Sliding Doors (1998)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Peter Howitt

Writer:

Peter Howitt (writer)

Release Date:

24 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

There are two sides to every story. Helen is about to live both of them ...at the same time. Romance was never this much fun.

Plot:

A London woman's love life and career both hinge, unknown to her, on whether or not she catches a train. We see it both ways, in parallel.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Cheating | Waitress | Love | Parallel Time

Awards:

6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Helen Quilley
John Hannah	...	James Hammerton
John Lynch	...	Gerry
Jeanne Tripplehorn	...	Lydia
Zara Turner	...	Anna
Douglas McFerran	...	Russell
Paul Brightwell	...	Clive
Nina Young	...	Claudia
Virginia McKenna	...	James's Mother
Kevin McNally	...	Paul
Terry English	...	Kind Cabbie
Paul Stacey	...	Man on Tube
Peter Howitt	...	Cheeky Bloke
Joanna Roth	...	Suspicious Girl
Neil Stuke	...	Defensive Bloke

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Italy:T | Mexico:B | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (original rating) (1997)

Filming Locations:

Waterloo & City Line, London Underground, London, England, UK

Company:

Intermedia Films

Trivia:

When Sydney Pollack called from Hollywood to offer financing, director Peter Howitt was on a drinking spree in a London pub, and had to be sobered up before he could speak to Pollack.

Goofs:

Continuity: When James and Helen are sitting in the diner, they are drinking pink milkshakes. As the shots cut back and forth the shakes disappear and reappear. Also in the next scene James talks about drinking chocolate shakes, even though they were pink, not brown.

Quotes:

[last lines]
[Helen drops her earring in the lift. James picks it up and gives it to her]
Helen: [gloomily] Thank you.
James: Cheer up, you know what the Monty Pythons always say...
Helen: "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition"
[Helen and James turn and stare at each other as the lift closes]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "20 to 1: Girls on Film (#6.7)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Amateur

A Delightful Romance, With a Wonderful Screenplay

In London, the public relation Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) is fired from her position in a PR company. While returning home, she does not catch the train in the subway. But in another possibility of her life, she catches the train in the subway. The story shows two parallel lives of Helen: in one life, she stays with her boyfriend Gerry (John Lynch), and in the other life, she finds that Gerry cheats her with Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and falls in love with James Hammerton (John Hannah). "Sliding Doors" is a delightful romance, with a wonderful screenplay. There are excellent lines, and the chemistry between Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah is marvelous. John Lynch is a good actor, but is completely miscast in the role of a man disputed by two gorgeous women. I have just watched this movie for the third time, and I still love it. It is very interesting that in 1998, two movies presented similar concepts of different situations depending on a minor event: "Sliding Doors" and "Lola Rennt". This theme is fascinating, but there are many unfair reviews of this film in IMDb, which is one of my favorite movie. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "De Caso com o Acaso" ("Having an Affair With Fortune")