Sliding Doors at 25: Is This the Movie That Birthed Goop Gwyneth?
In the late ’90s era of Gwyneth Paltrow’s movie career, Hollywood kind of forgot she was American and cast her as a British ingénue in a spate of parts starting with Emma (1996) and culminating in her Academy Award-winning part as Viola in Shakespeare in Love (1998). As a Los Angeles native, many side eyes were thrown. But in Paltrow’s defense, there’s no disputing that she earned those roles, proving time and time again that she was incredibly gifted at landing the spectrum—running from upper crust diction to the well-placed “Bollocks!”—without making the whole of England wince. In fact her most authentic Brit persona was birthed as a dual role in the romantic-comedy/tragedy gem, Sliding Doors, which opened in the U.S. 25 years ago.
Written and directed by beloved Brit actor Peter Howitt (Bread), Sliding Doors was a showcase for Paltrow, who got to play a contemporary British professional navigating life, love and a really smart, semi-sci-fi premise that uses her missed Tube ride in the London Underground to explore parallel life paths. In fact, I’d go so far as to throw the gauntlet and assert that Paltrow’s PR rep Helen Quilley absolutely bests fellow American Renée Zellweger’s Brit Bridget Jones in terms of being a more interesting, less irritating, equally romantically-challenged character. But more importantly, with Helen, we can see the tendrils of the woman Paltrow would eventually come to be: The Goop-meister General we know (and glare at) today.
If you’re unfamiliar with Sliding Doors, the story centers on Helen, an elegant but mousey young woman who, in the first minutes, gets pettily sacked from her job by her misogynistic colleagues. Mortified, she goes home to lick her wounds in the arms of her long-term writer boyfriend Gerry (John Lynch). Except, he’s busy engaging in a full-on, caddish affair with his newly returned American ex, Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn). In Helen’s own bed, no less! Bollocks, indeed!
As Helen heads home, she drops an earring in an elevator which is gallantly retrieved by charming businessman James (John Hannah), and they go their separate ways. But unknowingly, they are both meant for the very same train, which John makes and, initially, Helen does not. “Initially” being the operative word, because Howitt then rewinds Helen’s race to the train car. She then makes it inside and—voila!—the premise kicks into action, as two Helens now exist. We’ll follow them both as they navigate heartbreak, gaslighting and even some tragedy before the romantic comedy of it all comes to a very satisfying and non-mawkish full circle.
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