Unsure

One can't resist having high expectations going to a movie like Doubt. With its powerhouse cast of Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and an unforgettable Viola Davis, it delivers its promise of seeing excellent thespians at work. But if you were fortunate enough to have seen the original stage version, then the film might leave you a little disappointed.

John Patrick Shanley's award-winning play is about a progressive priest suspected of sexual abuse in a Bronx Catholic school in the 1960s and the unyielding school principal intent to prove his guilt. I enjoyed watching Ms. Streep stomp around chewing up the scenery and do battle with Ms. Adams and Mr. Hoffman. I secretly wished though that Tony-nominated Brian F. O'Byrne had been cast as the embattled priest instead. (Some might say Meryl's authoritarian Sister Aloysius was over the top, but in the fourth grade, my homeroom teacher was a nun who actually pulled some of my misbehaving male classmates' hair or even push them down to the ground AS she pulled their hair. I guess that's why there are stereotypes.)

In the stage version, I truly vacillated and left the theatre still unsure about what happened. The playwright let the audience decide. I thought the movie was less ambiguous, diminishing the story's power. The play was one act, with four actors. Here in the film, you get to see the students and Father Flynn's interaction with them, so you immediately form an opinion about his guilt or innocence.

The scene with the boy's mother remains as heartrending as ever, a star turn for Ms. Davis. It is a mother willing to make dubious sacrifices to ensure that her son will go on to a better life. Another story of the downtrodden accepting their lot in life. Ms. Streep looked properly horrified, unwilling and unable to believe what she was hearing from this parent. Ms. Adams as Sister James was effectively timid and deferential to her school principal.

It was fascinating to see the battles of the sexes inside the Catholic Church, and there are some comedic moments courtesy of Sister Aloysius. One scene I found incongruous was when Fr. Flynn was talking about gossip, and Mr. Shanley (who wrote the screenplay and directed the film adaptation) made the choice to actually show the feathers flying all around representing the effects of gossip. That sermon was potent enough on its own. I didn't need the visuals.