The Doors (1991)

A biographical musical drama exploring the rise and fall of the iconic rock band the Doors and the life of their larger-than-life frontman, Jim Morrison.

First release year

1991

Runtime (minutes)

141

Production countries

United States

Original languages

English

Directors

Oliver Stone

Writers

J. Randal Johnson · writer; Oliver Stone · writer

Cast and characters

Val Kilmer · Jim Morrison; Meg Ryan · Pamela Courson; Kyle MacLachlan · Ray Manzarek; Frank Whaley · Robby Krieger; Kevin Dillon · John Densmore; Billy Idol · Cat; Kathleen Quinlan · Patricia Kennealy

Genres

biographical; psychological; musical

Themes

fame; drug use; counterculture; death; artistic obsession

Tone and mood

biographical; psychological; musical

Setting

United States and France during the 1940s, 1960s, and 1970s

Premise and plot tags

biographical; musical; rock music; historical drama

Source material / true-story basis

history of American rock band the Doors

Content notes

nudity; sex scenes

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the acting and production design but criticism for historical inaccuracies. It was a box office success, grossing $34.4 million on a $32 million budget.

Reported review scores

Rotten Tomatoes · score: 58% · review count: 64; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 19; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F

Production trivia

Several famous directors, including Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese, were approached about making a Doors biopic.; Val Kilmer spent six months rehearsing Doors songs every day and learned 50 songs to prepare for the role.; The film was released on 4K Blu-ray in 2019 with a new version dubbed The Final Cut.

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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