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Doubt

  • 20082008
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
128K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,973
426
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Amy Adams in Doubt (2008)
This is the theatrical trailer for Doubt, directed by John Patrick Shanley.
Play trailer2:55
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Mystery

A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.

IMDb RATING
7.5/10
128K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,973
426
  • Director
    • John Patrick Shanley
  • Writer
    • John Patrick Shanley(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Meryl Streep
    • Philip Seymour Hoffman
    • Amy Adams
Top credits
  • Director
    • John Patrick Shanley
  • Writer
    • John Patrick Shanley(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Meryl Streep
    • Philip Seymour Hoffman
    • Amy Adams
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 417User reviews
    • 289Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 5 Oscars
      • 25 wins & 97 nominations total

    Videos3

    Doubt: Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:55
    Doubt: Theatrical Trailer
    Doubt
    Clip 1:59
    Doubt
    Doubt
    Clip 1:09
    Doubt

    Photos135

    Meryl Streep in Doubt (2008)
    Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and John Patrick Shanley in Doubt (2008)
    Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep in Doubt (2008)
    Viola Davis in Doubt (2008)
    Amy Adams in Doubt (2008)
    Meryl Streep in Doubt (2008)
    Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams in Doubt (2008)
    Meryl Streep and John Patrick Shanley in Doubt (2008)
    Meryl Streep in Doubt (2008)
    Meryl Streep in Doubt (2008)
    Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt (2008)
    Amy Adams in Doubt (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Meryl Streep
    Meryl Streep
    • Sister Aloysius Beauvieras Sister Aloysius Beauvier
    Philip Seymour Hoffman
    Philip Seymour Hoffman
    • Father Brendan Flynnas Father Brendan Flynn
    Amy Adams
    Amy Adams
    • Sister Jamesas Sister James
    Viola Davis
    Viola Davis
    • Mrs. Milleras Mrs. Miller
    Alice Drummond
    Alice Drummond
    • Sister Veronicaas Sister Veronica
    Audrie Neenan
    Audrie Neenan
    • Sister Raymondas Sister Raymond
    Susan Blommaert
    Susan Blommaert
    • Mrs. Carsonas Mrs. Carson
    Carrie Preston
    Carrie Preston
    • Christine Hurleyas Christine Hurley
    John Costelloe
    John Costelloe
    • Warren Hurleyas Warren Hurley
    Lloyd Clay Brown
    Lloyd Clay Brown
    • Jimmy Hurleyas Jimmy Hurley
    Joseph Foster
    • Donald Milleras Donald Miller
    • (as Joseph Foster II)
    Mike Roukis
    Mike Roukis
    • William Londonas William London
    Haklar Dezso
    • Zither Playeras Zither Player
    Frank Shanley
    • Kevinas Kevin
    Robert Ridgell
    • Organistas Organist
    Sarah Giovanniello
    • Choir Singeras Choir Singer
    Katie Shelnitz
    • Choir Singeras Choir Singer
    Aaron O'Neill
    • Choir Singeras Choir Singer
    • Director
      • John Patrick Shanley
    • Writer
      • John Patrick Shanley(screenplay) (play)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —Miramax Films
    • priest
    • nun
    • boy
    • catholic
    • parish
    • 240 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • There is no evidence. There are no witnesses. But for one, there is no doubt.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Mystery
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for thematic material
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Philip Seymour Hoffman lobbied for Amy Adams to be a part of the movie even threatening to leave the project if she wasn't cast.
    • Goofs
      Sister Aloysius says the people of ancient Sparta resolved issues by who shouted the loudest. It was actually the ancient Athenians who did that.
    • Quotes

      Father Brendan Flynn: Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Reginella Campagnola
      Written by Eldo Di Lazzaro, Bruno Cherubini (as C. Bruno)

