‘Doubt’ succeeds on strength of its actors, powerful script
‘Doubt’
Meryl Streep brings her characteristic focus and wily craft to Sister Aloysius, the steely principal of a Catholic school in the Bronx, circa 1964. When a charismatic young priest named Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) shows an interest in the newly integrated school’s only black student, Sister Aloysius entertains suspicions about the priest’s motives. But the story comes to be about much more than just Father Flynn’s guilt or innocence: power, spiritual discipline, institutional politics and corrupt hierarchical rot. Just when you begin to think you know who the cat and mouse really are, in steps Viola Davis as the mother of the student in question, presenting “Doubt” with its most sobering and finally haunting philosophical quandaries. DVD extras include commentary by writer/director John Patrick Shanley, featurettes. (1:44; rated PG-13 for thematic material)
‘Bedtime Stories’
Adam Sandler brings his immature charms to the role of Skeeter Bronson, a handyman with dreams of running the posh L.A. hotel where he changes the light bulbs. Saddled with his niece and nephew for a week and faced with the unwelcome concept of reading to the kids at bedtime, Skeeter instead makes up his own bedtime story, a tale of a medieval handyman who’s allowed to compete for a chance to run the kingdom. The next day, the hotel’s owner is allowing Skeeter an opportunity to run the joint. Instantly, of course, Skeeter is back with the kids, eagerly telling a bedtime story that rewards him with a Ferrari. There’s a moral here about the power of storytelling, but it’s trapped under layers of Sandler-worship and computer-generated monsters. DVD extras include featurettes, deleted scenes, bloopers. (1:39; rated PG for mild rude humor and mild language)
‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’
Although this remake, which stars Keanu Reeves, is likely to make audiences pine for “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” it’s not a complete failure. Reeves is uniquely well suited for the role of Klaatu, the alien life form that warns earthlings of the coming apocalypse unless they change their ways. Helping him is astrobiologist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly), whose young stepson, Jacob (Jaden Smith), thinks Klaatu is the enemy. The real star of both versions of the movie, a robot named Gort, has been confiscated after trying to save Klaatu’s life. Solemn, sober and efficient, the film gets the job done and moves on. Three-disc special edition contains commentary with writer David Scarpa, deleted scenes, featurettes. (1:43; rated PG-13 for sci-fi disaster images and violence)
‘The Tale of Despereaux’
The film’s titular mouse is a big-eared outcast who has been an embarrassment since birth. There is also Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), something of an epicurean rodent who has come to the Land of Dor for the annual unveiling of a new soup. Matthew Broderick makes Despereaux sound like a white guy from the suburbs; Hoffman is terrific, just as he was in “Kung Fu Panda.” Neither, however, provides enough of a reason to care. DVD extras include featurettes, games, interactive map of Dor. (1:33; rated G)
‘Yes Man’
Why did Jim Carrey make this movie? It doesn’t have a plot, it has a premise: What if someone never says no? Will his life improve by 1,000 percent? Yes. And that’s it; open yourself up to experiences, and your life will burst into confetti and you will meet and fall in love with Zooey Deschanel. Is there anything good about the film? Yes. Terence Stamp, the lion-faced Brit, plays the self-help guru who converts Carrey into a yes man. (1:44; rated PG-13 for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity)
Also available: “Alexandra,” “American High School,” “Beverly Hills 90210: Season 7,” “Donkey Punch,” “Faith Like Potatoes,” “I.O.U.S.A,” “Last Days of the Fillmore,” “Operation Valkyrie,” “TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection”