written by John Patrick Shanley, drama, PG-13, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Anthony Quinn, Peter Bradshaw, Sukhdev Sandhu, Sophie Ivan, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, David Walsh, Jonah Koslofsky, Jason Best, Richard Propes, Felicia Feaster, top-notch cast, winds of change, St Nicholas school, black student, personal attention, lack of evidence, moral grey area, stage play, Oscar-bait, symbolism, charismatic priest, first black student, strict customs, personal crusade, Sister Aloysius, Father Flynn, Sister James, Sister Veronica, Sister Raymond, Mrs Muller, Miramax Films, Scott Rudin, Mark Roybal
Worldwide gross: $51,699,984
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $71,214,752
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,187
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,766,058
US/Canada gross: $33,446,470
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $46,071,234
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,111
US/Canada opening weekend: $507,226
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $698,684
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,324
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $27,549,236
Production budget ranking: 1,196
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $14,835,263
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $28,830,253
ROI to date (est.): 68%
ROI ranking: 1,070
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Father Flynn
Amy Adams – Sister James
Viola Davis – Mrs. Muller
Alice Drummond – Sister Veronica
Audrie J. Neenan – Sister Raymond
Director(s)
John Patrick Shanley
Writer(s)
John Patrick Shanley
Producer(s)
Scott Rudin, Mark Roybal
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 5 Oscars
25 wins & 97 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (220) | Top Critics (72) | Fresh (174) | Rotten (46)
Don’t miss it.
September 12, 2017 | Rating: A
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
The moral grey area of the title perhaps worked better in the stage play; exposed on screen it’s not “doubt” being expressed, it’s the sound of Streep’s headmistressy voice demanding, “That Oscar – on my desk, NOW.”
February 10, 2009 | Rating: 2/5
Anthony Quinn
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Doubt looks like some sort of upscale horror film, complete with crows and swirling leaves like The Omen. It’s actually a terminally muddled piece of star-studded Oscar-bait.
February 6, 2009 | Rating: 1/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
There are times when Doubt feels like a sermon. Shanley highlights key themes as if the audience was a particularly dim-witted congregation. His direction, too, when it’s not dolloping on the symbolism, can be stilted.
February 6, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
What possessed the once credible Meryl Streep to take on the caricatured role of crusading Sister Aloysius? And why is her performance so uniformly unconvincing?
February 6, 2009 | Rating: 2/5
Sophie Ivan
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
The drama is tense and claustrophobic, and the acting exceptional, although the hollow finale leaves you doubting it’s about anything much at all.
February 6, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
Metro Newspaper (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Shanley apparently accepts everything about the world. How can an artist accomplish anything on such a basis?
February 13, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
[W]hen every character besides Flynn lacks complexity, it’s difficult for the priest to exist in a grey area.
December 22, 2020
Jonah Koslofsky
The Spool
Streep’s fussy, finicky performance, with all its insufferably mannered physical and vocal tics, is sheer camp… unlike Streep, [Davis] gets right inside her character and conveys an entire life history of struggle and resilience.
November 19, 2020
Jason Best
Movie Talk
An actor’s film.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Doubt comes to the screen with a welcome restraint, relying as much on what is unsaid as on what is said and the kind of stylish visual juxtapositions of those suppers.
January 27, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper
Doubt is simply, engrossingly thought-provoking and, despite its subdued appearance, is one of the brightest films of the year.
October 30, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Nikki Baughan
Roll Credits…
Plot
It’s 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A charismatic priest, Father Flynn, is trying to upend the school’s strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear-based discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James, a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequences.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Meryl Streep’s performance as Sister Aloysius is described as “stern” and “fussy” by some critics.
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