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Movies / On DVD / The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives

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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: Dramas

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

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Reviews for The Stepford Wives

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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Works only in spurts, like a robot with a faulty power supply.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
06/15/04
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

It has two speeds -- obvious and more so.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
06/15/04
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice

It fails to fully engage the viewer in either the comedy or the darkness of the idea behind the comedy.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
06/15/04
Jeremiah Lewis
Jeremiah Lewis
Film Threat

So, would I like to trade in my wife for the latest Stepford model? No thank you. But I'd gladly take a shot at refurbishing Frank Oz into a competent filmmaker again.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
06/15/04
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
Film Threat

Would I see it again? I’d rather pass a kidney stone.

Full Review Source: Broomfield Enterprise | comment Comment
06/14/04
Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi
Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi
Broomfield Enterprise

Premise of the original was far-fetched enough without writer Paul Rudnick and director Frank Oz turning everything into an over-the-top cartoon.

Full Review Source: Fantastica Daily | comment Comment
06/14/04
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

Very good dialogue, the rest of this stuff just falls apart.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
06/14/04
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

Redundant and gutless -- as phony, prefab and programmed as its robotic housewives. It actually subverts the feminist message of the novel and first film...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
06/14/04
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/14/04
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

...a jumbled product that doesn't really know what it wants to be or say.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
06/14/04
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Zeitgeist cinema for all the wrong reasons: a vapid, superficial film for a vapid, superficial era. The studio-sanctioned 'Scooby-Doo' ending is simply unforgivable.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
06/14/04
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

A glossy but tacky movie due to a tacked on, senseless ending

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
06/13/04
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

a long-winded, eighty minute setup for one elaborate, climatic Martha Stewart joke

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
06/13/04
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Despite a few good chuckles, over the top satire never hits home.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
06/13/04
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

A misbegotten Stepford Wives Club, which even the charter members will reject.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
06/13/04
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

The Stepford Wives (is) . . . bright and entertaining, but seems that, with the assembled cast and the talent behind the camera, much potential was wasted.

Full Review Source: Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) | comment Comment
06/12/04
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Journal News (Westchester, NY) | comment Comment
06/12/04
Eleanor O'Sullivan
Eleanor O'Sullivan
Journal News (Westchester, NY)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
06/12/04
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Satirizing The Stepford Wives is pointless.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
06/12/04
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com

an often audacious movie that is just too serious about being campy.

Full Review Source: Lawrence Journal-World | comment Comment
06/12/04
Jon Niccum
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Stepford Wives

June 18, 2004: A computer-generated ending might have been an improvement on screenwriter Paul Rudnick's, which goes so haywire you can almost see the smoke. Opens in new window
More...

June 04, 2004: "There needs to be a little jeopardy, but number one, it’s a comedy. " Opens in new window
More...

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