Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep, left) is a nun who grows suspicious when Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) takes an interest in a young student in John Patrick Shanley's film Doubt. (Miramax Films/Maple Pictures)

John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt is a slick package, chock full of baubles that usually please the duffers who vote for the Oscars. It’s got an impressive Broadway pedigree, and purports to be a worthy, socially relevant drama about big ideas. Heck, it has Meryl Streep as a mean-spirited nun, sporting a Bronx accent. Streep? With an accent? It’s catnip for Academy members.

Writer-director John Patrick Shanley has crafted what is essentially a courtroom drama — A Few Good Men with a theological overlay.

The plotline doesn’t diverge much from Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. It’s 1964, and Sister Aloysius (Streep) rules St. Nicholas School with an iron fist. She disciplines kids during sermons if they aren’t listening, literally striking the fear of God into them. She’s all about the denial of gratification, and the austerity of her value system is reflected in the school’s drab design.

Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a recent arrival, a forward-thinking priest/teacher who preaches a kinder, gentler gospel. He sees children as human beings, not pubescent terrors. Flynn even dares to discuss spiritual doubt in front of them, and a question from one of his sermons — “What do you do when you’re not sure?” — becomes the ethical and structural focus of the film.

Sister Aloysius clearly loathes Flynn’s progressive ways. One of her fellow nuns, the naive Sister James (played by Amy Adams), starts to suspect — but has no firm proof — that the priest has had inappropriate relations with the school’s only black student, a 12-year-old altar boy named Donald Muller (Joseph Foster). Reluctantly, she informs Sister Aloysius, who refuses to consider any option other than the priest’s guilt. The joyless nun is terrified of the social and cultural changes the 1960s are about to rain down upon her, and she sees crushing the priest as a way to keep them at bay. A cat-and-mouse game ensues; over the course of several meetings in her office, she tries to elicit an admission from Flynn.

Writer-director Shanley has crafted what is essentially a courtroom drama — A Few Good Men with a theological overlay. Sister Aloysius is the fearsome prosecutor, spewing contempt for the defendant, while Father Flynn loudly proclaims his innocence, alternating between disbelief and rage.

Viola Davis gives a powerful performance as the mother of a boy who is at the centre of controversy in the film Doubt. (Miramax Films/Maple Pictures)

The source material is certainly intriguing, not least because the plot embodies tricky questions about the nature of faith: How can anyone be certain that a higher power exists? What role does doubt play in a religious quest? No doubt this small-scale battle is captivating on an intimate stage, with two powerful lead characters, some tasty ambiguity and whip-smart dialogue. Unfortunately, Shanley is unable to transform the rhythms of his theatre work into something resembling cinematic momentum. Doubt often feels like a play that’s been recorded on film, rather than one that’s been reimagined for the big screen. The best courtroom dramas run on adrenaline; the pacing here is just too pedestrian.

Directing for the first time since Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Shanley lacks visual imagination. For one thing, he relies way too heavily on a wind motif; every time someone goes outside, it’s extremely blustery. After a while, the audience is in danger of overdosing on pathetic fallacy. God is angry — we get it.

Of course, snagging titans like Streep and Hoffman was essential in order for a major studio to fund a movie that tackles such difficult subject matter. But the ornate theatricality of their performances rings false. Whenever the duo shares the screen, you almost expect to see a ticker running along the bottom that says: “For your Oscar consideration.” There’s a dangerous amount of scenery chewing going on, and their set pieces are so powerful they sometimes threaten to overwhelm the rest of the film.

While her role is much quieter and less showy, Adams is effective as an innocent wracked with guilt over what she’s unleashed, caught in an emotional tug of war between the two main characters. As Mrs. Muller, the alleged victim’s mother, Viola Davis delivers an extremely high number of goosebumps in her limited screen time. Her understated, natural delivery works beautifully here, in contrast with the work of the better-known actors. In one extended scene, Mrs. Muller haggles with Sister Aloysius over the child’s fate. Her response to the situation is both surprising and gut-wrenching, and helps to create what is easily the most powerful scene in the film.

Shanley’s play opened in 2005, midway through George W. Bush’s presidency. It was an appropriate time to explore the implications of moral certainty through a character who won’t allow doubt or nuance into her world. While the film version arrives at the end of the “W” era, the political moment is still ripe for such a study. Unfortunately, with its staginess and slack pacing, Doubt isn’t quite up to the task.

Doubt opens in Toronto on Dec. 12. Other Canadian cities to follow.

Greig Dymond writes about the arts for CBCNews.ca.