The Stepford Wives (Special Collector's Edition)
by Frank Oz
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Actor: Bette Midler, Christopher Walken, Glenn Close, Matthew Broderick, Nicole KidmanDirector: Frank Oz
Brand: Paramount
Producer: Donald De Line
Producer: Edgar J. Scherick
Producer: Gabriel Grunfeld
Producer: Keri Selig
Producer: Leslie J. Converse
Writer: Ira Levin
Writer: Paul Rudnick
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
Published: 2004-11-01
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-09
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of The Stepford Wives (Special Collector's Edition)
DVD Review: An unnecessarily confusing overblown, temporal mess..
Summary: 1 Stars
This is a 30 years in the making rework of a mid 70's quirky and satirical original by the same name. While no great fan of the first film, it was something new at the time, and hit with a lot more subtle impact than this shamefully bad remake. The original also seemed to touch not only a comedic nerve but a socially conscious one, whereas this only scratches the surface.
The main problem with this version are not the stars. Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken, Bette Midler and others are all accomplished (elsewhere) and the editing, pace, music, and basic direction seem fine. Technically, there are no major problems, and there is great costuming and set production. The big fault here is the script (writing), which is dull and tiresome as well as confusing and non-credible (even for a fantasy, sci-fi comedy). And while the original seemed subtle and predictive, this seems out of topical place. That is, this version seems to be unbelievably lacking in social comment of today's times. Instead, the movie constantly uses symbols and icons from the mid 70's, which seems lazy when trying to remake something taking place 30 years later.
For instance, Nicole Kidman's character is not believable in the beginning. It is too over the top. Here is where a more subtle approach would've worked wonders. Matthew Broderick is cast as usual as the innocent, boy next door, quirky female hero, but we are supposed to believe he has had something going with Kidman's media corporate bitch from hell. From the start then, as these two head off to a non-Manhattan, more peaceful and "organic" existence in Connecticut (where else? Vermont perhaps? Oregon?), the viewer already does not accept their characters as real, which eventually ruins everything else that follows.
The key here is the concept of "subtle." This version has none. Instead of trying to dream up a modern day version of the days gone by "suburb bliss" of the 70's, this one opts instead for one back in the 50's. While some may argue this was a general flaw in the original as well, in this one, we are now talking about 30 plus about 20 years, or more, and yet hip modern day hipsters like Kidman and Broderick can't see something wrong with the Stepford community they join? It takes a whole movie for them to finally realize when they entered Stepford, they entered the Twilight Zone?
While there are some semi-funny ideas here, but no real laughs, while the leads are all appealing, there are times when the viewer has to ask, when is this mess going to end? And more importantly, when are the characters going to react to what they are experience the way actual "normal" not robotic folks might?
Unfortunately, that only comes after many throw away scenes and ideas, all of which should've remained on the editing floor. This seems like the worst of Hollywood Deal-Making 101. Grab an old script or idea, rework it sprinkling a lot of celebrities, pay no real attention to the writing, include a lot of SHOULD'VE been deleted scenes and mix all together to make a quick buck for all, and you've got this. A real waste of time for those who actually paid to see this in a theater, a decent enough actor wage, and a hope residuals (after net points) will be enough for all of those involved to make more crap like this in the future.
If at all possible, rent before you buy. Unless you might enjoy replaying this over and over again just to see how "they" make quick possible short term moneymakers out in Hollyweird these days. But where's the fun in that?
One topical note of interest, as the husbands and wives in the community of Stepford have the ability to do a lot with remote controls, it is gratifying at least that you the viewer have the opportunity to fast forward through this forgettable by the numbers sludge if you are misfortunate enough to having bought this without watching it first.
Nicole and Matthew have and hopefully will see much better days. Christopher Walken seems to be playing his Saturday Night Live "Continental Man" character. Bette Midler, is wasted here. This is a badly written script, that's all. The original is much better, as it deals with its time period in a realistic manner. This version adds a lot of high tech, but none of the characters are ever believable in the slightest.
This movie should've been fun. Instead, it winds up challenging the viewer to ever increasingly frustrating attempts at suspending belief to a point where any humor found in believable events is quickly dispatched, and is never heard from again, throughout.
A real disappointment. This could've been a great idea, if updated correctly. Instead, it is the kind of movie where one is constantly asking "WTF" and so by the end, delivers nothing but the same, ultimately a real unpleasant experience. Who would want to actually buy this, and watch it again, must in themselves I think, be part Borg...
Description of The Stepford Wives (Special Collector's Edition)
In THE STEPFORD WIVES, Walter (Broderick) and Joanna (Kidman) Eberhart are the newest residents in a suburban neighborhood in Stepford. Seeing that the women she surrounds herself with all seem to be cut from the same mold, and are seemingly incapable of thinking for themselves, Joanna begins to think something suspicious is going on in Stepford. Upon realizing that her friends have been replaced by robots and that she's next on the list, Joanna and Walter decide to turn the tables and expose the truth about what's really been going on in Stepford.An all-star cast remakes the 1975 socio-political horror flick, The Stepford Wives. After being fired as president of a television network, Joanna (Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge) has a nervous breakdown, prompting her husband Walter (Matthew Broderick, Election) to take her to a simple Connecticut town called Stepford to recuperate. But Stepford is a little strange: The schlubby husbands congregate at a closed-doors men's club, while the wives--all in bright summer frocks and air-brushed smiles--exercise to keep their hourglass figures and cook endless pastries. Joanna, along with new arrivals Bobbie (Bette Midler, Beaches) and Roger (the very funny Roger Bart), soon discover that the mastermind of Stepford (Christopher Walken, Communion) has used cybernetics to "perfect" womankind. The Stepford Wives has some satirical zingers (from sneaky screenwriter Paul Rudnick, Addams Family Values), but the basic idea has lost a lot of gas since 1975. Also featuring Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction). --Bret Fetzer
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