Luminous Paltrow shines in electric 'Sliding'

Not surprisingly, there are many sliding doors in "Sliding Doors," the directing and screenwriting debut of actor Peter Howitt - subway doors, elevator doors, opaque doors, plate glass doors.

In any other film, this metaphor for the temporary openings for opportunity in life, and your perceptions thereof, would spread itself thin rather quickly. But mix in a clever concept, a relentlessly witty script and a sparkling Gwyneth Paltrow and "Sliding Doors" not only spreads on well, it's also the chunkiest of cinematic delicacies.

REVIEW
	Sliding Doors Three Stars Starts Friday at theaters everywhere

Sweet but not saccharin, high-concept but not pretentious, effervescent but nowhere near fluffy, "Sliding Doors" is the rarest of romantic comedies - it's romantic while actually being comic. This refreshing originality is supplied by the film's thought-provoking and innovative premise.

Sure, the plot still breaks down to girl meets right boy while still attached to wrong boy, then does wrong by right boy only to win right boy back, but "Sliding Doors" has nothing to do with someone being gay or the meeting at the Empire State Building or breaking up a wedding, as in one or every contemporary romantic comedy.

No, "Sliding Doors" tells the fantastical tale of London girl Helen (Paltrow), who, upon being fired from her job, runs to catch the subway in the middle of the day, something she ordinarily would not do. Helen makes it to the train just as the door

Courtesy of Miramax Gwyneth Paltrow stars as Helen, a Londoner whose life splits in two on a fateful tube train in "Sliding Doors."

s slide closed in her face.

The film then asks us to humor it for a moment - actually for the entire running time - letting the action rewind, then showing Helen making the train just as the sliding doors close behind her.

The Helen who misses the train ends up getting mugged and returns home at what would have been her normal time to doting boyfriend Gerry (John Lynch). But the Helen who makes the train ends up meeting the annoyingly charming James (John Hannah) but spurns him just in time to catch Gerry in a compromising position with American yup-tart Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn).

The rest of the film then follows the trials of the real Helen and the hypothetical Helen, with the line between what is happening and what might have been becoming more and more blurred as Helen encounters James, Lydia and Gerry in both lives.

The film assists the viewer in discerning between the two Helens by having the hypothetical Helen, liberated from Gerry, chop off her deep red locks for a shorn, platinum blond 'do.

Not that the film needs to provide us this service, however. As the film progresses and reveals many surprising developments, it becomes clear that the Helens are two separate identities living within one woman. Not that "Sliding Doors" is "Sybil" or anything - it is, after all, a romantic comedy, albeit one that packs a considerable emotional and philosophical punch.

Most of the credit for the film's multifaceted success goes to Howitt, who turned a brush with death into this winning examination of chance and the daily "What if"'s. Never formally trained as either a screenwriter or director, his words are sharp, funny and incisive and his cinematography possesses a certain spontaneity that parallels the urgency of the London locales and frantic pace of Helen's parallel lives.

This energy is enhanced by the supporting cast, led by the hilarious John Hannah, best known for his bittersweet portrayal of Matthew in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," as James; the weaselly John Lynch as cheating Gerry; and Jeanne Tripplehorn, who lets more than a few of her basic instincts out as bitch-goddess Lydia.

But "Sliding Doors" belongs to Gwyneth Paltrow, her flawless British accent and both of her hairdos. The word most often used to describe Paltrow is luminous and it applies here, too, as Paltrow exudes sex appeal, vulnerability, charisma and star wattage that makes her brilliant, delicious performance seem effortless.

Though it may seem little more than a spoonful of sugar to many, once "Sliding Doors" opens it's plain to see that it is so much more than the tired genre it unfortunately inhabits. It's romantic comedy as complete satiation - great taste, more filling and good 'til the last drop. Spread the word.

04-21-98