Charity's Place.com

SLIDING DOORS

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 2 out of 5

Because of: sexual content, language

Rated:

A rather quirky but effective romantic comedy, Sliding Doors revolves around the life of a young woman existing in two alternate realities. Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) has a seemingly perfect life, with a well-paying job and brilliant boyfriend on the verge of completing a masterpiece of modern fiction. That's when it all goes horribly wrong. She's fired at work and goes home in disgrace. This is where the impossible transpires. Through some feat of the unexplained, Helen is divided into two individuals and we witness the alternate realities. One Helen makes the subway in time to return home and catch her boyfriend in bed with his ex-girlfriend. The other Helen just misses her by minutes.

The first Helen is horrified and seeks the refuge of the home of her best friend, Anna. While attempting to get over this "loss," she changes everything about her life, from her hair color to her business tactics. This Helen is a real go-getter. She's smart, savvy, successful, and not afraid to start again when she meets her next perfect man, James. The second Helen lives unaware of her boyfriend's infidelities and struggles to make ends meet. In the meantime, cheating Gary attempts to make up his mind which woman he's going to remain with, Helen or Lydia. Time only complicates the issue. Secrets and deceptions await Helen on both alternate paths, and the film provides an interesting network of events. It's enjoyable to see two sides of the same coin and compare them. The film is actually quite funny at times. It's kind of a hodge-podge of British humor and sarcasm, but it works.

Paltrow grants two luminous performances and the film is fulfilling on some level, but at the same time the audience cannot help feeling disappointed in the choices the characters make. The best thing about the film is that it proves the pain and frustration infidelity can cause, and that we all face consequences based on the choices we make. A split second can change everything. Unfortunately, all of the characters are immoral. Helen lives with her boyfriend, who is shown having sex with another woman. She is later shown pre-sex with another man, who turns out to be awaiting divorce from his wife. It's still adultery. There's also a lot of foul language (five abuses of Jesus' name, multiple uses of "shagging" -- the British alternative for the f-word, and other profanities).

Life is comprised of choices. We make them, they change our life. That doesn't mean we're not responsible for them. Sliding Doors has a few good things to offer, but it's not worth wallowing in the muck to get there.