---
title: "Doubt: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/doubt/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/doubt"
critics_score: 64
critics_reviews: 13
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Doubt (2008): what the critics said

Critics' score 64 from 13 reviews: 5 positive, 6 mixed, 2 negative.

Most critics find Doubt compelling and provocative, and nearly all of them put the praise on the acting. Meryl Streep’s Sister Aloysius is the reason several reviewers say the film is worth seeing at all, with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams drawing steady approval alongside her. The name that recurs most, though, is Viola Davis, whose single scene opposite Streep is called the film’s high point by more than one critic and its standout by others.

The reservations cluster on the adaptation. Shanley’s film is described as stagebound, clunky and inert, telling where it might show, and some think his visual flourishes get in the way of a drama that could stand alone. Slant Magazine judges it weaker than the play. The spread is wide: a cluster of four-star notices sits against two outright dismissals, with IndieWire calling it handsome but forgettable and the Los Angeles Times faulting the direction for overplaying its hand. Most settle in the middle, admiring the performances and doubting the film around them.

## The Guardian — Philip French

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2009. 

French finds the film provocative and compelling, praising its outstanding performances. He especially singles out Viola Davis for making an indelible impression in her brief scene.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/feb/08/doubt-film-review)

## Time Out — Dave Calhoun

Rating 4/5. 3 February 2009. 

The standfirst suggests a serious but thought-provoking film about judgment, self-belief and certainty. It singles out the ideas prompted by the characters’ convictions, while the full review text is unavailable.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/doubt)

## Total Film — Neil Smith

Rating 4/5. 3 February 2009. 

The review finds the film riveting, though its stagebound approach may not suit viewers who prefer films to show rather than tell. It praises the performances, singling out Viola Davis as the standout in her brief scene.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/doubt-review/)

## Slant Magazine — Dan Callahan

Rating 3.5/5. 6 April 2009. 

Callahan finds the film less effective than the play, though he considers it worth seeing for Meryl Streep’s performance. He especially praises her subtle, unexpected acting choices, including her reaction when recalling her late husband.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/doubt-dvd/)

## Screen Daily — Brent Simon

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 7 November 2008. 

The accessible page identifies this as a review, but its critical assessment is not visible. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the available text.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/doubt/4041859.article)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 2008. 

The page content is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. The URL identifies it as a film review, but provides no basis for summarizing its opinion.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/arts/31iht-fmreview31.1.18979705.html)

## Empire — Ian Nathan

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 29 January 2009. 

The critic finds the film frustratingly clunky but worthwhile for Meryl Streep’s performance. He singles out her vivid portrayal of Sister Aloysius, while faulting the stage adaptation’s lack of cinematic dynamism.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/doubt-review/)

## Radio Times — Andrew Collins

Rating 3/5. 

Collins presents the adaptation as chilly and austere, but compellingly performed. He singles out the powerhouse trio of Streep, Hoffman and Adams.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-98panj/doubt/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2008. 

The critic finds the film provocative and dramatically effective, though its treatment of Sister Aloysius weakens the story. He praises the dramatic fireworks generated by the performances of Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/film-review-doubt-125083/)

## IndieWire — Chris Wisniewski

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 9 December 2008. 

Wisniewski calls the film gripping but bloodless, handsome, and oddly forgettable. He particularly praises Viola Davis’s pivotal performance, while faulting Shanley’s distracting visual flourishes.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/the-plays-the-thing-john-patrick-shanleys-doubt-71229/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2008. 

Turan finds the film compelling but says Shanley’s direction overplays elements that the drama could carry on its own. He especially praises Viola Davis’s performance, calling her scene with Sister Aloysius the film’s high point.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-dec-12-et-doubt12-story.html)

## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 January 2009. 

Kermode calls the film an intelligent, must-see work despite some stageiness near the end. She especially praises the towering performances and sharp dialogue.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/doubt-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)

## Paste — Jeffrey Bloomer

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2008. 

Bloomer finds the film’s central scandal and ideological complexity compelling, despite its inertness as a cinematic adaptation. He singles out Viola Davis’s encounter with the nun as a knockout scene that opens up disturbing possibilities.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/john-patrick-shanley/doubt)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/doubt.md