Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Sliding Doors Blu-ray Movie Review

BOGO GOOP.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 14, 2020

An early starring role for Gwyneth Paltrow, Peter Howitt's Sliding Doors elevates itself above regular rom-com fare with an intriguing hook: two parallel stories starring different versions of its main character. Helen Quilley (Paltrow, making use of a decent British accent) unknowingly encounters some sort of time rift at a subway station after losing her public relations job; from there, her life splits in two different directions based on whether she was able to (1) make the train or (2) miss it. In typical rom-com fashion, Helen's life is mainly affected by the actions of her boyfriend: stammering, spineless Gerry (John Lynch), whose vindictive mistress Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn) has enough time to leave Helen's apartment in scenario #2. The first? Well, let's just say that Helen walks in at the absolute worst time, Gerry is sent packing, and Helen later establishes a much healthier friendship with kindly Scotsman James (John Hannah).

The parallel stories occasionally play out in interesting and unexpected ways -- this includes a few intersections where both Helens "meet" one another in spirit at the same location, suggesting the presence of déjà vu or even unavoidable fate. As both stories unfold at their own pace, most of the potential confusion is softened by a number of visual cues to keep both Helens separated: different haircuts, a small cut on the cheek, and a few subtle personality touches. (Credit for this should be shared between the script and Paltrow's well-crafted dual performances.) Aside from brief flirtations with déjà vu, serendipity, and fate, specific rules in Sliding Doors' universe aren't as clearly defined...but they don't necessarily need to be, as the interest gleaned from its clever hook carries more than enough weight. While this hook seems like a "can't miss" in hindsight, it nonetheless scared off most major studios; Sliding Doors ended up being a joint production between London's Intermedia Films and Sydney Pollack's Mirage Enterprises.

Yet if I'm being honest, the film's core story is rarely more interesting than said hook: without all the window dressing, Sliding Doors is basically a soapy endeavor with mostly clichéd supporting characters, while the gimmick itself could have been applied just as well -- if not better -- to a different genre or even medium. Even so, the end result is often quite charming...not to mention a fairly impressive first-time showing for writer/director Peter Howitt who, at the very least, made a romantic comedy that scored well with audiences in 1998 and holds up reasonably well more than two decades later. Nonetheless, Sliding Doors has been sorely under-represented during that time period: its last American home video release was a barebones, non-anamorphic 1998 DVD released by Paramount. Once again, Shout Factory comes to the rescue with a fairly well-rounded Blu-ray that features a decent 1080p transfer, slick packaging, and a surprisingly robust platter of bonus features that die-hard fans will enjoy digging through.

Note #1: Miramax made a few small cuts to Sliding Doors for its domestic theatrical run, which was also the version on Paramount's 1998 DVD; both were rated PG-13. Much like the various international Blu-ray editions of this film, Shout Factory's disc features the original uncut version including a few restored swear words (as well as a quick shot or two during an early sex scene), but nothing that would push it too far past its original rating by today's standards.

Sliding Doors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Word has it that Shout Factory's 1080p transfer makes use of a recent 2K scan of Sliding Doors' original camera negative with a few inserts from an interpositive -- this could mean the "uncensored" bits, but that's just a guess. Regardless, it's a serviceable presentation that shows a little room for improvement, but it's so far ahead of the 1998 Region 1 DVD (no surprise there) that fans will likely overlook a few flaws. Image detail is quite impressive at times but softens in low light, and the film's distinctly 1990s color palette exhibits a suitable amount of warmth with accurate skin tones. Likewise, shadow detail and contrast levels are well-rendered with very few moments of black crush and no perceptible blooming or banding. That said, gamma levels are occasionally inconsistent with scenes that veer between normal light levels and ones that appear artificially boosted, although this could very well be baked into the source material. Film grain is evident but often veers on the chunky side, which is typical of most Shout Factory releases. Overall, it's a decent looking disc that, as mentioned earlier, easily beats Paramount's non-anamorphic DVD.

