March 01, 2021
'The Doors'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan are joined by Klosterman to head to the desert and open up their minds as they revisit the 1991 biopic 'The Doors,' starring Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, and Kyle MacLachlan.
Cast
Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison
Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson
Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek
Kevin Dillon as John Densmore
Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger
Michael Madsen as Tom Baker
Kathleen Quinlan as Patricia Kennealy
Crispin Glover as Andy Warhol
Mimi Rogers as Magazine Photographer
Michael Wincott as Paul Rothchild
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Written by: Oliver Stone, Randall Johnson
Notes
- $32 million budget, made $34.4 million at the box office (barely broke even).
- Val Kilmer learned 50 songs, 15 performed in the film. He sang all songs himself. Spent hundreds of hours with the real Doors producer Paul Rothchild. 'The Doors' band members couldn't tell Kilmer's voice from Morrison's.
- Kilmer was not even nominated for Best Actor – 1991 nominees: Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs), De Niro ('Cape Fear'), Beatty (Bugsy), Nolte (Prince of Tides), Williams (The Fisher King).
- Kilmer had to see a therapist after filming; couldn't break character. There was a memo on set saying 'don't make eye contact with Val Kilmer.'
- Oliver Stone had a cameo as a USC film professor.
- 'The Doors' band members (especially Ray Manzarek) disowned the movie. Manzarek: 'It was not about Jim Morrison. It was about Jimbo Morrison, the drunk God.'
- Project was in development ~10 years. John Travolta studied Morrison in 1982; Brian De Palma was attached.
- Many scenes were fabricated (Thanksgiving dinner, closet fire, etc.).
- Billy Idol's role was much bigger but reduced after his motorcycle accident (same accident that cost him the T-1000 role in Terminator 2).
- Stone's casting process had #MeToo-related allegations.
- Kilmer made his own audition video at his own expense to convince Stone.
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“The performance is the best thing in the movie. Val Kilmer so accurately reproduces Jim Morrison's appearance and behavior that he doesn't so much play Morrison as channel him.”
A mixed-positive review acknowledging Kilmer's performance but noting the film's excess.
Most re-watchable scene
- Bill: Light My Fire rehearsal through the 'Everything's Taking Off' montage and Ed Sullivan.
- Chuck: the first rehearsal / mania sequence.
- Chris: the whole Miami concert sequence.
- Also discussed: beach meeting between Jim and Ray, first live 'The End' at the Whisky, New Haven 1968 concert, drunk Jim recording 'Touch Me,' the plane scene with Madsen.
What aged the best?
- 'Top Gun' connection – Iceman and Goose's wife as the leads.
- 'The Doors' music throughout the film.
- Frank Whaley's guitar playing.
- Jim turning around at the 'Break On Through' performance.
- The theme of death running through everything.
- Oliver Stone's cameo as USC film professor.
- The concept of selling out with commercials.
What aged the worst?
- Meg Ryan as Pam – horribly miscast.
- Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama playing the drummer.
- The 'Wayne's World' 2 parody making the Native American stuff a joke.
- The wigs – terrible on everyone except Kilmer.
- The desert drug scene special effects.
- The reporter/girlfriend composite character subplot.
- Stone's #MeToo casting process issues.
- The movie damaging how 'The Doors' are perceived.
Casting what-ifs
- Ian Astbury (The Cult) was offered the Morrison role and turned it down.
- Bono wanted to play Morrison; Michael Hutchence was considered.
- Michael Madsen auditioned for Morrison, moved to the Tom Baker role.
- Billy Idol was originally cast as Tom Baker but his motorcycle accident reduced his role.
- Patricia Arquette auditioned well for Pam and should have gotten the role per the casting director.
- Kyle MacLachlan was Stone's first choice for the Charlie Sheen role in Platoon.
Best "that guy"
- Winner: Michael Wincott as Paul Rothchild – also known as Top Dollar in The Crow.
- Josh Evans as the manager (Bill Siddons).
- Titus Welliver as the cop.
Over-acting award
- Winner: Crispin Glover as Andy Warhol – the tongue stuff.
- Runner-up: Kevin Dillon – Johnny Drama energy in every scene.
Best "heat check" performance
- Winner: Michael Madsen – great six-year run, makes everything better.
- Runners-up: Mimi Rogers as the horny photographer, Crispin Glover, Billy Idol.
Re-casting couch
- Bill: Robin Wright as Pam – 'basically Jenny Gump in the 70s.'
- Chuck: Olivia d'Abo (the teenage daughter from The Wonder Years).
- Chris: Sharon Stone (Bill thinks she'd compete with Morrison too much; Chris agrees she could have played the Kathleen Quinlan part).
Half-assed (internet) research
- Various production facts – Billy Idol's motorcycle accident, the 10-year development history, Kilmer's audition tape.
- Chris found a claim that Morrison had an early Oliver Stone script ('Break,' a precursor to Platoon) in his Paris apartment when he died – only found on one site.
Apex Mountain
- Val Kilmer – yes, unanimous. This is his Apex Mountain.
- Oliver Stone – no. Meg Ryan – no.
- Frank Whaley – probably 'Pulp Fiction' instead.
- Kyle MacLachlan – Twin Peaks.
- Billy Idol's movie career – yes (peaked in 1991 with Cameron and Stone wanting him).
- Barney's Beanery – yes.
- Desert drug scenes – possibly (galvanized the idea of doing hallucinogens in a desert).
Picking nits
- The reporter/girlfriend composite character subplot should be cut – too much screen time.
- The Thanksgiving dinner scene didn't happen but feels pivotal.
- Ray Manzarek disappears in the second half.
- No discussion of not having a bass player.
- The movie is 25 minutes too long – the last 20 minutes after Miami drag.
- More early band formation scenes would have been better.
Sequel, prequel, prestige TV or untouchable?
No – but Chris would watch a 1960s Sunset Blvd. show.
(Probably) unanswerable questions
- Would Chris watch a prequel about Jim's entire USC Film School stint? (Yes.)
- Did they really have such perfectly placed telling books lying around?
- What was Michael Madsen's character – a Roger Corman-type actor or just a hanger-on?
Who won the movie?
Val Kilmer – unanimously and convincingly. 'The unanimous MVP vote in an NBA season.'