The Door in the Floor (2004)

A writer's young assistant becomes both pawn and catalyst in his boss's disintegrating household.

Director:

Tod Williams

Writers:

John Irving (novel), Tod Williams (screenplay)

Stars:

Elle Fanning, Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elle Fanning	...	Ruth Cole
Jeff Bridges	...	Ted Cole
Kim Basinger	...	Marion Cole
Jon Foster	...	Eddie O'Hare
Larry Pine	...	Interviewer
John Rothman	...	Minty O'Hare
Harvey Loomis	...	Dr. Loomis
Bijou Phillips	...	Alice
Mimi Rogers	...	Evelyn Vaughn
Mike S. Ryan	...	Reception Fan
Libby Langdon	...	Woman at Reception
Louis Arcella	...	Eduardo Gomez
Robert LuPone	...	Mendelssohn
Rachel Style	...	Bookstore Assistant
Amanda Posner	...	Frame Shop Clerk

Storyline

Alternately tragic and comic, an exploration of the complexities of love in both its brightest and darkest corners. Adapted from John Irving's best-selling novel A Widow for One Year, the film is set in the privileged beach community of East Hampton, New York and chronicles one pivotal summer in the lives of famous children's book author Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges) and his beautiful wife Marion (Kim Basinger). Their once-great marriage has been strained by tragedy. Her resulting despondency and his subsequent infidelities have prevented the couple from confronting a much-needed change in their relationship. Eddie O'Hare, the young man Ted hires to work as his summer assistant, is the couple's unwitting yet willing pawn - and, ultimately, the catalyst in the transformation of their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

assistant | summer | beach | children's book | book | 

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Taglines:

The most dangerous secrets are the ones we're afraid to tell ourselves.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality and graphic images, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Focus Features [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Una mujer infiel

Filming Locations:

Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$34,520 (South Africa) (12 November 2004)

Gross:

$34,520 (South Africa) (12 November 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, This Is That Productions, Revere Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The painting of "The Door in the Floor" was actually painted by Jeff Bridges.

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Goofs

When Eddie takes his luggage out of the car, he only gets a couple of items. He holds them in his right hand, immediately closes the trunk with his left hand. The large bag ends up on the ground, even though it never was removed.

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Quotes

Ted Cole: Everything in fiction is a tool: pain, betrayal, even death. These are, you know, these are like, uh, different colors on a painter's palette. You need to use them.

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Connections

Featured in Anatomy of a Scene: The Door in the Floor (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Waltz of the Voices of Spring"
Composed by Johann Strauß
Courtesy of Promusic

User Reviews

A Wrenching Tragedy Shatters A Happy Marriage

This well-acted tragedy pulls us through an exploration of the complexities of love in both the darkest and brightest corridors. Adapted from John Irving's best-selling novel, `A Widow For One Year', the film carefully weaves its way through the painful and tragic aftermath of a deadly accident, alternating between comedy and disaster.

The setting is in the privileged beach community of East Hampton on Long Island, New York where our hero, a children's book author, Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges) resides with his beautiful wife Marion (Kim Bassinger). Once upon a time, they had a happy marriage until the bliss was shattered by the accidental death of their two sons. The aftermath resulted in a general despondency and bizarre infidelities that did little to assuage the pain and dysfunction of their deteriorating relationship. The remnants of a once great love are hinted at in almost every scene, although alas are clouded over by their inability to regroup to face the future and put away the past.

Eddie O'Hare, (Jon Foster) the college junior Ted hired to work as his summer assistant and protégé, becomes the couple's unwitting, yet willing pawn, who ultimately evolves into the catalyst in the transformation of their bitter lives. Ted's recent children's book, `The Door In The Floor' in due course becomes the surviving metaphor for transforming their lives.

The evolving story seems to beg for something really horrific to happen, yet offers a kind of relief when this fear is unrealized. One senses that if this couple had only handled their loss differently, a far better result would have followed. It is also a poignant tale of a young boy's rite of passage becoming a man and another man sinking into an emotional immaturity and then hopefully climbing back out.

Directed and written by Tod Williams, this tale is quite apart from the usual Hollywood drivel that may leave you mired in an introspective quandary for quite some time.