Cady's Take:

The Cole family's misery can be seen in the myriad of black and white pictures lining the halls of their home. The photos are of another life, one that included two beautiful children, Thomas and Timothy. For young Ruth (Elle Fanning), these pictures are a link to brothers she will never know, but for mom Marion (Kim Basinger) they are a constant reminder of a life that was shattered.

Jeff Bridges plays Ted Cole, a best-selling author and illustrator of dark, metaphorical children's books. He is "an entertainer of children who also likes to draw". Ted hires sixteen year-old Eddie to intern for the summer as his assistant. Eddie quickly develops a fierce attraction to Marion and the two begin an intense yet oddly passionless sexual relationship. T he liaison between them begins very awkwardly and seems unbelievable and uncomfortable. Fortunately these were the only scenes in the movie that I found unsatisfying.

The Door In The Floor is a very well crafted, symbolic and captivating film. It is both patient and devastating, nimbly shifting between melodrama and perverse humor. But what really makes it so interesting is the performance by Bridges. He is absolutely brilliant and makes this picture his own personal playground. He clearly dominates the 2 hours and his performance alone is worth the rental fee.

All I can say about Tod Williams' "The Door in the Floor" is WOW. What a showcase for Jeff Bridges, and for Kim Basinger as well. This movie was based on the John Irving novel "A Widow for One Year" which I read years ago, and which I will be re-reading as soon as I get to the store to grab a new copy. This is a powerful film filled with those moments when you look at the person sitting next to you, and you just stare at each other, mouths agape.

Ted (Bridges) and Marion (Basinger) have an empty marriage, exacerbated by Ted's insecurities (he is a writer) and Basinger's inability to move past the deaths of her sons. Ted is consciously off-beat, often describing himself as "an entertainer of children..who draws!" and then holds up an ink-stained hand. Marion remembers what it was like to love Ted, but knows that whatever used to work, no longer does.

Elle Fanning plays Ruth, the couple's younger daughter, and Jon Foster plays Eddie, the young man who becomes Ted's assistant and Marion 's lover, and who serves as the pivoting point for each element of the storyline. Although there are some weaker moments, "The Door in the Floor" is a very good adaptation of (one part of) an excellent book.