Unfaithful to the genre
Matthew Harrison
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Bridges : a little Lebowski goes a long way
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The Door in the Floor takes Hollywood infidelity for a twist
The movement from innocence to knowledge is a universal rite of passage, one that brings about maturity but not necessarily happiness. This philosophical view of the world pretty much sums up the central theme of The Door in the Floor, a film that's easy to watch and easy to identify with.Writer/director Tod Williams (The Adventures of Sebastian Cole) based The Door in the Floor on A Widow for One Year, a novel by John Irving that deals with the breakdown of a marriage and infidelity as a result of losing two children in an accident years ago.
Inevitably you expect another film about adultery to adopt the same formula that's rehashed in almost every Hollywood drama based around an affair - the affair is eventually discovered and there is a resulting death. Even Adrianne Lynn's successful and European-esque drama, Unfaithful succumbed to this tired recipe of having to include a violent ending.
While Door In The Floor flirts with violence that includes a comedic knife-wielding interlude where Mimi Rodgers chases Jeff Bridges around some hedges, the film delivers an ending that is less about satisfying the audience's lust for action and more about reaching a realistic resolution which doesn't allow the audience to disengage from the events of the film.
The story revolves around a tragic accident in the past that neither Ted Cole, a children's book author played by Jeff Bridges, or his wife Marion (Kim Basinger), were able to leave behind. Eddie O'Hare, played by newcomer Jon Foster,
is a young aspiring writer who comes to East Hampton to study under Cole. He is also a virgin and spends the first half of the film frequently masturbating. He eventually fulfills his urges with Marion, who is temporarily separated from Ted during the summer. But it's not pretty.The twitchy virgin sleeps with a nearly comatose Marion and the film moves into that tense realm where we watch the couple attempt to conceal their relationship from Ted.
The film departs from the formulaic because of Bridges and his quirky yet loveable personality that hold the story together. The rest of the cast are predictable. Kim Basinger is nothing more than a beautiful foil for a boringly horny teenager, whereas Bridges, borrowing a bit from his Big Lebowski persona, is a loveable, tragic character whose slightly humorous antics help to brighten a bleak landscape.
The natural real-world pace of the film and it's themes involving loss, dealing with the past in the present, and sexuality are easily identifiable helping to create a beautifully tragic story.
| THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR opens into that slow road to entertainment hell... |
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Wow, a movie so leaden and morose that the XPRESS felt the need to publish two separate reviews for it in two separate weeks. What, are we actually trying to drum up business for the suicide hotlines?
I'm sorry if that seems a tad harsh but THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR has now earned two write-ups and other movies that AREN't tedious bores have yet to get even one. It's kind of like writing two separate obituaries for one stiff corpse and ignoring the births of many little children.
Look, THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR is frigid bore that is currenttly in its last death rattle in theatres. Irving wrote a damned solid book but as screenplays and pictures go THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR is terminally morose and predictable. The movie has no internal life, no color and brings no satisfaction to anyone watching it. You'd think that with Basinger and Bridges in it that it'd at least have some tiny spark but nope, not even that.
I have seen TV movies-of-the-week with more interest and purpose.
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Pedro Eggers
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{13 votes}
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I have been a huge fan of Jeff Bridges for many years now and is on my top ten list of favorite actors of all time. He is just such a hunk. I'm looking forward to seeing this film because I heard that the book was excellent but I'm going to wait until the DVD comes out. I heard that this film is a beautiful tragic story and that is what will make this film a hit with an all-star cast that includes Kim Basinger. I don't think that any film has to be faithful to its genre and this is why I disagree with this review. Jeff Bridges will shine in "The Door in the Floor."
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Carmela Sicurella
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{8 votes}
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| Finally a movie about real people with real problems. |
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One of the better adaptations of John Irving's novels. The script is daring and mysterious. It has a nice picture, a nice atmosphere, it is entertaining and funny. This is a film of adults dealing with complex relationship problems, Bridges is masterful. The movie is much better than I expected but the pace may be a bit slow. Finally, a film that is beautiful to watch and to listen to.
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Jessika Sévigny
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{1 vote}
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| Looking forward to this one.. |
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As a fan of both John Irving ('A Widow for One Year' was a wonderful book) and Jeff Bridges, I have been looking forward to this film. I'm disappointed to hear that the reviewer found that Kim Basinger was predictable in her role as Marion, as the character in the book was richly drawn - I'll have to check it out for myself to see if I agree!
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Jennifer Savoy
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{4 votes}
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