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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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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Bridges' performance is a marvel of hard acting made to look easy.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
08/13/04
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

I failed to connect with any one of the film’s three main characters.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
08/13/04
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

Awash in lame symbolism, proud to pimp its salt-air locations and comely actors, and equipped with exactly zero governing notions of human behavior.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
08/10/04
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

I can’t forgive a movie for boring me. I can be offended, upset, incensed or infuriated. Take everything I hold sacred...and throw human waste on it.... Just don’t bore me.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
08/10/04
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
Film Threat

While the film is a pleasure to behold, it is Jeff Bridges as successful author Ted Cole who is worth more than the price of a ticket.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
08/08/04
Doris Toumarkine
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International

Since when are dullness and realism synonymous?

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/04
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine

Williams bravely blends moments of levity into what is inherently a serious subject and also lends the film a restrained but stylish aura appropriate for the story's tony setting in the Hamptons.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
08/06/04
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

The richly rewarding film is funny, sexy, tragic, touching and sometimes kind of sweetly bizarre

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
08/05/04
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

There is something almost too familiar about its themes of marital discord, familial breakdown, and taboo relationships

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
08/05/04
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

This is essentially an actor’s film and the principals are all solid, with both Basinger and Bridges turning in some of their best work.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
08/01/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

A fundamentally depressing piece of work -- not because it deals with tragic events and memories but because the characters seem hapless and even stupid, and the writer-director can't, or won't, take control.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
08/01/04
David Denby
David Denby
New Yorker

One of those movies that screws up the small details while tapping into the larger issues.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
07/30/04
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

While the story trips over all the symbolism and takes a glib turn, it is rarely sentimental.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
07/29/04
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

An excellent rendering of the first third of A Widow for One Year, and one of the best John Irving adaptations to date thanks to the Oscar®-worthy Bridges and Basinger.

Full Review Source: Movie Boeuf | comment Comment
07/29/04
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
Movie Boeuf

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
07/29/04
Susan Tavernetti
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
07/25/04
Kimberly Jones
Kimberly Jones
Austin Chronicle

A careful study of grief and love, remaining incredibly true to parts of Irving's novel while leaving most of it untouched.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
07/23/04
Phoebe Flowers
Phoebe Flowers
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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

Not one enigmatic person in The Door in the Floor asks to be liked, but you like them anyway.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
07/23/04
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

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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