Note #2: The film's OAR is 1.85:1 whereas this disc is framed at 1.78:1 with a very slight black line at the left border. Compositions did not seem tight so I assume the original image was opened up slightly to fill 16x9 displays.

Sliding Doors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The soundtrack also fares well with two different mixes: the original DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio (default) or a scaled back DTS-HD 2.0 option. Both offer excellent fidelity and clear dialogue with obvious channel separation, but the 5.1 track is a clear winner for its better use of discrete effects and LFE response. Even so, Sliding Doors is not exactly a demanding film on the audio front: most everything is anchored up front aside from subtle background ambiance, stray effects, and the distinctly 1990s soundtrack cuts from Aqua, Jamiroquai, The Brand New Heavies, Dido, and others. Quite simply, it gets the job done and contains no obvious drop-outs, sync issues, or other defects. The optional English (SDH) subtitles are formatted nicely but contain a few small spelling and/or grammatical errors along the way.

Note #3: Based on the scenes I sampled, it seems that both audio tracks represent the uncensored version of the film. Although I imagine some fans may have wanted both options for posterity, I won't miss the edited track.

Sliding Doors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As usual, Shout Factory puts the most effort into packaging and extras: this release arrives in a standard keepcase with reversible cover art (a newly-commissioned design, as well as original poster art) and a slipcover that matches the new design. It looks great, and the bonus features -- all new to Region A fans, replacing the barebones 1998 DVD and containing almost zero overlap with the most recent Region B Blu-ray -- are entertaining and very thorough.

• Audio Commentary - This new track features writer/director Peter Howitt, who pops on on many of the other extras as well. Howitt seems thrilled to be revisiting the film -- his first -- and speaks proudly of its production, covering such topics as early development, shooting locations, multiple takes and happy accidents, visual motifs, the challenge of two storylines, bit parts and shout-outs, Gwyneth Paltrow's British accent, the "wanker" speech, writing a first draft, the casting process, contributions from Sydney Pollack, the cost of Beatles lyrics, and more. Although there's plenty of narration along the way (as well as a few bits and pieces repeated in other extras), Howitt remains active and enthusiastic during most of the track so at least it's entertaining.

• The Sliding Doors Moments (74:39) - A surprisingly detailed account of the film's early development and production, much of it compiled from the director's own "home video" recordings shot on-set in 1997. Elated to be directing his first film, he originally assembled the footage for his own amusement and in his own words, "just wanted a memory". Although there is a fair amount of overlap with Howitt's audio commentary, the candid footage here is quite interesting. Also appearing (either in 1997 or more recent interviews) is actress Gwyneth Paltrow, producer Philippa Braithwaite, former Mirage Enterprises president Lindsay Doran, executive producer Nigel Sinclair, actor John Hannah, late producer Sydney Pollack, producer William Horburg, and others.

• A Stroll Through Sliding Doors London (12:25) - Hewitt returns for this brief but comprehensive guided tour of shooting locations (with a few scene re-enactments) around the city including Charring Cross, the Waterloo and City subway line, Melcombe Place, Leinster Square, the former bar at Charlotte Street, and more.

• Trailers & TV Spots - Includes the film's original theatrical trailer (1:56) as well as the TV promos "Trains", "Unique", "Sparks" (0:32 each), and "Home Video" (0:14), each in their appropriate aspect ratios.

Sliding Doors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sliding Doors stands out in a crowded genre for its concept alone, but honestly is not much more compelling than that. It's still good for a first watch or revisit thanks to its British setting and heavy 90s aesthetic, not to mention the winning dual performance by Gwyneth Paltrow. Any reservations I have about the main feature, though, are easily smoothed over by Shout Factory's new Collector's Edition Blu-ray: it goes all out on the bonus features and serves up a decent A/V presentation that, while not without a few faults, is way beyond Paramount's 1998 non-anamorphic DVD. Fans will want to pick this up immediately -- it's about as definitive a home video package as the film will ever receive.