This film, Doubt, is exceptional. Smart, funny, moving, intricate and remarkably well-acted, it is, without exception, a remarkable accomplishment. I grew up in Pittsburgh and nuns like Meryl Streep’s Sister Aloysius Beauvier were a staple in my life, not in Catholic school, but every weekend, at speech tournaments at Greensburg Catholic or Central Catholic or other parochial schools that so often hosted the competitions.
God help you if one of your judges was one of these sisters. They were the toughest and the scariest. Even in the cafeteria between Round 2 and Round 3, they wandered with the same “eyes in the backs of their heads” that Sister Aloysius demonstrates to her young protege. The teams they coached were the amazing. Practiced, smart, disciplined and resourceful, they did the sisters proud.
As I watched Meryl Streep as the principal of a Catholic elementary school where accusation and suspicion take over, all the memories of those scary Saturday mornings at the front of a classroom, giving speeches on labor unions or disarmament or the dangers of the Soviet Union came tumbling back. The nerves were unavoidable; when the sisters were among your judges, you had to be prepared, organized, well-spoken and committed. Or else.
Probably the familiarity of those nuns (weird for a nice Jewish girl to have access to, I suppose) and the memory of all the Sundays I went to Mass with friends after a sleep-over added to the film’s impact. I know I had a very personal reaction. But whether you grew up in Idaho, Arizona or the Bronx, the film is irresistible and won’t leave you alone just because it’s not on the screen any longer. I’m not going to talk about the plot because that will diminish the pleasure of watching it unfold, but if you respect great writing, great acting and excellence in film-making, you don’t want to miss this one.
I’ve seen the play and loved it–was wondering how the movie compared….but with the cast it has, how can it be bad? (Although there was that ONE Meryl Streep/Robert De Niro flick years ago that was pretty lame…..)
As a survivor of nuns in grade school, I think I want to see this story. Those of us who grew up Catholic all have stories. As a 9-year-old tomboy, I caught hell more than once. This conversation was the funniest:
Sister (horrified): How did you get that black eye?
Kay: Took a stick in the face, Sister.
Sister: What?
Kay: Hockey, Sister.
Sister: You’re no lady!!!!
Kay: Yes, Sister.
I still think, to this day, that hockey was more fun than the damn ballet lessons were.
I saw Doubt this week-end and liked it. I had seen previews but was pleasantly surprised at the extent of the complications in the relationships and humor I didn’t expect.
Karen I can’t believe you remember that movie – I think it was called Falling in Love. Definitely icky. Everybody gets one, right? She’s amazing in this – and I saw Mama Mia on the plane and she was adorable and completely different – another person. Such gifts.
fantastic film!! the story is suberb. think that as it is from play, the script is so great while Meryl acting is remarkable.
i like her much better from Mama Mia