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Plot

British actor Peter Howitt wrote and directed this British romantic comedy-drama with a "road not taken" premise recalling the 1921 play If by Lord Dunsany (1878-1957), Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and O.Henry's short story Roads of Destiny (1909). Howitt's storyline branches in two directions: Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) loses her job at a classy London PR firm, has a run-in with a purse-snatcher, and just misses catching her boyfriend Gerry (John Lynch) in bed with his former girlfriend Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn). But what if it were one of those days when everything goes right? As the sliding doors close while she stands on a subway platform in the London underground, Helen ponders the events in her alternate reality. The plot of Lord Dunsany's If also hinges on a future determined by catching or missing a train. Sliding Doors was shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for language and some sexuality.
Genre(s):
Drama,Romance
Run Time:
108min.
Theatrical Release Date:
04/24/1998
DVD Release Date:
12/01/1998
Distributor(s):
Miramax
Director(s):
Peter Howitt
Starring:
Gwyneth Paltrow , John Hannah , John Lynch , Jeanne Tripplehorn , Zara Turner
Themes:
Romantic Betrayal,Serendipity,Love Triangles
Tone:
Fanciful,Light,Reflective,Understated,Wry
Keywords:
alternate-reality,boyfriend,break-up [romantic],purse-snatcher,relationship,train [locomotive],unemployment
Language:
English