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Movies / On DVD / The Door in the Floor
The Door in the Floor

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The Door in the Floor (2004)

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Reviews Counted:138

Fresh:91

Rotten:47

Average Rating:6.4/10

Consensus: Though uneven in tone, this is one of the better adaptations of John Irving's novels, with Jeff Bridges giving one of his best performances.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: The Door in the Floor explores the complexities of love in its brightest, most mysterious, and darkest corners. The Door in the Floor is directed by Tod Williams, whose screenplay is adapted from... The Door in the Floor explores the complexities of love in its brightest, most mysterious, and darkest corners. The Door in the Floor is directed by Tod Williams, whose screenplay is adapted from John Irving's best-selling novel A Widow for One Year. Set in the beach community of East Hampton, New York, the film chronicles one pivotal summer in the lives of famous children's books author Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges) and his beautiful wife Marion (Kim Basinger). Their once-great marriage has been strained by tragedy. The Coles lovingly parent their surviving child, bright 4-year-old Ruth (Elle Fanning), who takes everything in stride as perhaps only a child can. But Marion's equation of love with loss, coupled with Ted's infidelities, points towards a much-needed change in the relationship. That may come in the form of Eddie O'Hare (Jon Foster), the young man Ted hires to work as his summer assistant - and, Ted hopes, the catalyst to invigorate the Coles' bond of marriage. Eddie idolizes Ted, but Ted's erratic work habits soon leave Eddie to his own devices. Marion becomes an object of desire for Eddie, rekindling in her some surprising emotions as a mother and as a woman. To Eddie's surprise and delight, his yearning is potently reciprocated. As he becomes passionately entwined with the seemingly fragile yet increasingly bold Marion, Eddie comes to realize that, similarly, Ted's surface fecklessness hides something deeper within. As the summer draws to a close, Marion and Ted must make difficult decisions about the future of their family. A Focus Features and Revere Pictures presentation of a This is that production. Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger. The Door in the Floor. Jon Foster, Mimi Rogers, Elle Fanning, with Bijou Phillips. Composer, Marcelo Zarvos. Costume Designer, Eric Daman. Editor, Affonso Gonçalves. Production Designer, Thérèse DePrez. Director of Photography, Terry Stacey. Co-Producer, Marisa Polvino. Executive Producer, Amy J. Kaufman. Executive Producer, Roger Marino. Produced by Michael Corrente. Produced by Ted Hope, Anne Carey. Based the novel A Widow for One Year by John Irving. Screenplay by Tod Williams. Directed by Tod Williams. -- © Focus Features [More]

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger, Mimi Rogers, Elle Fanning

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger, Mimi Rogers, Elle Fanning, Jon Foster, Bijou Phillips

Director: Tod Williams

Director: Tod Williams
Screenwriter: Tod Williams
Producer: Michael Corrente, Ted Hope, Anne Carey
Composer: Marcelo Zarvos
Studio: Focus Features

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Reviews for The Door in the Floor

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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A finely made drama about a seriously disturbed family.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
10/31/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
11/06/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
03/07/05
Independent
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/18/05
BBC
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Bridges explores lusty hedonism while Mimi Rogers’s bold nudity galvanizes. But I’m getting tired of the double standard.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
05/17/04
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

Acute, introspective look at a dysfunctional family gets a boost from Jeff Bridges' performance.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
07/15/04
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

As directed by second-timer Tod Williams, The Door in the Floor tackles each sequence as if it were a separate movie; the tones never match.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
07/14/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

The transformation of what Irving wrote to what Williams filmed is a classic case of diminishment by movie convention.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
07/14/04
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday

It works as a fascinating and often very funny character study/satire of a famous author, though it loses interest the harder it tries to be profound and falls apart completely toward the end.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
07/14/04
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Incomplete and dreary, despite some beautiful atmospherics and an exceptional performance by Jeff Bridges.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
07/19/04
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

In many ways, despite its adult sheen, it's as foolish as any other disposable summer film.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
07/23/04
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Well-composed as it is, The Door in the Floor is far too precious to evoke much more than a distanced, aesthetic appreciation.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
07/29/04
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

For the most part, The Door in the Floor is well-made, and it held my attention throughout, but this is one of those motion pictures where it's easier to admire than like the final result.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
07/13/04
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

A languorous, fitfully compelling screen adaptation.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
07/14/04
Misha Berson
Misha Berson
Seattle Times

Subtly captivating, fact-of-life moment(s) define (the film's) emotional timbre...

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
07/14/04
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

We're asked to care about a self-absorbed children's author, his depressive, self-absorbed wife and their self-absorbed 16-year-old assistant.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
07/16/04
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post

This movie's heart is set on suggesting that the cure for what ails you emotionally is sex. And, if it's a little on the forbidden side, all the better.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
06/14/04
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

Bridges and Basinger craft deeply layered, complicated characters whose flaws are substantial yet compelling enough to be liked by audiences.

Full Review Source: Des Moines Register | comment Comment
08/16/04
Jeffrey Bruner
Jeffrey Bruner
Des Moines Register
 
 
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Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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Latest News for The Door in the Floor

April 08, 2005: Frankie Muniz Aims to "Stay Alive"!
The Hollywood Reporter brings news of a rather drastic career switch for the young Frankie Muniz. Known throughout the universe as "Malcolm in the Middle" (or perhaps... More...

June 22, 2004: Not so easily cast was the role of Marion, a woman so traumatized by the death of her sons that she can’t properly mother her daughter. Opens in new window
More...

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