Sliding Doors

Directed by Peter Howitt, Sliding Doors follows Gwyneth Paltrow’s Helen as her life skews off into two separate trajectories after she both misses and catches a pivotal subway train. It’s an intriguing, out-of-the-box premise that’s employed to relatively strong effect by Howitt, as the filmmaker, working from his own screenplay, does a nice job of establishing the completely affable central character and, eventually, the relatively distinctive lives Helen goes on to lead – although, admittedly, there are a few patches wherein it’s not entirely apparent to which version of Helen certain things are happening. There’s little doubt, then, that Sliding Doors‘ inability to become more than a just-good-enough endeavor is due predominantly to its perpetually (and pervasively) generic sensibilities, as the dueling narratives have been saddled with an overly familiar and all-too-lackadaisical feel that prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly connecting to them – which, in turn, ensures that the happenings and revelations of the picture’s final stretch are unable to pack the punch that Howitt has undoubtedly intended. The end result is a watchable yet persistently hit-and-miss romcom that never quite lives up to the potential of its out-there setup, with Paltrow’s thoroughly agreeable turn as the protagonist ultimately going a long way towards smoothing over the movie’s bumps and missteps.

**1/2 out of ****