John Patrick Shanley Directs the Film of His Play, ‘Doubt’ – NYTimes.com
For what ever reason, Ms. Streep has been willing to have herself cast in a variety of roles that have broadened, universally, the possibilities for an “On Screen” actor.
Film has become such a Directors’ medium that actors are mostly seen as their creations – like animated furniture that only comes to life under the direction of the interior designer.
Meryl in Angels in America
Both Ms. Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman shatter this belief because you can always find them, their personalities, in the roles that they are playing. Sometimes, as in the case of Meryl, her roles are declared great and Oscar worthy, even before anyone has seen them.
This movie, from the play of the same name, is a difficult and different type of film and requires that the viewer look past Meryl and Phillip’s personal brillance, otherwise you can lose the point of the film.