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The Stepford Wives (2004)
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Reviews Counted:160
Fresh:42
Rotten:118
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: In exchanging the chilling satire of the original into mindless camp, this remake has itself become Stepford-ized.
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Based on a book by Ira Levin which satirizes the roles of 1950s housewives, this is a remake of the 1975 film adaptation. Director Frank Oz presents a dramatic reworking of the horror classic,... Based on a book by Ira Levin which satirizes the roles of 1950s housewives, this is a remake of the 1975 film adaptation. Director Frank Oz presents a dramatic reworking of the horror classic, putting a totally over-the-top slant on the story that gives it true comedic value. In the early 21st century, a fast-paced Manhattan couple, Joanna (Nicole Kidman) and Walter (Matthew Broderick), both work for a major television network. While she is a leader and breadwinner in producing reality shows, he is a mere middle-management type. So when Joanna has a nervous breakdown, and Walter takes command, he's happy to find that for once in his life she's not stealing his fire. This sentiment is only asserted by the boys club that welcomes him when they move to the "perfect" town of Stepford, Connecticut. There, the women have been transformed by their husbands into a totally submissive, near-robotic state in which they are blissfully happy doing housework and looking pretty, and are totally compliant to their men. With Claire (Glenn Close) and Mike (Christopher Walken) leading this web of weirdness, Joanna and her only normal friend, Bobbie (Bette Midler), race to solve the mystery before they too become Stepford Wives. [More]
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Glenn Close
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, Jon Lovitz, Faith Hill, Roger Bart, David Marshall Grant, Lorri Bagley
Director: Frank Oz
Director: Frank Oz
Screenwriter: Paul Rudnick
Producer: Scott Rudin, Donald De Line, Edgar J. Scherick, Gabriel Grunfeld
Composer: David Arnold
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for The Stepford Wives
For better or worse, Stepford Wives is classic Frank Oz. At times ludicrous and stereotypical, but always funny.
With its smart script and dead-on comic performances, it actually works.
There just aren't enough laughs to distract from the vast fault-lines in the story
Oz crams the film full of lame one-liners and doesn't know if he's making a dark comedy, a satire or what, as Broderick and Kidman breeze through their roles.
Frank Oz's madcap remake turns a dusty, second-rate thriller from 1975 into a loud and shiny postmodern farce.
If Frank Oz ever gets the urge to make another movie about controlling women, he should go back to Miss Piggy. The Stepford Wives stinks.
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