The Doors (1991)

Directed by Oliver Stone. Starring Val Kilmer, Kyle MacLachlan, Meg Ryan, Kevin Dillon, Frank Whaley, Kathleen Quinlan, Michael Wincott, Josh Evans, Michael Madsen, Paul Williams, Mimi Rogers, Crispin Glover, Christina Fulton. [R]

Story of West Coast poet/songwriter Jim Morrison (Kilmer) and rock band the Doors features such an electrifying lead performance—so credibly possessed, it’s not long before you stop seeing the actor and only see Jim Morrison on screen—and such a vivid recreation of the 1960s rock scene, it’s a true disappointment that so little of his life and his bandmates/lovers leaps off the screen with the same gusto. Neither long-term companion Pamela Courson (Ryan) nor witchy journalist-lover Patricia Kennealy (Quinlan) are distinctively realized or performed, and the other Doors members are stuck hitting the same notes of frustration and admiration over and over. The first hour tracks a conventional music biopic course (forming the group, writing the hit songs, signing with a label, performing onstage and in TV studios, etc., plus all the booze and drugs that provide initial inspiration before turning into a total drag, man), but the second half becomes murky and redundant; director Stone’s expected indulgences were limited to just a handful of moments early on (Wayne’s World 2 properly deflated the silliness of that Indian mysticism business), but he’s let off the leash during the darker days, which are more repetitive than the stoned grooves the band members ride while Morrison slurs poetry and gripes to annoyed concert crowds. The film is filled, of course, with Doors tunes (plus a couple of classics from the Velvet Underground), so at least the soundtrack is excellent throughout. Also, that’s Kilmer’s voice sung over the original music recordings, and only the most studied and passionate fans would be able to tell a difference. Overflowing with recognizable faces in bit parts and cameos, including Stone himself as a UCLA professor.

63/100