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Still cramming to get in as many Academy Award-nominated films in before Sunday, February 22nd? If for some odd reason up to this point you have missed Doubt, which has five Oscar nominations to its credit, then mark it down as the next one on your must-see list.

Set in a gloomy, fall/winter setting, Doubt takes us back to 1964, a time when the nation was still wounded from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The place is St. Nicholas Church in the Bronx where a young Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) preaches to his congregation that during a crisis of faith there is doubt but faith is stronger.

It is during Father Flynn's opening sermon that we see who the school disciplinarian is - Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep). While Father Flynn is open to fresh ideas in order breathe new life into St. Nicholas, like allowing a secular song in the Christmas pageant, Sister Beauvier will hear none of it as she comes from an old tradition of not sparing the rod.

Early on, Sister Beauvier has a gnawing suspicion of Father Flynn, but it's not until the happily innocent Sister James (Amy Adams, Enchanted) tells her about his suspicious interaction with the school's lone black male student that she begins to take action to force him out.

While Sister Beauvier's subsequent meeting with the student's mother (Viola Davis, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) is saddening and her confrontation with Father Flynn is emotionally charged, we are left to form our own doubts as to whether or not he is lying.

Substantively, Doubt reminds us that decades before the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal exploded onto the front pages in 2002, many priests who were guilty of such heinous crimes were simply moved from one parish to another and their crimes were swept under the rug. While John Patrick Shanley's film may have struck a nerve with some who did not want further embarrassment for the church, it's a matter that should not be forgotten lest we be damned to repeat it.

Artistically, Doubt, written and directed by playwright Shanley (Joe Versus the Volcano), is a reminder that cinema can be a great art form. Something that can satisfy the mind and soul. While there is nothing wrong with current films like Confessions of a Shopaholic and Friday the 13th, they contribute as much to the art form as my dog does.

Doubt is one of those rare films where a special Oscar should be given to the entire cast. What more can be said about Streep, who has been nominated 15 times and won twice - in 1980 for best supporting actress in Kramer vs. Kramer and in 1983 for best actress in Sophie's Choice? She remains a true master of her craft and is in my book the greatest actress living today.

 Streep completely dissolves into Sister Beauvier and gives her a stern, unflinching quality while maintaining a streak of vulnerability and decency that gives her character likability.

Hoffman, nominated for best supporting actor, proves again how versatile he has become as an actor. If you don't believe me, watch his turn as the open-minded yet suspicious acting priest and then go rent Mission Impossible III and Capote.

Without a doubt in my mind, it would be a sin if you fail to see this spectacular drama. At the very least you should be smacked on the back of your hand with a ruler and made to do your multiplication tables ten times.

On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, Doubt receives an A.

Doubt is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 104 minutes.
    
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By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.

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