"What if" movie recommendations

Here are three ''what if'' movie recommendations:

(1) ''Sliding Doors'', with Gwyneth Paltrow. 1998. You probably heard of this movie. If I recall correctly, a woman misses her train home from work; an alternative timestream begins, in which she successfully catches the train. In one timestream, she catches her live-in boyfriend in bed with another women; in the other, she doesn't. John Hannah plays the kindly, funny male romantic lead (he's either Scottish or from northern England -- I can't tell the accents apart), who is the much better alternative to the weasely boyfriend. (You'll remember John Hannah as Brendan Fraser's the brother-in-law in the two ''Mummy'' movies.)

(2) ''Me Myself I'', starring Rachel Griffiths. 1999. (Not to be confused with the Jim Carrey movie -- which is "Me, Myself, Irene.") 1999. It's been a while since I've watched this, but I think she's a career woman (single; no kids); stumbles across a photo of an old boyfriend; and wonders what would have happened if she had married him. And then -- she's married to him, with his kids! It's a quiet, but good, movie. I thought it similar to Jennifer Gardner's recent (2003) movie ''Suddenly 30''. Which I just now -- checking it on www.imdb.com -- discovered that this was the release title only in the Australian market!!! Everywhere else, it was ''13 going on 30.'' Which is odd, as I think that ''Suddenly 30'' is a catchier, punchier name. Hm.

(3) ''The Family Man'', starring Nicolas Cage. 2000. Essentially the same as ''Me Myself I'': A high-rolling corporate guy (sports car, Rolex watch) wakes up to find himself married to an old flame, with kids, a minivan, and a boring job. It's a solid movie, although it didn't do well at the box office.


Finally, here's an additional movie suggestion -- although it's less in the ''alternative timestream'' vein, and more in the ''stuck in a loop'', ''Groundhog Day'' genre:

''12:01'', starring Jonathan Silverman (who seems like a nice guy, and thus I hope he finds lots of work as an actor!). 1993. A good, solid movie, but I don't remember hearing about it when it came out. www.imdb.com lists it as a t.v. show, not a movie -- so perhaps it was originally a telemovie. In ''12:01'', the main character has a crush on a co-worker. Just before he can ask her out, she gets killed in an accident. Something happens overnight, so that he ends up re-living that day over and over. Sci-fi/drama, but with a number of funny lines.


And -- there you go! A few things to add to your ''To Rent'' list. :)


--TG