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The Doors
1990
Oliver Stone might have considered his film a tribute to the enduring power of the Doors' music, but he seems to have also intended it as a cautionary tale on the perils of both celebrity and substance abuse. Starring Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison, the film focuses on the Lizard King from his days as a UCLA film student in the .. Read more
| Starring | Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley |
|---|---|
| Director | Oliver Stone |
| Genres | Drama |
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The Doors
Oliver Stone might have considered his film a tribute to the enduring power of the Doors' music, but he seems to have also intended it as a cautionary tale on the perils of both celebrity and substance abuse. Starring Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison, the film focuses on the Lizard King from his days as a UCLA film student in the early 1960s to his death in a Paris hotel in 1971. In the early days of the group's formation, Morrison is at his most benign; he's just a guy hanging out at the beach writing poetry. But as the Doors' fame begins to spread--with Morrison as the focus of attention--his drug consumption and erratic behavior increase exponentially. The rest of the band--Ray Manzarek (Kyle McLachalan), John Densmore (Kevin Dillon), and Robby Krieger (Frank Whaley)--begins to grow tired of his late arrivals, the increasing number of cancellations, and the drunken recording sessions requiring infinite retakes. But no one can help Morrison as he spirals downward into an inferno of drugs, alcohol, public obscenity, and depression. Kilmer gives an excellent performance, including a frighteningly accurate imitation of Morrison's singing. Stone's intimate familiarity with SoCal in the 1960s also provides the film with a high degree of surface verisimilitude.
| Starring | Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley, Michael Madsen, Billy Idol, Kathleen Quinlan, Kevin Dillon, Mimi Rogers, Michael Wincott |
|---|---|
| Director | Oliver Stone |
| Studio | MOMENTUM PICTURES |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 17 Feb 2003 Production year: 1990 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Although the title would have you believe that this is a biopic of the entire band, we learn next to nothing about Ray Manzarek, John Densmore or Robby Krieger here, as the emphasis is so firmly on the Doors's charismatic, enigmatic frontman, Jim Morrison. Unfortunately, co-writer/director Oliver Stone is so preoccupied with exploring the native American influences on Morrison's music and re-creating the sights and sounds of the 1960s that we discover precious little about Morrison either. Val Kilmer does, however, pull off a remarkable impression of the troubled vocalist, although he's more convincing on stage than he is in his drunken, drug-fuelled reveries.
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"...The whole movie is white hot, lapped in honeyed golds, evilly blue and black or drenched in those swoony, fiery reds. THE DOORS blasts your ears and scorches your eyes..."
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Most helpful member's review
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7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
The adolescent idol
I've forgotten why I ever liked this movie. In fact I've forgotten why I ever liked Jim Morrison
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
LA Man
A thoroughly absorbing and well-researched depiction of the booze-soaked, hell-raising, drug-popping, performance artist genius that was the phenomenon of Jim Morrison.
With almost no narrative to work on, director Oliver Stone manages to sum up an era and a personality through disjointed fragments of the Doors' experience. Stone restrains his customary paranoia and conspiracy-theory complexes, even though Morrison was persecuted by the US authorities, who recognised that his brand of social subversion was a lot more dangerous than the acid-rock of Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills and Nash and so on.
Val Kilmer just is Jim Morrison. An uncanny impersonation. Meg Ryan fails utterly to portray the weird figure and heroin addict who became Jim's wife, partly through poor direction and script, and partly through her own limitations as an actress.
Needless to say, a great soundtrack, and a powerful depiction of a frenetic era, when flower power was merging into social unrest and challenge.
Perhaps the film could have shown Morrison's decline in Paris more coherently, and a little bit of analysis of why he was the man he was - but otherwise, a surprisingly enjoyable and successful movie. -
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