Be warned that “The Door in the Floor” is sad and that the
sadness stays with you - but don’t miss it.
Jeff Bridges’ performance is quiet, subtle, and finally, overwhelmingly
big hearted. This actor, who
consistently surprises audiences with his range, has outdone even himself this
time. The story is based on “A
Widow for One Year,” another trip through twists and turns of the unexpected
by novelist John Irving. Author
Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges), a successful author of children’s books,
drew much of his material from the childhood of his sons, Timmy and Tom, while
his wife Marion (Kim Basinger) made the boys the center of her life. They were a
solid creative family living in the beauty of the
Ted lures women to the house to be subjects for his book
illustrations; he sketches them, beds them, and discards them; they mean nothing
to him. This summer he hires Eddie
(Jon Foster), an
Without sentimentality, Jeff Bridges pulls the story threads together and reveals the depth of his own humanity. Walking determinedly across the lawn in a rumpled nightshirt under a red umbrella, or reading from his books, Bridges proves himself a superb story teller with a master’s ear for words, images, and nuance. All the questions we ask ourselves along the way are answered in a long final sequence that is simply beautiful. Only when Bridges’ Ted has done all he can to mend his family can he collapse into his own sadness. This is the rare kind of emotional experience that can occur when a storyteller like John Irving is interpreted by an actor like Jeff Bridges. At last, a movie has appeared during the summer that is just too good to skip.
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