Sliding Doors (1998)

Very disappointing...

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I was referred to this movie from a video by spiritualist Teal Swan titled "What are The Akashic Records?" It turns out that the main subject of this movie, that is of a multi-dimensional life and its possibilities, are contain in the Akashic records. Helen, a single public relations professional with a live-in boyfriend named Gerry, gets fired. On her way back home, she is delayed for about a second by a child who steps in front of her as she hurriedly descends down the subway stairway. This causes her to miss the train. In another parallel scenario, the child is moved out of the way and Helen is able to board the train. From this juncture, two parallel and diverse lives of Helen emerge concurrently. In the path where she misses the train, she never finds out that Gerry is cheating on her. In the second path she meets a suitor named James on board, discovers that Gerry is cheating, and dumps him for James. We see both paths weave through Helen's time line with an ongoing suspicious relationship with Gerry on one hand, and a developing relationship with James on the other. Both paths reach a climax at the same physical location, a hospital, with two completely different outcomes. I like this movie because it is an easy to digest dramatization of what in the spiritual world is referred to as controlling one's reality based on how one reacts. Helen could have not gotten fired in which case the two scenarios in the movie would be insignificant. I applaud this movie for tackling a much discussed and pondered subject of multi-dimensional and possible life outcomes that could play out depending on how we react to circumstances.

Romantic Comedies are not my thing. But this is an interesting take on it. Instead of the one main storyline to follow, we get two. What would occur if this event happened vs. how it would be different if a different event happened -- two visions of a woman's path. Gwyneth Paltrow is the lead and I found her to be very unappealing. Her character is not very interesting in the least. The male lead is John Hannah who was quite refreshing. Jeanne Tripplehorn is fun to watch, adds a little flavor to it all. Overall, this will be remembered because of the way the film presented itself but it's rather just mediocre otherwise. Love story yada yada yada. Barf. What some would call a "chick flick." 6.1 / 10 --Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

this movie contains so much cliché.. incredible. Just because of the interesting idea of showing 2 parallel versions of her life, and the fatality that they come together anyway, i am giving 2 points...and this is actually why I chose to watch this one and give it a chance. Even if the title does not necessarily sound so, it is such a romantic flick.. incredible..Gwyneth paltrow is meant to be super cute, she makes her cutie face as well as her sad sad girl-face all the time, so you just have to feel compassion with her situation... her new lover is more of a sick stalker spider who cathes her in his net, and all the lucky and unlucky situations that occcur in the movie are just so stupid... incredible.. After a couple of minutes of watching, you exactly know what is gonna happen, I only did not expect her to die and the repeating scene in the elevator... everything else is predictable...

Unlike most romcoms Sliding Doors has a touch more intelligence, wit and depth. It uses as its pivotal moment how one woman's life splits at the missing or catching of a train and the different consequences of each event. We've all said "what would have happened if..." and this film opens with that premise.The film is average, although there are great performances. I love John Hannah and he's always convincing and steady whatever he plays. Gwyneth Paltrow playing the two parallel life Helens is good, not brilliant, and a little bit flat, but it was perhaps perfect for this role where she goes through quite a bit. John Lynch and Jeanne Tripplehorn (both rather wooden) and a great Zara Turner adding a few laughs as the feisty supportive best friend are the supporting cast. Whilst quite a dark film, there's a fair bit of comedy. Set in a rather sterile looking London (I've never seen the Tube look so perfect), it's an intriguing concept and is executed well, the split easily and not-improbably identified via Helen's change of hair length and colour, and so you follow the two Helen's to the conclusion implying that - like all love stories - true love (probably) triumphs no matter how bumpy the road. Like time travel films (this is a similar though a different phenomenon) there are possible loopholes that you can talk yourself around to ponder. Sliding Doors is interesting and different, and whilst it's not Shakespeare in Love (my fav Paltrow film) or anything high brow it's good entertainment and greatly thought provoking.