Every Oliver Stone Movie Ranked Worst To Best
15. The Doors
Next up is the The Doors, a biography chronicling one of the most popular rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. While it follows the band collectively for the most part, the spotlight is often placed on Val Kilmer's Jim Morrison. This lead singer had quite the colourful career, mixed with alcoholism and drugs that was fuelled by the counter culture of the time.
An off kilter character needed an actor who embraced that crazy side; unfortunately it didn't turn out that way with Kilmer. The film was somewhat of a passion project for Stone. As a solider in Vietnam, he had listened to the titular band through the 1960s.
Other directors like Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese had wanted to make it themselves, but found themselves struggling with negotiating production rights. Stone had the same issue, having to constantly consult The Doors; they had many strict instructions on their portrayal.
Despite revolving around a highly successful band, The Doors was not very successful at the box office. It only managed to gross $2.4 million above its initial budget. Stone's attempt at a musical biopic falls somewhat flat; maybe it was down to The Doors having an impact on the storytelling? Or perhaps the more dramatised elements took things in the wrong direction? In any case, there are far superior biopics in modern cinema.