What does it take
to become a Stepford wife, a woman perfect beyond belief? Ask the
Stepford husbands, who've created this high-tech terrifying little
town, in a very modern comedy-thriller. Courtesy ofIMDb. The
Stepford Wives stars Nicole Kidman,
Matthew Broderick, Glenn Close, Bette Midler, and Christopher Walken.
CRITIQUE
It’s interesting to
see how times have changed when looking at films such as The
Stepford Wives and its remake. The original Stepford Wives,
released in 1975, was a feminist thriller about a woman who discovers
the terrifying secret behind a town filled with “happy homemakers.”
The original is a film of its time, taking the 1950’s stereotype of
the “perfect woman” and turning it into a malevolent concept. While
the film wasn’t subtle in its social commentary, the film did succeed
in creating an atmosphere of unease, which drew the viewer into its
mystery.
The remake,
however, lacks any of the social commentary that was found in the
original. Instead, it becomes a satire on the original material.
Instead of having successful men who are just threatened by their
wives having more power than them, this version has very successful,
yet emasculated losers who take revenge on their wives by turning them
into robots. From that description, it doesn’t sound that bad. Had the
film been a thriller, this bit of commentary on the world after female
empowerment would have been far more apparent, but that isn’t the
case.
Instead it’s a
comedy, and because of that all the subtly is lost. Instead of drawing
us into the mystery of what the Stepford Wives are, we are practically
told within the first fifteen minutes of the film (granted, the secret
of what the Wives are isn’t necessarily a big of a secret in the first
place.) After that, the film falls into a series of one-liners (some
that are really funny, though most are not) and stereotypical comic
relief (Roger Bart’s flamboyantly gay Roger Bannister, Bette Midler’s
Jewish Bobbie Markowitz, and a “cute” robot dog.) While the cast isn’t
bad, they cannot keep this film afloat. In fact, the film’s only
saving grace is the final twist of the story as well as Glenn Close’s
breakdown at the end. That, in itself, saves the film from being a
total disaster.
THE VIDEO
The film is
presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16:9
TVs. The transfer is very clear and the colors are vibrant. There are
no flaws at all.
THE AUDIO
The audio is
presented in both Dolby Digital Surround and Dolby 5.1 and the mix is
very good. While there isn’t much in the film that would give a
surround sound system a workout, the ambience is good.
THE EXTRAS
Commentary by Frank
Oz: A
very good commentary track.
A Perfect World:
The Making of Stepford Wives:
A very in-depth making of feature, going over many different aspects
of the film, such as costume and set design. One of the best that I
have seen lately.
Stepford: A
Definition:
The cast and director talk about what they believe a “Stepford Wife”
is.
Stepford: The
Architects:
Writer Paul Rudnick talks about writing the film.
The Stepford Wives:
The Stepford Wives talk about their experience on the film.
The Stepford
Husbands:
The wives and husbands on the men in the film.
Deleted Scenes:
A small selection of cut scenes, most of which emphasize that the
wives are actually robots.
Gag Reel:
The cast messing up their takes. Fun for a few moments, but then grows
monotonous.
OVERALL
Stepford Wives
is not a very good film, it has moments, but the moments never add up
to a satisfying whole. The DVD presentation is good, and has some
excellent features. It’s a shame that they weren’t part of a better
film.
