Plot: What’s it about?
On the surface, it would appear that Sliding Doors is just yet another romantic comedy. In recent years, we have been deluged with so many that the whole genre is almost becoming a cliche in itself. Yet, where Sliding Doors differs in it’s delivery. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, who has been in a few of these “English” movies herself, as a recently fired PR executive. In other movies of this type, namely “Go” and “Run Lola Run” there is a matter of messing with time. In “Go”, the time factor can be described simply as the same story told from three different points of view. In “Run Lola Run”, the time factor is that it’s the same movie, three different ways. What seperates Sliding Doors from these is that it’s the same story, but on a tangent. The best example to highlight this would be in Back to the Future II, where an alternate timeline has occured due to a specific event in the past. That’s where Sliding Doors fits in. It highlights a moment and does a “what if” parallel between Paltrow’s character for the rest of the movie.
Paltrow plays Helen, though she actually plays two different versions of the same character. The movie opens as she is promptly fired from what seems to be an all-male PR firm (oddly enough, a profession that is dominated by women) under the guise that she has stolen 4 bottles of vodka for her own personal use (her birthday). Sulking away, she races to catch the “tube” (subway) and it’s right then that we hear a little chime and the movie splits into two different stories. We see Helen A who misses the tube and is then informed that there won’t be another for a while, so she tries to catch a cab, is promptly mugged and catches a bad cut that lands her in the hospital. We then literally backtrack (yes the film actually plays in reverse) to that same exact moment and see Helen B actually make the tube. What has happened so far is null and void, the difference is that the Helen who made the subway comes home very early from a day at the office to find her live in boyfriend smack dab in the middle of a sexual encounter with his American mistress, Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn). On the other hand, Helen A has returned from the hospital after Lydia has left and has no knowledge of his ongoing affair. This is where the major change happens. Helen B (the one without the cut, that’s the best way to tell them apart) moves in with her best friend, Anna (Zara Turner) and is persuaded to give herself a new look. Conversely, Helen A is taken out to the same bar that Helen B (remember these characters have no actual interaction, they’re seperate) went to but under the guilt of Gerry (John Lynch), the boyfriend.
The one constant in both Helen’s lives is James (John Hannah), playing the always cheery character, he develops an interest in Helen A and the two seem to hit it off very well. Meanwhile, the situation with Gerry in both Helen’s lives is always difficult, with Lydia wanting a commitment…All of this sounds confusing, and in a sense it is. What Sliding Doors makes you do, is pay attention. The fact that it deals with time and a bunch of “what if” happenings is a revelation. I mean, how different would our lives turn out if just one insignificant event were to go differently? What if you turned right at a light instead of going left? Things like that. To me, I find it intriguing as was the movie. Of course, the underlying sentiment is that it’s also a very good love story and fits nicely into that ever growing “Romantic Comedy” genre. Highly recommended.
Video: How does it look?
While Paramount has taken more of the “high road” these days with their releases, this was part of their “non-anamorphic” days and a number of fine films got the shaft in terms of their picture quality. This was one of them. Being a new movie, the picture is still bright and vivid, and there is hardly any artifacting to be seen, so it’s far from a “bad transfer”, but 16:9 enhancement is just that…an enhancement. A few specs of dirt here and there and some shimmering take a bit away from the overall feeling of the film, but on the whole it’s a nice transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
Suprisingly good. The audio is in 5.1 Dolby Digital sound which is about the only benefit that this film has received. A very active soundtrack suprised me, but it was more of a pleasant suprise. Dialogue is very clean with no distortion at all and many times during the movie, all 5.1 channels are active…very active. The sense that most romantic comedies are dialog driven is true, but this has all that and some great music to boot. If they ever decide to remaster this title, an isolated score (with commentary, of course) would be a nice addition.
Supplements: What are the extras?
No extras. Special edition…please?
