Shanley’s translation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play from stage to screen is something of a noble failure. The dropping of “A Fable” from the play’s original title combined with the literalism that realistic cinema tends to produce (which Shanley and cinematographer Roger Deakins fight to combat with canted camera angles and bold interior colors) emphasizes the particularities of its minimalistic story to the detriment of its timelessness. The story certainly has inherent intrigue, as does Meryl Streep’s fiercely comical performance, but the film is weighed down by its talkiness, which on stage translated figuratively but here feels stagey and often unconvincing. (Cinemark Hollywood 16, Amarillo, TX)