Without a Doubt!! Outstanding Movie!
3.5/4 stars

This was a superb film! Riveting performances from Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman highlight this intense story of a 1964 Bronx, New York Catholic school's head nun and its chief priest, who are at odds with each other. As Sister Aloysius Beauvier, Streep is a staunch and conservatively no-nonsense disciplinarian who looks down with disdain on the free-spirited progressive ways of Father Brendan Flynn (Hoffman). Joining the father in his modern way of thinking is the youngest nun in the church, an 8th grade teacher called Sister James (Amy Adams). But there is cause for concern when Sister James uncovers evidence that the well-liked Father Flynn may be engaging in improper conduct with the only black student in the school, a 12-year-old boy named Donald. Sister Aloysius seizes this opportunity to try and have Flynn ousted from the school at any cost, despite that there is no clear-cut unshakable evidence to indicate the priest's guilt, and that Father Flynn's side of the story sounds perfectly legitimate.

What makes this movie so good is not only the aforementioned standout performances from Streep and Hoffman, but also Amy Adams as the distraught sister in the middle, and a strong turn by Viola Davis in a key scene as the young boy's desperate mother. In a few differently powerful confrontational sequences, Streep and Hoffman are just amazing to observe together. In some ways Hoffman's acting is exceptional, as we are never one hundred percent certain as to whether he's innocent of the charge or not. We're also not sure what to make out of Streep's motivations for wanting to bring him down. This all adds up to a powerful ending scene which drives home the film's message for us, and makes us leave the film questioning what we think may actually have happened, and why.

Review by mdtinney