The Door In The Floor

A loose adaptation of John Irving's A Widow for One Year, The Door in the Floor is a mature, heartfelt drama offering Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger some meaty material to get their dramatic teeth into. Pouring his heart into the role, Bridges plays Ted, a bad tempered author of children's books who likes drinking and screwing around but doesn't seem too fond of his wife, Marion (Kim Basinger). Still unable to get over the deaths of their two eldest sons some five years previous, the couple decide on a trial separation, leaving their four-year-old daughter Ruth (Elle Fanning, sister of Dakota) caught in the middle. Into this mess of broken lives comes 16-year-old Eddie (Jon Foster), an aspiring writer hired as Ted's assistant and who plays a dramatic role in their lives over the course of a summer spent in the Hamptons.

Despite a familiar feel to the predicament, director Tod Williams keeps a tight reign on the characters, never allowing them to slide into melodramatic excess. The narrative isn't quite so fortunate in terms of plausibility, but there's such an emotional authenticity to the performances - especially that of Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger - that you're prepared to overlook its flaws as long as you're allowed wallow in the lives of these perplexing but always engaging characters.