The Door in the Floor (DVD, 2004)

"The Door in the Floor" is a successful film adaptation of John Irving's book, "A Widow For One Year" and writer-director Tod Williams's screen adaptation which focuses, like Dickens does, on character complexities.

The film depicts a trial separation between the well matched actors husband, Ted (Jeff Bridges) and wife Marion (Kim Basinger). A family whose lovely estate is in the Northeastern US upper-class Hamptons, where life is supposed to be easy and segregated from the modern struggles of lower class society. Though they have a surviving daughter (Elle Fanning), the marriage suffers post-traumatically due to the untimely loss of their two sons.

A young man named Eddie (Jon Foster), enters Ted's life when he is hired as Ted's writing assistant. Eddie becomes much more than Ted's writing assistant because he is doing servant-like chores such as chauffeuring for his writing idol and standing in for Ted's two missing sons. During their encounters, Eddie goes back and forth between Ted and Marion trying to figure out why the family is torn apart.

It takes a turning of age twist when the emotionally detached and yet gorgeous Marion gives Eddie lessons on being a man. Not altogether a terrific drama, but at times an emotionally intense film that leads to nowhere~

This was a new one for me and I've said it before and I'll say it again-- I haven't met a Focus Feature I didn't like. So far, they really win with me and I'm becoming a bigger fan everytime I see one I like.

This movie is adapted from John Irving's best-selling novel A Widow for a Year. If you don't remember this author's name, you might remember the movie made from another one of his books, Cider House Rules. This movie stars Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger, Jon Foster, and Elle Fanning (yes, Dakota's little sister who often plays the younger version of Dakota in films). Jeff Bridges plays Ted Cole, a cynical but wise children's book writer who is married to Kim Basinger's Marion Cole, but they've grown apart and he makes the decision they should have a trial separation to see if they can work things out. Things have been really hard on the family since their sons, Timothy and Thomas were killed in a car accident and Marion is very depressed and often goes into periods of time where she "turns to stone" and just stares off into space at the very thought of what she has lost. This results in a lack of attention towards her young daughter she had after the accident, Ruth (Elle Fanning). Ted hires on Jon Foster's Eddie O'Hare, a teen aspiring to be a writer himself just to work for him for the summer doing various odds and ends but mostly as a driver. Eddie is attracted to Marion and unexpectedly, she responds to him for her own reasons. Being through such traumatic ordeals, however, she is not to be judged for her actions. Ted is completely aware of what is going on and just wants her to be happy. The three of them get very tangled up and it gets to a point where you just know you're watching real people. You can't put your finger on them and you don't know their complete intentions with anything, it's all a gray area. As a result, you can like all of them and they are spared from judgement.

This won't be a film for everyone. Not if you don't like long films or films that are mostly about talking but it has some good comic moments as well. If you want to be taken in and told a good story, you should see this movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The use of muted color with a one or two deviations in each frame really give a feel for the atomsphere and location of the film. I really like it but it didn't blow me away out of my seat so I give it an B+.

Door in the Floor is an interesting look at a couple's downfall. In the movie, an alcoholic Jeff Bridges (not funny this time as in The Big Lebowski) plays a children's book author with a flair for the dark and dramatic. His wife, played by Kim Basinger, is grief stricken after the death of their twin boys has made her nearly incapable of functioning in every day life. The daughter the two share is very clearly living in the shadow of her older brothers--both of whom died BEFORE she was born.

The movie is quite sad at times, but bittersweet in others. Basinger's young love interest adds some excitement to the otherwise slow pace of the film. It's a very good look into the lives of the members of a dysfunctional family, and it is heartbreaking and true all at the same time.

If you love Jeff Bridges or Kim Bassinger this is definitely a movie that will haunt you. I'd seen it several times prior to purchasing it on EBAY and I think what fun Jeff Bridges must have had in making it - and I also wonder as an actor - where does one go - how deeply as Kim Bassinger must have - to create her tormented character?? And Mimi Rogers turned in a surprisingly off the wall performance. The setting is beautiful and adds to the ambiance of the film. A favorite. :)

compelling story. excellent performances by kim basinger and jeff bridges. heart felt drama, cunning humor. well recommended