    User reviews417

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Doubt 2008
    In 1964 the winds of change are sweeping through Sister Aloysius' (Meryl Streep) St. Nicholas school. Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a charismatic priest, is advocating reform of the school's strict customs, and the first black student has just been accepted. When a fellow nun (Amy Adams) tells Sister Aloysius that Father Flynn may be paying too much personal attention to the student, Sister Aloysius begins a personal crusade against the priest -- despite her lack of evidence. A Catholic grade school could seem like a hermetically sealed world in 1964. That's the case with St. Nicholas in the Bronx, ruled by the pathologically severe principal Sister Aloysius, who keeps the students and nuns under her thumb and is engaged in an undeclared war with the new parish priest. Their issues may seem to center around the reforms of Vatican II, then still under way, with Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) as the progressive, but for the nun I believe it's more of a power struggle. The pope's infallibility seems, in her case, to have descended to the parish level. Some will say the character of Sister Aloysius, played without a hint of humor . Sister Aloysius of "Doubt" hates all inroads of the modern world, including ballpoint pens. This is accurate. We practiced our penmanship with fountain pens, carefully heading every page "JMJ" -- for Jesus, Mary and Joseph, of course. Under Aloysius' command is the sweet young Sister James, whose experience in the world seems limited to what she sees out the convent window. Gradually during the autumn semester, the situation develops. There is one African-American student at St. Nicholas, Donald Miller, and Father Flynn encourages him in sports and appoints him as an altar boy. This is all proper. Then Sister James notes that the priest summons the boy to the rectory alone. She decides this is improper behavior, and informs Aloysius, whose eyes narrow like a beast of prey. Father Flynn's fate is sealed. But "Doubt" is not intended as a docudrama about possible sexual abuse. It is about the title word, doubt, in a world of certainty. For Aloysius, Flynn is certainly guilty. That the priest seems innocent, that Sister James comes to believe she was mistaken in her suspicions, means nothing. Flynn knows a breath of scandal would destroy his career. And that is the three-way standoff we watch unfolding with precision and tension. Something else happens. Donald's mother fears her son will be expelled from the school. He has been accused of drinking the altar wine. Worse, of being given it by Father Flynn. She appeals directly to Sister Aloysius. It lasts about 10 minutes, but it is the emotional heart and soul of "Doubt". Doubt. It is the subject of the sermon Father Flynn opens the film with. Doubt was coming into the church and the United States in 1964. After the assassination of Kennedy and the beginnings of Vietnam, doubt had undermined American certainty in general. What could you be sure of? What were the circumstances? The motives? The conflict between Aloysius and Flynn is the conflict between old and new, between status and change, between infallibility and uncertainty. And Shanley leaves us doubting. "Doubt" has exact and merciless writing, powerful performances and timeless relevance. It causes us to start thinking with the first shot, and we never stop. Think how rare that is in a film. I came to a different conclusion seeing this film. The entitled "doubt" was not about Father Flynn's guilt (which I believe becomes apparent toward the end of the film). The "doubt" is manifested in Sister Aloysius as she comes to doubt the institution of the Catholic Church she has devoted her life to. Instead of getting rid of the priest, the church covers up the crime. I think that would be enough to cause anyone to have "doubts". This was the last straw that caused this nun to have an emotional break down, reducing a once rigid woman certain in her beliefs to a sobbing and lost wreck of a human being. To answer the obvious mystery in the film - whether Father had some sinful (or criminal) relationship with a twelve year boy? The one word answer on the platter is 'Yes'. I don't think the plot of this movie made a lot of sense for its 1964 setting. Would a nun in 1964 really suspect a priest of sexual abuse based on nothing more than a shirt being placed in a locker? In 2018, after two decades of priest abuse stories in the media, sure; however, in 1964, at a time when no one would dare criticize a man of the cloth, I have my doubts. Either way, I did enjoy the film and thought it was well-acted.
    helpful•3
    0
    • anufrieva_nastya
    • Apr 23, 2018

    FAQ5

    • Is "Doubt" based on a book?
    • The story takes place in 1964, so why is there an MP3 player in it?
    • What religion are they supposed to be?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 2008 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ngờ Vực
    • Filming locations
      • Beach and Mansion Streets, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Goodspeed Productions
      • Scott Rudin Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $33,446,470
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $507,226
      • Dec 14, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $51,699,984
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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