Movie Review by Neils Hesse
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger, Jon Foster, Mimi Rogers, Elle Fanning
Director: Tod Williams
Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges) is a successful author, an avid artist, a good father to his young daughter and an apparently good husband to his wife Marion (Kim Basinger) but not everything is what it seems. Ted and Marion are having problems so they agree to a trial separation. Shortly after this Ted allows a young writing student called Eddie (Jon Foster) to be his assistant for the summer. Eddie soon realises that Ted is not really going to be of much help to him after all as he proves to be much more interested in sketching nude women, and so he soon finds himself concentrating on Mrs Cole and she equally finds herself easily drawn to him. As Eddie gets closer to Marion he begins to realise that in as far as Ted and Marion’s relationship is concerned there is much more than meets the eye.
Tod Williams directs with a steady drive as he insures that the pace suits the tone of the movie and that the characters all have much more depth than they exhibit. Suitably involving music and a bright look to the cinematography makes the reality of the bleak scenario within which the characters find themselves easier to handle.
Nonetheless it is the performances that make this movie compelling viewing and there are a few truly inspired darkly comedic scenes that lighten the tone as the film progresses. One such scene is where Ted Cole is being chased by a knife wielding, disgruntled, former nude model of his. Jeff Bridges handles the hidden pain and grief that his character suffers alongside the comedic element to his character as a womanising artist perfectly, a very honest and believable performance.
Kim Basinger’s role does not actually have a lot of dialogue but she manages to convey the anguish of her character and the rebirth of her soul exceptionally well. Jon Foster successfully manages to hold his own against Bridges and Basinger as a young man experiencing love for the first time.
This is not your average run of the mill drama. This is vintage drama dealing with real issues and there is definitely no sugar-coated edge to this film. THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR is well worth seeing if you are after mature adult drama.
