The Door in the Floor
A privileged summer household turns marital grief, infidelity, and youthful innocence into a darkly comic reckoning.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- witty
- tragicomic
- quiet evening
- literary adaptation night
What critics said
Critics generally viewed it as an uneven but compelling John Irving adaptation, praising its tonal ambition and especially Jeff Bridges's performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film repeatedly shifts between marital grief, sexual tension, tragic disclosure, and high farce.
Young assistant Eddie O'Hare becomes an unwitting participant in Ted and Marion Cole's damaged marriage and its transformation.
Marion's despondency and the couple's failing marriage are rooted in tragedy and sustained by emotional avoidance.
The pivotal summer unfolds in the affluent beach community of East Hampton, where domestic intimacy coexists with infidelity and isolation.
Films like The Door in the Floor, and why
The Ice Storm
adult marital drama combining grief, infidelity, dark humor, and emotionally volatile performances
Little Children
literary domestic drama about privilege, sexual betrayal, and damaged family relationships
The Squid and the Whale
wry, melancholic relationship drama centered on middle-aged desire and emotional disconnection
The Cider House Rules
prestige adaptation with coastal affluence, family trauma, and tonal movement between comedy and sorrow
Movie Details
- Director
- Tod Williams
- Release Date
- 2004-07-18
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (234)
Cast
- Jeff Bridges
- Kim Basinger
- Jon Foster
- Mimi Rogers
- Elle Fanning
- Bijou Phillips
- Larry Pine
- John Rothman
- Harvey Loomis
- Libby Langdon
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Door in the Floor about?
- A privileged summer household turns marital grief, infidelity, and youthful innocence into a darkly comic reckoning.
- What is The Door in the Floor like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Door in the Floor as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Door in the Floor violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Door in the Floor as mild.
- What did critics think of The Door in the Floor?
- Critics generally viewed it as an uneven but compelling John Irving adaptation, praising its tonal ambition and especially Jeff Bridges's performance.
- Which films are like The Door in the Floor?
- Films with a similar feel include The Ice Storm, Little Children, The Squid and the Whale, and The Cider House Rules.
- How long is The Door in the Floor?
- The Door in the Floor runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Door in the Floor?
- In United States, The Door in the Floor is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
