Rating: 
Summary: An excellent Concept becomes an excellent Film
Review: Seeing as I had at first judged this film to be a chick-flick, I would have never watched it had not one of my chick friends rented it one night. The film is a brilliantly executed "what-if" scenario, played out by the chief agent, Helen (Gwenyth Paltrow) and centers around one particular instant that spurs off two distinct paths her life could take. The rest of the film jumps between the two separate life-paths. The plots are intertwined not only by sharp coincidences in events, but also through brilliant cinematography. The film cleverly entices the audience to feel pity for Helen's feebleness in one plot; then instantly transforms it to envy and admiration for her strength in the other. There are small twists throughout, and there isn't a single loose end in the entire film. In the end, it is both neatly tied up and yet opened to brand new possibities, in an ending that will leave you with a flow of emotions ranging from hope to happiness, and even a hint of sadness. The picture's duality is never overbearing, and is completed both on it's film, and in the audience. It's definitely one of the best films I have ever seen.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Look At "What If..."
Review: Once again, we have Gwyneth Paltrow delving into the world of the Brits and sporting an English accent in a story where the director's view seems to be that regardless of the circumstances, fate still plays a vital role in the final outcome. It is an experiment of the rhetoric "What if...?", a splicing of two cells containing scenarios, and their embryotic outcomes spawning as the film progresses. It begins with our lab rat (Helen Quilley) leaving her place of employment after she's just been fired. The cell-dividing begins when she heads for the subway and the two scenarios are shown consecutively where first she misses the train, and the second half where she catches it at the last moment. In scenario two, she arrives home to a cheating boyfriend (a despicable, weak-minded weasel played convincingly by John Lynch) in mid-coitus with his old lover Lydia, who is portrayed with amusing fury by Jeanne Tripplehorn. In the previous scenario, she is forced to walk home after missing the train and is mugged, taking a trip to the local emergency room and buying time for Gerry (the cheating boyfriend) to usher Lydia out of the apartment. Where it goes from there, the scenarios are easily distinguishable. The jilted Helen packs her bags and moves in with her feisty Irish girlfriend Anna (great performance by Zara Turner) and cuts her hair, dying it blonde. She then attaches herself to a new boyfriend with a thick, Scottish accent free of fabrication named James (great comedic timing on the part of John Hannah). Both stories have their similarities, which you will see when watching are the hands of fate working their magic even though the circumstances are different. I have to give a hand to the writers of this screenplay for the great one-liners that came out of this movie and the overall snappy wit of each character. You even have your comedy relief in the form of Gerry's wisecracking friend Russell, played by Douglas McFerran. This film had a very good cast and I was intrigued by the premise, but my only problem was Gwyneth's accent. Yes, she does it better than most, but compared to people who really did have an English accent, she needs a little more practice before she can even have Americans fooled. Other than that small detail, this is a very entertaining and very humorous movie, despite its surprisingly dour ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre
Review: An original story idea that was watered down by a lackluster script, bland acting and unlikable characters. Not even Hollywood's golden girl paired with a snappy new hairdo and a bottle of peroxide could add the necessary zest. With the exception of Helen and her female friend, all of the characters were repulsive and had no redeeming qualities. The film portrays John Hannah's character as 'Mr. Right,' even though he's deceived Helen all along by failing to mention a certain something about himself (I won't spoil the ending). Even his explanation doesn't get him off the hook, because he still lied and deceived her. Also, I could understand the use for Paltrow's accent in Shakespeare In Love and Emma, but was it really necessary in this movie?
Rating:
Summary: If Only . . . If Only . . .
Review: This engaging comedy-drama seeks to answer the question "What if things had gone differently?" In "Sliding Doors," things go very differently for Gwenyth Paltrow depending on whether she catches a particular London subway train or not. In one scenario, she arrives home in time to catch her boyfriend in bed with another woman; in the other she does not. (The movie cuts between the two and is so well ordered that we, the audience, always know which scenario is which). It's great fun to see just how differently her life plays out according to that one small event, but you might be surprised at how the movie ends! A very thoughtful and entertaining film, with excellent direction and good strong performances throughout.
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting Romantic Comedy!
Review: This charming and witty film is very enjoyable and extremely entertaining. A cut above the usual romantic comedy, mainly because of it's unique premise, also Gwyneth Paltrow really shines here, she shows us she can act, maintain an accent, and more importantly she shows us she has real screen presence. John Hannah also creates an extremely likable character, and him and Paltrow create an amazingly cute couple. Which is the opposite of John Lynch and Jeanne Tripplehorn which create unlikable characters that bring down an otherwise romantic and uplifting story. Witty dialogue and innovative premise. This one delivers. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 7!
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking
Review: This is one of those movies that will have viewers analyzing their own lives. " What if I did this?" "What if I didn't do that?" It was a very interesting picture and it was nice how it all ties up at the end. But they could have used better looking actors instead of using those goofy looking dudes for Gwyneth's love interests! I mean get real!
Rating:
Summary: Patchy....Very, Very Patchy
Review: I know Paltrow's English accent is revered by practically everyone but, as an English person myself, I can't completly agree. In "Emma" and "Shakespeare in Love" they were good but then they were the accents of upper-class aristocrats of yesteryear. Put in a modern, middle-class scenario and it just comes across as an accent which is mixed, undistinctive and just plain odd. However, accent apart I liked Paltrow in this flick which I must say certainly has an interesting storyline and is executed in a clever way, avoiding the confusion a storyline like this could have caused. But it is patchy. It doesn't seem to move along at a very even pace and there were points in this film when I was just plain bored. In order to make this film a success you need more than just a curious storyline; the whole film must be pumped with energy and quirks which, quite frankly, this doesn't have. But the best character in the whole film is Jeanne Thrippleton as the bitchy mistress of Paltrow's character's cheating boyfriend. She's terrific.
Rating:
Summary: My family is sick of me renting this video
Review: I absolutely LOVE this film - the premise is so philosophical - what if one little detail of life changed (i.e. missed or caught that train, took that job, etc.) - how would life turn out? I love the fact you get to see the outcomes in both scenarios but I also love the look of the movie, the London backdrop, the lines, the acting, everything! Works well when renting again and again - you catch a lot the second, third and fourth time around!
Rating:
Summary: This was great!
Review: Sliding Doors is a great movie for any romance lover! This love story takes place in London. A girl named Helen gets spilt apart into two different people by some magic thing or something. Actually the whole world gets split in two but it's the same world there are just 2 of them. But the two Helens don't see each other because one of them gets on a train in the tube and the other doesn't. The rest is how different their lives become from each other. And it's a happy ending so you'll love it! See this movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Date Movie; Plays well on repeat viewings
Review: An endearing, light, but compelling date movie. Lots of great lines too. Ending reminded me of "Heaven Can Wait" (Beatty/Christie)(if you liked either, I think you'll like the other...). Basic premise of the movie is a combination of "Be careful what you wish for, it might come true" and "God works in strange and mysterious ways. Story plays well on repeated viewings (and one catches all the sublties better). Gwyneth pulls off the British accent with aplomb (though her's and Hannah's are rather thick at times so it is great to be able to rewind and get the pronounciations clearer the second time). Gwyn is also tops at giving that "I need me a hug" pitiful forlorn look when she is hurt. (FYI: for any movie buffs, the book Gwyneth was reading on the train was "To Kill a Mockingbird".)
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