Sliding Doors 21st Birthday Review

4 stars of thought provoking classic 90’s romantic comedy.

Sliding Doors was originally released in 1998. This is a celebratory 21st Birthday release, digitally remastered and featuring specially commissioned extras. It is written and directed by Peter Howitt (Scorched Earth, Johnny English).

“You went to Anna’s. Boy! You’re a one man crack S.A.S. unit.”

The film tells us the story of Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow – Shallow Hal, Shakespeare In Love) a public relations worker.

Unexpectedly fired from her job, she decides to head back home to her boyfriend, Gerry (John Lynch – The Fall, The Hybrid). Unbeknownst to her, naughty Gerry is in bed with his old flame Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn – Waterworld, Basic Instinct) and has no idea she’ll be coming home early.

While in the lift leaving the office, she drops an earring which is picked up by a man and handed back to her. Running for the tube, she is delayed very slightly and misses her train, bouncing off the doors. This is where it starts to get strange. Time rewinds and we see an alternate result, where she just manages to catch the sliding doors and board the train.

Now begin two stories, one of the Helen who missed the train and was mugged trying to get a taxi. This delay means that Lydia has left by the time she returns home and she remains oblivious to Gerry’s infidelity.

The other Helen sits on the train next to the stranger from the lift, James (John Hannah – The Mummy, Four Weddings and a Funeral) and they strike up a conversation. She also arrives home in time to find Gerry and Lydia in bed.

From here we follow both narratives side by side, occasionally crossing paths, through to the startling conclusion.

Sliding Doors is a very enjoyable watch. It’s slightly more intense than I expected and you do sometimes have to wonder why Helen is quite so gullible, but nevertheless this is a well executed 90’s romantic comedy. There is plenty of fruity language and lots of laid back British humour as well as a good storyline.

This is a fun blast from the past and well worth adding to your collection of remastered classics.

“Everybody’s born knowing all the Beatles lyrics instinctively. They’re passed into the foetus subconsciously along with the amniotic stuff. Fact, they should be called the ‘Foetals’.”