CORPORATE LINE: Stepford has a secret: all of the wives are way too perfect, and all of the husbands are way too happy. “The Stepford Wives,” a comic re-imagining of the 1975 suspense classic, follows the tale that unfolds when a young couple moves from Manhattan to the upper-class suburb of Connecticut. Once there, they soon discover that the Stepford men are replacing their wives with compliant robots.
THE FILM: An all-star cast tops the film. The cast is almost too perfect—ha! The film first-and-foremost is a comedy and is funnier than most movies that are purely comedies. Bette Midler steals every scene she is in and it’s not hard to understand why she wanted the part—even though it’s not a headlining role. That is she steals every scene except when with Roger Bart; one half of the only gay couple in Stepford.
Christopher Walken is perfect as the mad-scientist and then there is Glenn Close. Close is the head-honcho of Stepford. There is a part of her that seems like the nicest person in the world, but also a part of her that is ready to pounce.
DVD FEATURES: There is a decent commentary by director Frank Oz as he tries to convince us this is a good movie. There are Five featurettes such as “Stepford: A Definition” which discusses what “Stepford” means. Another feature handles the production and another that discusses the cast. There are six deleted scenes and a gag reel.
FRANKLY: The Stepford Wives even with its stellar cast still didn’t seem fulfilling. When the ending came it felt empty. The climax was anticlimactic just as the beginning was uninspiring. Perhaps it’s the attempt at making this a comedy. This version of The Stepford Wives was different, but different doesn’t always mean great.
+ Charlie Craine
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