DoubtMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Doubt."

Gifts + Promos

The Vow Free Gift

Buy tickets & receive a FREE 3-Month Love Forecast from Astrology.com!

Fandango Bucks

Send your sweetheart the gift of movies this Valentine’s Day!

Journey Sweeps

Enter for a chance to win a trip for 2 to Nicaragua!

Interactive Oscar Ballot

Who's taking home the Oscar? Cast your vote & challenge your friends on Facebook!

Need Help?
Go
Avg. Critic Score: 68 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    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. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    You may have doubts about which side to choose, but there's no doubt about this mind-bender. It'll pin you to your seat. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    By eloquently probing the state of uncertainty and its accompanying discomfort and confusion, Doubt compels viewers to examine their own assumptions as they become caught up in this fascinating tale. Read full review

  • 80
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Doubt leaves none in one respect: John Patrick Shanley was the right person to direct this fascinating screen version of his celebrated play. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    There seems to be something about the story itself that's better suited to the stage than the screen. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Just when you begin to think you know who the cat and mouse really are, in steps Viola Davis to steal not just her scene but the entire movie from Streep. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Shanley seems to have lost a certain amount of faith in what he'd written. As a director he's ended up pushing the drama harder than he needs to. He hasn't done anything fatal, but he has tampered with and hampered it. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The film is nothing if not provocative. Read full review

  • 58
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Shanley turns out to have dismayingly few original cinematic notions to back up the basic did-he-or-didn't-he hook in his study of conviction and compassion. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    Mainstream moviemaking, with its commercial directives and slavish attachment to narrative codes isn't particularly hospitable to ambiguity...which may help explain why Mr. Shanley's film feels caught between two mediums and why Ms. Streep appears to be in a Gothic horror thriller while everyone else looks and sounds closer to life or at least dramatic realism. Read full review

View more reviews for Doubt on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Brooding, play-based drama isn't for kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this brooding, play-based drama isn't for kids. It tackles questions about God, faith, and evil in a way that will most likely be either uninteresting or too complex for young audiences. Though children are in the cast, the movie's themes are mature -- particularly the question of whether or not a priest has abused a child and how doubt about what happened undoes three main characters. Another storyline examines the patriarchal nature of the Catholic church, despite its dependence on the good works of its (female) nuns. Though there's little swearing, violence, or drinking, the movie isn't meant for kids (and isn't particularly likely to interest them, either).
  • Families can talk about the movie's messages. What is it saying about religion? The Catholic church in particular?
  • Why do Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn clash? Who's right, and who's wrong? And what of doubt? Do you think Father Flynn is guilty or innocent?
  • What characteristics do movies based on plays tend to have in common? Do plays always make good movies? Why or why not?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The movie has complex, ambiguous messages about faith. A nun who rules a school with an iron fist accuses a priest of abusing a child, even though she has no proof. Adults subsequently discuss suspicions of pedophelia. A mother seems willing to turn a blind eye to her son's troubles. A novice gives her mother superior ammunition to destroy someone's reputation. Kids give a new student the cold shoulder and make fun of him in class.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Although the main characters are usually convinced that they're acting for the right reasons, the decisions they make have complicated, far-reaching consequences. They're too often ruled by manipulation and betrayal, as well as selfishness and fear.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: A nun and a priest have a fiery shouting match about guilt and innocence. A thin layer of menace hangs over the film when the plot reveals suspected child abuse. A woman talks about how her son is being beaten up by her husband.
  • sex false0 Sex: Not an issue
  • language false2 Language: Little swearing. On one occasion, the word "bulls--t" is uttered by a child.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: A priest smokes a cigarette, as does a student. A child is suspected of drinking some wine, which an adult may have given him.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

...overacted, overblown Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

Doubt Featured Trailers + Video Clips

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook