The Stepford Wives have a secret and what they are not telling you is that they weren’t sure if this movie should have been a comedy or a sci-fi thriller as it bumbles along holding on desperately to the same tired joke for the duration.
It is really too bad that this film turned up the way it did since there is a really good story to tell here, and with such a great cast it is hard to swallow that they couldn’t pull it all together.
The Stepford Wives follows Joanna (Kidman) and her husband (Broderick) as they have suffered from some recent marital problems stemming from Joanna’s compulsion for work and her subsequent firing, but they hope to find some peace in the happy town of Stepford.
Things seemed fine on arrival but Joanna soon becomes wary of the wives of Stepford as they seem a bit too perfect, ultimately leading her to find out the wives do have a secret, one that is meant to either scare you or tickle you. I am not quite sure.
The Stepford Wives is a remake of the 1975 film, which was an adaptation of the Ira Levin novel, who also, interestingly enough, wrote Rosemary’s Baby. While the first film was made as a sci-fi/thriller, the second film was publicized more as a dark comedy, which it very well could have been if there had been any comedy to speak of.
I say “could have” because the film relies on the perfect subservient wives as they drive the majority of the film’s punch lines, which is funny at first but soon becomes tiresome and you start to think you are just going through the motions until the big reveal at the end.
This review is by no means a cut on any of the actors as they all played their roles very well, it is always a treat to see Christopher Walken acting in any movie, but it was just unfortunate that this picture couldn’t really find its groove. I believe that if it had ever been able to set itself on the right track something great would have spawned.
Unfortunately, what we have is a movie that suffers from too many flaws to actually give the go ahead recommendation, but if you feel you must see it, and can’t wait for DVD, then be sure to check out a matinee or you will be asking for your money back.
