Yes Man and Doubt
Yes Man was alright. I give it a 3 / 5. Some scenes worked and some didn't when it comes to making me laugh. The overall point about saying "Yes" to every opportunity that presents itself has some major flaws but that was addressed in the movie at the end. (SPOILER ALERT - do not read the rest of this paragraph) Indeed, the whole point about saying Yes to everything at the beginning is because he said No to everything and it was to get him started to actually want opportunity. Then he started saying Yes to important issues that required careful consideration and commitment, which lead to him being insincere and hurtful. So the moral of the story is to actively seek out and accept opportunities that present themselves but only if you want to? Wut.
Doubt was probably very interesting to some people but it wasn't for me. The performances byMeryl Streep as Sister Aloysius and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Brendan Flynn carried the movie. Without them, I think the movie would have sucked. (SPOILER ALERT - do not read the rest of this paragraph) There are some witty moments such as the scene between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius where Flynn decided to give a sermon about "intolerance" after hearing Aloysius depiction of Frosty the Snowman as heretical. Anyway, the movie has some majorly complicated themes and I really don't want to get into the whole bit about whether Flynn is guilty or not. I originally wrote points about why he's guilty or innocent but the whole point is that you're never sure based on what's shown in the film. It was never revealed with certainty (e.g., caught in the act). And that is what Doubt is. I'll just stop here.
For people who know me, I can be analytical when it comes to movies ('cept for movies where I know I should leave my brain at the door) and my personal entertainment value factors into that analysis. It just wasn't that entertaining to sit through. I guess I'm not the kind of guy who can sit through over an hour and a half of dialogue. I give Doubt a 3 / 5 as well.
