Sliding Doors

Gwyneth Paltrow plays Helen Quilley, she works in Public Relations and is dating an idiot who is cheating on her (come on guys, would you?) After losing her job she heads home early, and the film then follows two Parallel realities, that cross over and intertwine in a very clever manner, that adds a great deal to the movies quality.

One way, she gets home and finds him cheating, and the other way she is mugged and her boyfriend gets away with it, at least for now.

In this wonderfully charming romantic comedy, great performances from, Paltrow, Lynch, Hannah and Tripplehorn plus a good script and some good laughs all add up to a movie i simply don't tire of. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, i just love it.

9/10 and a must for Paltrow Fans

This film is a lightweight comedy/drama with a unique story. Although Gwyneth Paltrow plays the same character in both aspects of the story, both Helens seem completely different. The flow of the story seems quite natural and the cast does a wonderful job going through the twists and turns of their characters lives. It's a chick flick with none of the sap.

I have probably watched this movie about 10 times since its release and still enjoy its twists and turns. John Hannah is simply adorable as James and his Glaswegian sense of humour still makes me laugh out loud even though I know the jokes in advance. Every performance is great but Gwynyth Paltrow deserves a special mention for her faultless role as two different versions of the same woman at once. Without giving anything away, I did not see the ending coming at all the first time through but it was entirely satisfying without being cloyingly Hollywood. Don't expect a cultural masterpiece. Just 'the Spanish inquisition' and some fine entertainment. Highly recommended

Very well made with a nice witty script and a decent pace so it doesn't get bogged down too much. It does look slightly dated though, but that's mostly to do with things like fashion and technology.

I must admit I did find the premise of this film quite interesting; how just a couple of seconds at a crucial moment can make drastic changes to a life did intrigue me. I did enjoy the way it was done but ultimately it is about feelings and relationships which is fine as far as it goes. It did leave me with a few questions by the end and I see that as a good thing; there were certain things open to interpretation and any film that does that is always going to be worth a look, in my view. I will admit I did enjoy it up to a point; I found the characters quite engaging, there is some great dialogue and I even recognised one or two of the tunes! Over all, worth a look but I feel its one of those I'll only watch once (although I've been wrong about that before).

SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.2/10

You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

One morning, on arrival at her PR company, Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) finds out that she has just been sacked. She's on her way home and then she misses the tube train.

But what if she made it? She meets James (John Hannah) on the train, who's sitting right next to her and who's a friendly and witty man. When Helen gets home, she sees her boyfriend, Gerry (John Lynch) in bed with his ex-girlfriend, Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and Helen quickly ends her relationship with Gerry and forms a new, loving one with James.

The other possibility is that, Helen misses the train, gets robbed and a nasty cut, goes to hospital and by the time she arrives at home Gerry is already in the shower. Helen then gets a sandwich job and a waitressing job in order to support her loser boyfriend who is supposed to be writing his first novel but in fact has been cheating on her.

As the ending approaches, the story becomes unpredictable and it leaves you wonder why it has to go this way. The ending is likewise enigmatic. Heartily recommended.