The Stepford Wives Review

"The Stepford Wives" reviews

Movie

The Stepford Wives

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-06-29 23:05:35

Rating

2.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

As a loosely based remake to the 1975 creep show of the same name, about a town full of way too perfect suburban wives and their way too happy husbands, The Stepford Wives is definitely riddled with glaring plot holes and implausibilities. But its also a real hoot.

Story

The tagline reads, ''The wives of Stepford have a secret,'' and boy, do they ever. Of course, Joanna Eberhart (Nicole Kidman), a former tough-as-nails television network president, doesn't know the secret. Not yet, anyway. She just thinks she's moving to the peaceful upper-class suburbs of Stepford, Connecticut, with her attentive husband, Walter (Matthew Broderick) and their two adorable children--to try to recover from a nervous breakdown after being summarily dismissed from her high-powered job. What Joanna finds instead is a group of eerie '50s-type perfect housewives, lead by the ultra-coiffed Claire Wellington (Glenn Close), who tend to their beautiful, spacious homes, excel at crafts and cater to their geeky husbands' every whim. The women's behavior is more than a little odd to Joanna, even if Walter thinks it's all very quaint, as he rushes off to join the other men folk at the Stepford Men's Association, lead by Claire's manly husband Mike (Christopher Walken). Luckily, Joanne isn't entirely alone in her suspicions, discovering allies in recent transplants Bobbie Markowitz (Bette Midler), a frumpy best-selling author, and Roger Bannister (Roger Bart), a gay-and-proud-of-it architect. Together, they try to unravel the mysterious of Stepford, while also managing to learn how to make the perfect Christmas ornament from a pine cone.

Acting

Stepford Wives employs a stellar cast. The over-exposed Kidman finally gets to loosen up a bit after such downers as The Hours, Cold Mountain and Dogville and has fun with Joanna. Her bitchy TV executive is particularly comical, as it is realistic, especially when she's spouting off ideas on how to turn a tragedy into ''real'' television. Honestly, the Oscar-winning actress can do just about anything--but it may be time for her to take a vacation. As Joanna's husband, Broderick is spot-on as the mousy Walter who eventually shows some backbone (of course he does). Close and Walken also have their roles down, er, perfectly as the masterminds of their own little version of heaven. But the real standouts are Midler, as the caustic Bobbie, and Broadway actor Bart as Roger, who provokes the biggest laughs from the audience with his flare for the flamboyant. Yes, it may be a tad stereotypical, but he sells it, girlfriend. Even country singer Faith Hill tries her hand at the whole acting thing, making an appearance as one of the Stepford wives--come on, she certainly looks the part, doesn't she?

Direction

Trouble brewed on The Stepford Wives set. Director Frank Oz (In & Out) apparently had difficulties with producers over the direction of the film (which veers completely away from the suspenseful original) as well as run-ins with co-stars Midler and Walken--and the end product reflects it. Stepford is muddled and savvy moviegoers will no doubt scrutinize the film's glaring flaws, especially the whole ''robot'' component (are they actual robots or what?) and the over-the-top, maybe-you'll-guess-it twist at the end. But Stepford's intentional ribbing of social mores and quest for perfection comes shining through, thanks to Paul Rudnick's campy script. There are more than a few hysterical scenes, including one where Joanna, Bobbie and Roger sneak into one of the Stepford houses, and after hearing a particularly vigorous lovemaking session between perfect wife #34 and her husband, Roger runs up the stairs because he's ''got to get some of that'' or the scene where Claire talks about the great things to make at Christmas, while Bobbie throws out her own clever ideas on what to do with pine cones. The important thing is Stepford Wives doesn't take itself seriously--well, not really--and neither should anyone else.

Bottom Line

The Stepford Wives may not be as perfect as Stepford's manufactured denizens but, supported by a fabulous cast, it produces some genuine belly laughs just the same.

Copyright © CinemaSource 2006.

Movie

THE STEPFORD WIVES

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-27 22:16:48

Provider

MRIB

Review

As anyone who's walked up the aisle will tell you, the secret to a long and happy marriage is compromise. Well, this version of Ira Levin's novel awards one gender the upper hand in the battle of the sexes.

Nicole Kidman stars as Joanna Eberhardt, a high-powered TV exec who is forced to step down after a star on one of her reality shows goes nuts and takes a pot shot at her. Deciding they need a break from the stresses of the city, Jo, her husband Nick (Matthew Broderick) and their two kids relocate to the quiet town of Stepford. At first their new lives seem too good to be true; they've got a stunning house and the locals are both friendly and glamorous. But soon Joanne starts to suspect that something isn't quite right in this dream of a community. No one, surely, can be this perfect?

Given that the original graced the big screen in 1975, most will have a reasonable idea of what goes on beneath Stepford's Men's Club. If not, we won't spoil it. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out the film's plot.

Performance-wise, it's a bit of a hit and miss affair. Bette Midler and Glenn Close steal the acting plaudits as a cynical author and his über-wife, respectively, while Christopher Walken oozes presence as the mysterious Max. Kidman, too, is on good form as plain Jane Jo, though Broderick, as her spouse, is wet and underwhelming.

And while the film looks decent enough, it's obvious that more than a few changes were made following test screenings, ensuring that it all seems a trifle thin in places. You will undoubtedly enjoy The Stepford Wives; just don't expect a meaningful relationship to arise.

Copyright © MRIB 2005.