Sliding Doors (1998)

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.

Director:

Peter Howitt

Writer:

Peter Howitt

Stars:

Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch

6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Helen
John Hannah	...	James
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

Storyline

In London, the public relation Helen 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, and in the other life, she finds that Gerry cheats her with Lydia and falls in love with James Hammerton.

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Plot Keywords:

multiple outcomes | twist of fate | serendipity | parallel time | destiny | 

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Taglines:

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.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dos vidas en un instante

Filming Locations:

The Corn Exchange, 55 Mark Lane, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$834,817, 26 April 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$11,883,495, 30 August 1998

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$67,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Intermedia Films, Mirage Enterprises, Miramax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sliding doors incident that sparks the parallel story was shot at Fulham Broadway station and at Waterloo Station on the Waterloo and City line of London Underground. The blue train is a Waterloo and City line train.

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Goofs

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.

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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]

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Connections

References Life of Brian (1979)

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Soundtracks

Good Enough
Written by Nigel Clark, Mathew Priest (as Matthew Priest) and Andy Miller (as Andrew Miller)
Performed by Dodgy
Courtesy of A&M Records Limited, London by arrangement with PolyGram Film and TV Music

User Reviews

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")

Note: On 07 January 2017, I saw this film again.