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Well, Todd McCarthy of Variety has seen Doubt, and he says that the one "iffy element" is - surprise, surprise - Meryl Streep:

This master screen actor, who applies a slight New Yawk accent to her phrasings, takes the vocal low road here as opposed to the more forceful approach of Cherry Jones in her riveting Broadway turn. By ostensibly underplaying the role’s villainy, however, Streep overdoes the melodrama, thereby turning Sister Aloysius into more of a stock figure than she ultimately seemed onstage. Every little tic, gesture and facial mannerism seems maximized by the effort expended to minimalize them, to diminished returns in the cause of creating a three-dimensional character. While the dramatic scenes still register with notable force, it’s a disconcerting, unsatisfying performance from a thesp who most of the time rings true.

I love Variety's use of half-words like "thesp." Anyway, he wasn't bowled over. Now, Todd McCarthy has been wrong before; he liked The Beverly Hillbillies movie, for example. But in his defense, he's actually seen the movie and I have not.

Here's the trailer [ courtesy of youtube]:

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While I could go on and on, here's the other thesp reacting to the said review: [ via Wenn ]:

Cherry Jones, who played the role to critical acclaim on Broadway, insists the film critic has got it wrong. She tells GoldDerby.com she was particularly impressed by one scene, where Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) confronts the nun after she accuses him of molesting a schoolboy.

Jones says, "On stage, I stood my ground. I held my resolve and I fought Father Flynn right back. I didn't let him break her. This is the play's big confrontation scene and we played it for maximum dramatic conflict.

"I was fascinated to see that's not what Meryl Streep does. She lets Sister Aloysius crack. She decides to break with the moment. Suddenly, she caves, she's vulnerable. You think these two might actually come together, that all will be understood and forgiven, but, no. They go right back to fighting. On stage we decided to drive the scene right through.

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Comments (8)

Forever Meryl

I am totally with you about this, I dont understand. Perhaps that man, stupid enough, wanted a carbon copy of Jones' performance, a screaming Meryl Streep all over the place and then he would be stronger to attack her. But no... You can not be that lucky, man. What she did with the recreation of Sister Aloysius is wonderful and that is something important. And for the Oscar thing, Mccarthy, I would not bother if she would not win. Actually I hope she will get it for Julie and Julia, in a comedic role to take the revenge of the robbery of her Oscar 2 years ago when she played Miranda Priestly in a phenomenal performance that is underestimeated because of the film's lightness.

Alesque , November 18, 2008

...

Meryl Streep IS the greatest actress of our generation (1970-2020?). She rules in everything she does,all her subtle nuances and dialects. I will go watch her in anything! I only went to see Mamma Mia for her, I thought it was such a "fun" movie, I have watched in 10 times on the big screen and have already pre-ordered the DVD. Streep rocks!!!!!!!!!!

Lori , November 18, 2008

streep is flawless

I hope with everything that Meryl gets her 3rdoscar, with this or Julie and Julia, which I heard she was abesolutely phenominal in. Either way, shes long over due for an oscar win, shes the best actress of our time, possibly ever, and she deserves this. I'm pulling for her. Doubt looks unbelievable and I can not wait to go see it. Meryl Streep deserves the oscar over anyone, just out of respect, shes amazing. It goes to show that you don't have to be a 20 year old to get into movies, shes beating the odds right now. I love Meryl Streep and she was robbed in the last 26 years of an oscar, she deserved one for A Cry in the Dark as well, shes completely amazing in it, and she also should have gotten one for the Devil Wears Prada, I agree. So fingers crossed for her 3rd, or maybe 4th oscar, I'm pulling for her.

alyssa , November 18, 2008

DOUBT IS GREAT

I SAW A SAG SCREENING OF DOUBT! Intense, tightly edited, extremely well directed, and the acting is simply incredible. Meryl Streep should WIN HER THIRD OSCAR for this fine performance. I saw Cherry Jones' performance too and they are two incredible actresses with two astounding performances. That's the beauty of plays and plays going to film. You will always see a different performance depending on the actress. That's the genius of the writing of the part. And the play should be in performances for years to come. Shanley wrote a beautiful play that says so much about human beings in general.

DH Johnson , November 20, 2008

Well, Streep IS a bit iffy in Doubt

I just saw a Writers' Guild showing of Doubt. I am a major Meryl Streep fan, and from the beginning of this movie, I was uncomfortable with her performance. The seams were showing. I felt I was watching someone acting rather than being. Not the usual Streep effect. She has some powerful scenes and fine moments, but I have never seen her so inconsistent in terms of her believability as the character. It hurts me to say it!

Pat Gilmore , November 20, 2008 | url

She is going on my ballot as #1

Nomination ballots are coming soon and Streep is going on my #1 spot. She was a powerhouse! A very layered performance you could peel each layer away like an onion. She resonates emotion in each work during the big confrontation scene. The entire cast was outstanding. This film impressed me across the board from acting to production values. I can only nominate in the acting categories and picture. For now, Doubt is #1 for picture and #1 slots in acting go to Streep-lead, #1-Davis-supporting, #3 Adams-supporting and #2 Hoffman-supporting(behind Ledger). This week I have seen Revolutionary Road, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Reader and Australia. From this actor's view, Doubt reigns supreme. DiCaprio is going on my #1 line for lead actor-Brilliant! Winslet-good, but nothing groundbreaking from her...she is far better in The Reader and #2 on my supporting line. Lead= Streep, Scott Thomas, Jolie, Hathaway, Knightly. Supporting=Davis, Winslet, Adams, Winger, DeWitt. Supporting Actor=Ledger, Hoffman, Fiennes, Shannon, Brolin. Actor=DiCaprio, Langella, Penn, Roarke,Pitt. Picture=Doubt, Milk, Slumdog Millionare, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Reader

Sean , November 23, 2008

Give Meryl the oscar and stop the Meryl bashing! This is ridiculous!

It seems like whenever Hollywood can't fault an actress, they make up things to fault her for. Who else gets criticized for giving perfect accents and realized performances. I've only seen the previews for Doubt but I can already tell that Meryl should win another oscar for this performance but probably won't because of reviewers like McCarthy who want another actress to win. I pray that Meryl wins the oscar this time. She's deserved to win many times, but Hollywood wouldn't give them to her out of jealousy. It's time to start judging this actress fairly. She should not be judged with different criteria just because she is always great.

Gary Brunton , November 30, 2008

Natalie Portman was to play Amy Adams role

I came upon a recent short article from the Toronto Sun in which the writer/director from the movie, John Patrick Shanley, says that Natalie Portman was first looked at to play Amy Adam's role of Sister James and the reason why Natalie didn't. He say's:

The Sister James role, however, was first offered to Natalie Portman. "I'm trying to think of what the etiquette of this is, because it is kind of funny," Shanley says. "We went to Natalie Portman, who was the only person we went to before Amy. And Natalie was very interested. But she kept saying she had a problem, and I finally nailed down what the problem was. She didn't understand celibacy."

Jan , November 30, 2008 | url

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