Door To Door

By James Poniewozik Sunday, July 07, 2002
    • "Inspirational" TV movies are like door-to-door salesmen: when one says it can "change your life," it's time to chain the lock. This one, which follows Bill Porter (William H. Macy) from 1955 to 1997 as he overcomes cerebral palsy to become a champion salesman, does get a foot in the door. Macy — who became America's Lomanesque salesman in chief in Fargo — gives a wry, uncondescending performance as the determined Porter. But the script (which Macy co-wrote) is peddling a big, stale box of Forrest Gump chocolates, complete with sentiment, bathos and predictable pop-history references to Vietnam, aids and the Internet. We don't need any today, thanks.