The Doors

1991 Drama

Val Kilmer delivers what was considered one of 1991's best performances as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's hallucinatory bio-pic of the seminal 1960s rock group The Doors. Stone cuts a jagged swath through Morrison's life, starting with a childhood memory where Morrison sees an elderly Indian dying by the roadside. It picks up with Morrison's arrival in California and his assimilation into the Venice Beach culture, followed by his film school days at UCLA; his introduction to his girlfriend Pamela Courson (Meg Ryan); his first encounters with Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan); and the origin of The Doors -- made up of Manzarek, Robby Kreiger (Frank Whaley), and John Densmore (Kevin Dillon). As the fame of The Doors grows, Morrison's obsession with death increases. The band grows weary of Morrison's missed recording sessions and no-shows at concerts. Morrison, meanwhile, sinks deeper into a drug-induced haze, having mystical sexual encounters with Patricia Kennealy (Kathleen Quinlan), an older rock journalist involved with sadomasochism and witchcraft. more..

Director: Oliver Stone

Starring: Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kevin Dillon, Kyle MacLachlan,Frank Whaley

Reviews

  • As writer/director, he manages to make both Morrison and the period seem real without being self-conscious, an observed milieu rather than a film set.

    - Portland Oregonian

    27 April 2013

  • The Doors is a thrilling spectacle - the King Kong of rock movies - featuring a starmaking, ball-of-fire performance by Val Kilmer as Morrison.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    27 April 2013

  • Stone's film rolls off the screen with affection and authority, even when Morrison's life enters its sodden, bummed-out finale, and Val Kilmer does an uncanny job of identifying with Morrison.

    Jay Carr - The Boston Globe

    27 April 2013

  • It's one hell of a ride and a real, roaring rock movie.

    Michael Wilmington - Los Angeles Times

    27 April 2013

  • The experience of watching The Doors is not always very pleasant.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    27 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Actor

    Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (1992)

     
  • Best Male Performance

    MTV Movie Awards (1992)

     
  • Oliver Stone

    Moscow International Film Festival (1991)