| Overall Grade: |
F |
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| Story: |
F |
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| Acting: |
C- |
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| Direction: |
F |
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| Visuals: |
N/A |
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Left In The Dark
by Timothy (movies profile)
Jan 28, 2007
40
of
55 people found this review helpful
"The Stepford Wives" is a comedy that is a remake of a horror/thriller from the 1970's. One thing that both of these films have in common is that neither one of them is funny. This is not a negative comment towards the original predecessor considering that it aimed for suspense. I can not say the same for the recent remake of "The Stepford Wives" which zones in on smart satire and hysterical laughter, but instead results in blank emotion and head-scratching.
The film tells the story of a powerful television network president (Nicole Kidman)who is at the top of her game and is loved by everyone. However, for a minor, ridiculous reason she is dethroned from her job the following day. Being that moving and relocating is such a simple task, she and her husband (Matthew Broderick) take their children and move to the town of Stepford where the husbands live like kings and the women serve as robotic subservients to their men.
I tried so hard to like this film. I really really did. There was no way I was prepared to hate a film that included a talented cast consisting of Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, Bette Midler, and Jon Lovitz. I couldn't have been anymore wrong. This zany comedy begins mediocre, light, and silly, and gradually sinks to rock bottom with a conclusion that left me in awe of its pure unoriginality and stupidity.
The wives of Stepford are human beings controlled by their husbands thanks to microchips implanted in their brains. Yet they are still regarded as robots throughout the film, even though they are simply humans being mind-controlled. They walk in a stiff robotic fashion, they fire sparks out of their faces, and their breasts are able to grow larger. I had no idea so much could be done just by inserting computer chips into someone's brain! One woman is even used as an ATM. Her husband jams a bank card in her mouth so she can spit out singles in exchange. While this sight in real life would lead me to utter confusion and lead me to running away in sheer panic, Broderick's character witnesses this for the first time and smiles contently at how multi-functional the women of Stepford are. I know every film reaches a level of unrealisitc reactions, but what the hell is that all about??
It is a shame that a cast such as this is put to waste. Glenn Close and Christopher Walken are a hoot as the married couple who preside over the citizens of Stepford as picture-perfect role models. Unfortunately these screen veterans are upstaged by Kidman, Broderick, and Midler who simply blend into the background as boring, static lead characters. Speaking of blending in I did not see the point to the casting of Faith Hill. The country diva headlines the film yet is simply a minor Stepford wife with little to do except look good.
I feel I do not have to say any more about this flick except that it is the worst I have seen so far this year. Producer Scott Rudin and director Frank Oz ("What About Bob") try to take the outdated feminist subtext from the original "Stepford" and turn it into a modern day bouncy, good time. Instead I felt a sense of confusion and awkwardness. Despite its simply mediocre reviews by most mainstream critics, my honest opinion is to stay away from this dud at all costs. See "The Terminal" next weekend or rent "Gigli", but "The Stepford Wives" takes a walk down my official hall of shame, failure, and disappointment. |
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