Universal

On the DVD cover of The Door in the Floor, the writing promises “surprises”, “shocks”, and “cuts like a knife”. One would think this movie would be a thriller. False advertising can get you nowhere. The Door in the Floor is far from a thriller, but more in the meditation on love, loss, and loneliness genre. Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger star as a dysfunctional married couple. Things are far from blissful. Bridges is a writer of children’s fiction; Basinger is, well, I’m not sure what she does. Bu... she sure is unhappy. She even takes up an affair with a young boy, played effectively by Jon Foster.

The movie is based on the first third of John Irving’s novel “A Widow for One Year”. It does feel a little like the first act of a much larger story. But the movie kinda works as a stand alone piece. Door covers some familiar territory (think In the Bedroom but without the murder). Basinger is good, but the movie is Jeff Bridges’ to own. He’s tortured but understated, rascally but sympathetic. The performance is one of the best of 2004. “The Dude” abides.