Door to Door (film)

Door to Door
Genre	Drama
Based on	Life of Bill Porter
Written by	William H. Macy Steven Schachter
Directed by	Steven Schachter
Starring	William H. Macy Kyra Sedgwick Helen Mirren Michael Shanks Kathy Baker
Music by	Jeff Beal
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Dan Angel Billy Brown David A. Rosemont
Producer	Warren Carr
Cinematography	Jan Kiesser
Editor	Paul Dixon
Running time	90 minutes
Original release
Network	TNT
Release	July 14, 2002 (2002-07-14)

Door to Door is a 2002 American biographical drama television film about Bill Porter, an inspiring and successful door-to-door salesman with cerebral palsy. The film stars William H. Macy, who plays Porter, and also features Helen Mirren, Kyra Sedgwick, Michael Shanks, and Kathy Baker. Door to Door, directed by Steven Schachter, was produced for the TNT cable network. The script was co-written by Macy, and Forest Whitaker served as an executive producer. It was the first film made under the J&J Spotlight series banner, a partnership between TNT and Johnson & Johnson. The film premiered on TNT on July 14, 2002.

Porter had been told for many years that he was not employable, but he was determined to succeed and focused his efforts on working as a salesman for Watkins. Despite the awkwardness and pain of his condition, he would walk eight to ten miles a day to meet his customers. Porter supported himself, and continued to work as a salesman until age 69.

Door to Door was nominated for twelve Emmy Awards and won six, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie (William H. Macy). It also won a Peabody Award.

Plot

Bill Porter has been living with cerebral palsy since birth. As an adult, he takes it upon himself to seek employment but is met with rejection at various jobs. With the encouragement of his supportive mother Irene, Bill applies for a job as a door-to-door salesman for Watkins, a supplier of household items and baking products. At first, his overtures for the job are brushed off, but Bill's offer to take the least profitable route and work only for commissions convinces the hiring manager to give him a position. Bill's first day on the job gets off to a rocky start, as his route seems to be filled with surly would-be customers who are unwelcoming or uncomfortable with Bill's condition.

After the first few days of slammed doors and awkward interactions, Bill begins to doubt whether he is right for the job. Irene inspires him to not lose hope with a sandwich, and he works on improving his sales pitch. Soon, doors that were once slammed on Bill begin to stay open, and he is able to turn some customers into friends. Bill's customers include Gladys, a lonely widow who takes pity on Bill and gives him his first sale. He becomes acquainted with squabbling neighbors and a gay couple. Bill's supervisors also take notice of his job performance in the difficult sales territory and begin to support his efforts to grow his new job into a successful career.

Bill faces hardships when Irene is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. A Mormon couple wants to help Bill out, but his pride prevents him from accepting. To help with deliveries, Bill is forced to hire college student Shelly, who becomes a lifelong friend and confidante.

Cast

• William H. Macy as Bill Porter
• Kyra Sedgwick as Shelly Soomky Brady
• Helen Mirren as Irene Porter
• Kathy Baker as Gladys Sullivan
• Michael Shanks as John

Critical reception

The cast of Door to Door received widespread praise. Michael Speier of Variety gave a mixed review where he wrote, "TNT's 'Door to Door' has all the earmarks of a message film, but no message." He added that "presenting the condition [of cerebral palsy] as if it's a mere hindrance rather than something that can entail a lifetime of medical care…doesn't do as much justice to the cause of disabled individuals as it wants to." He concluded: "But Macy's perf does shine. Heavily made up and wafer-thin, with speech slurred, back arched and ears protruding, he transforms cleanly into the man. It's the supporting cast, full of notable actors, that doesn't quite gel with the material. Mirren is awfully underused as the doting and determined mother who becomes hospitalized, Sedgwick is her chipper self in a part that doesn't require much depth and Baker plays her potentially profound role rather straight."

Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle praised Macy and Mirren and the film "is one of those triumph-of-the-human-spirit TV movies, with hankies mandatory. But it's hardly ever hokey." One of her criticisms was when the film "hits the '90s and focuses on Bill's resistance to the information age. This emphasis does a disservice to a man who's shown a remarkable ability to adapt -- to living with a disability, to a demanding job, to heartache."

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
Critics' Choice Awards	Best Picture Made for Television		Won
Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television	Helen Mirren	Nominated
	Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television	William H. Macy	Nominated
Online Film & Television Association Awards	Best Motion Picture Made for Television		Won
	Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	William H. Macy	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Helen Mirren	Nominated
	Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated
	Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Steven Schachter	Nominated
	Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries	William H. Macy, Steven Schacter	Nominated
	Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated
Peabody Award		Turner Network Television, Rosemont Productions International Ltd., Angel Brown Productions, in association with Spirit Dance Productions	Won
Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special	Juel Bestrop, Jeanne McCarthy, Candice Elzinga, Bette Chadwick	Nominated
	Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie	Jan Kiesser	Nominated
	Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special	Steven Schachter	Won
	Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special	Paul Dixon	Nominated
	Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special	Julie McHaffie	Won
	Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Prosthetic)	Matthew W. Mungle, Charles Porlier, Jayne Dancose	Won
	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	William H. Macy	Won
	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie	Kathy Baker	Nominated
		Helen Mirren	Nominated
	Outstanding Made for Television Movie	David A. Rosemont, Dan Angel, Billy Brown, Forest Whitaker, Robert J. King, Warren Carr	Won
	Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie	Randy Kiss, Geoff Turner, Perry Leigh Fifield, Martin Fossum	Nominated
	Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special	William H. Macy, Steven Schachter	Won
Satellite Awards	Best Motion Picture Made for Television		Won
	Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television	William H. Macy	Won
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television	Helen Mirren	Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries	William H. Macy	Won
	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries	Helen Mirren	Nominated

Adaptations

Door to Door is also the name of a 2009 Japanese TV movie, starring Kazunari Ninomiya, which is set in Japan and loosely based on the Bill Porter story.

External links

• Door to Door at TNT
• Door to Door at IMDb
• Door to Door at Rotten Tomatoes