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<TITLE>Review for Sliding Doors (1998)</TITLE>
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<H1 ALIGN="CENTER" CLASS="title"><A HREF="/Title?0120148">Sliding Doors (1998)</A></H1><H3 ALIGN=CENTER>reviewed by<BR><A HREF="/ReviewsBy?Tim+Voon">Tim Voon</A></H3><HR WIDTH="40%" SIZE="4">
<PRE>                           SLIDING DOORS 1998
                      A film review by Timothy Voon
                       Copyright 1998 Timothy Voon
         1 :- ( for getting jammed with uninteresting male leads</PRE>
<P>Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Lynch, John Hannah, Jeanne Tripplehorn,
Douglas McFerran, Zara Turner
Director: Peter Howitt
Producers: Phillipa Braithwaite, Sydney Pollack, William Hocberg
Screenplay: Peter Howitt</P>
<P>SLIDING DOORS, was a promising movie. It carried a high concept idea,
one that could have been quite poignant if done well. The question posed
is - would you life be markedly different, if just say you missed the
train? The movie explores these two different possibilities in the life
of a young woman Helen, played by the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow.</P>
<P>I'll tell you straight out why I didn't like the movie, and it is only
for one reason. It wasn't the plot, it certainly wasn't Gwyneth, it was
the fact that her two love interests are two of the biggest dorks this
side of London. Gerry (John Lynch), an aspiring writer is nothing more
that a conniving, weasly, greasy looking, two timer. He basically plays
Gwyneth's character for a fool, whilst having a hula of a time with the
bitchy Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn). As for James (John Hannah), he's
married (but seperated), talks way, way too much, has a highly obnoxious
laugh and sings Father Abraham songs with his fellow boatsmen.</P>
<PRE>So what's my problem?</PRE>
<P>Throughout the entire movie, I kept asking myself this recurrent
question. What in the world is a woman as intelligent as Helen (Gwyneth
Paltrow), doing with these two boring men ????? I couldn't figure it
out. If only they carried presence, dignity, personality or
intelligence, it could have been so much more interesting.</P>
<P>Unfortunately, I'll have to put this movie to rest and only dream of
what could have been.</P>
<PRE>                              Timothy Voon
                     e-mail: <A HREF="mailto:stirling@netlink.com.au">stirling@netlink.com.au</A>
         Movie Archives <A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Tim+Voon">http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Tim+Voon</A>
                  Hugues Bouclier's Movies in Melbourne
         <A HREF="http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~bouclier/week/movies.html">http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~bouclier/week/movies.html</A></PRE>
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