# Sliding Doors (1998)

### reviewed by
Luke Buckmaster

    REVIEW: Sliding Doors
    By Luke Buckmaster (bucky@alphalink.com.au)

Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Lynch, John Hannah, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Douglas McFerran, Zara Turner Director: Peter Howitt Screenplay: Peter Howitt

Australian theatrical release date: July 30 1998

    >From 0 stars (bomb), to 5 stars (a masterpiece):
    3 stars

The gimmicky setup of Sliding Doors is exactly that - a gimmick. The film followers two different stories, whilst still containing the same actors, characters and settings (and often, only slightly different situations). It stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah and John Hannah, John Lynch and John Lynch, and, well, you get the message.

The film plays on the idea that one split second could change an entire life. Sure enough, when Helen (Paltrow) just manages to catch a train as it leaves the station, she returns home to find her boy friend, Gerry (John Lynch) in bed with another woman. But of course she also misses the train, returns home, and is unsuspecting. Whilst on the train she meets a charismatic man, James (John Hannah), who always seems to blurt out the perfect observation whenever given the chance. When she doesn't catch the train, she begins to experience relationship problems with Gerry, who is feeling guilty about cheating on her but continues to do it anyway.

The cleverest thing about Sliding Doors is that it manages to trick the viewer into believing that they are watching something better than they actually are. One can't help but be intrigued when the film first splits into two parts, as it rewinds itself for a brief moment, then changes a small detail to illustrate the seemingly insignificant separate of plots. But this intrigue is lost as the two stories develop, and in no time we not only have one fairly ordinary romance film, but two.

I'm starting to really enjoy watching Paltrow on the screen, and if it were not for her elegant, graceful yet sophisticated workin-class-woman performance, Sliding Doors probably wouldn't have had enough appeal to last its duration. She carries the load of the film on her shoulders - creating a much more demanding role than what we've seen in some of her other performances. She showed great skill in Great Expectations and Se7en, but both probably would have still succeeded without her. She gives a remarkable effort in Sliding Doors, but the screenplay limits her acting stamina, as her character is often reduced to pulp at the most crucial of all times.

Still, this is ultimately a pleasing flick, which will probably attract most of its viewers due to its unique method of conveying character and story. Sadly, the different scenarios fail to give new dimensions to the characters, as they appear to have almost identical personalities even after experiencing "life changing" events. Many believe that hard times build character in a person, but the only characters that are ever built remain the same from start to finish.

As the film draws to a close, it first appears like a dramatic change in pace has occurred. Yet a messy and faintly realistic scenario is avoided, and not surprisingly, it ends up winking at the notion of destiny rather than fate.

Not a very satisfying piece, but more often than not Sliding Doors is enjoyable as a romantic comedy with a twist. Would my life have been drastically changed had I not chosen to see the film? Probably not, but I'm still glad I saw it - and for what its worth, the gimmick worked well enough for me to stop and consider the consequences before I board the next train.

Review © copyright Luke Buckmaster

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