Take two things into account with this review.
#1- The Stepford Wives movie from 1975 is one of my favourite movies.
#2- I completely understood that this remake was going to be something different.
In fact, I was so accepting of the fact that Frank Oz chose to make this a satirical comedy, that I was actually looking forward to the many changes and updates that this remake was going to have. Even walking out of the theatre, I was judging this very much as it's own movie. Having said that, I have to say that I don't completely dislike this movie, I just felt very let down, not just as a fan of The Stepford Wives, but as a normal filmgoer as well. There are a lot of good things offered in this remake. The cast is outstanding. I disagree with many who think Matthew Broderick was underused. I thought he was perfectly used, and I liked that they made his character more sympathetic. In a way, you have more respect for him than you do Joanna, unlike the original. And also unlike the original, Joanna is very sleezy, and overall a horrible human being with some redeemable qualities. Being a straight male, I almost feel weird saying this, but Bette Midler was perhaps the best thing about the movie. She put an interesting spin on the character of Bobbie. Most of the jokes are clever, and for the most part classy.
But here is the major problem. Frank Oz made the horrible mistake of updating this movie and changing a lot of the story, just for the sake of changing it. I have a feeling that he wanted to do something different to make this his own movie, but never thought about it hard enough to make it different in a clever way. The climax plays out just like the original, and has the supermarket scene with the Stepford Wives, but then there's a whole "second ending" that not only seems like a sloppy and thoughtless twist, but it makes very little sense. This is the same mistake that Planet Of The Apes and Rollerball both made with their remakes. They tried to surprise the audience with a new shocking twist, but it's not thought out or well executed, and it's just plain dumb. Then my other big complaint is the pacing of the movie. There's far too much "filler" in the middle section. Scenes that draw out the inevitable un-necessarily. Then when it finally comes time for the real excitement in the climax, they rush through it. I was very pleased how Oz filmed and pieced together the climax. Even the way the confrontation at the mansion was changed up, I was impressed. But what was the sense of condensing the best part of the movie into a few rushed minutes when there were several scenes in the middle section that were tediously dull? Ultimately, it's the various new twists and cheap modern day updates that bury this movie. It's not at all that I objected to the changes as a fan of the original, it's because they don't fit the basic theme and tone of the rest of the movie. So many of these modern day changes (just for the sake of changing) feel wildly out of place.
There is a lot of good material and great scenes, and for the most part the story is told well. I think when this comes out on video and DVD I'm going to put this on tape, minus some of the scenes from the middle, and minus the second ending. I'm hoping I'll enjoy it a lot more that way. One more thing. Why did they change the knife scene????? A hand on a stove element? Lame substitution.
#1- The Stepford Wives movie from 1975 is one of my favourite movies.
#2- I completely understood that this remake was going to be something different.
In fact, I was so accepting of the fact that Frank Oz chose to make this a satirical comedy, that I was actually looking forward to the many changes and updates that this remake was going to have. Even walking out of the theatre, I was judging this very much as it's own movie. Having said that, I have to say that I don't completely dislike this movie, I just felt very let down, not just as a fan of The Stepford Wives, but as a normal filmgoer as well. There are a lot of good things offered in this remake. The cast is outstanding. I disagree with many who think Matthew Broderick was underused. I thought he was perfectly used, and I liked that they made his character more sympathetic. In a way, you have more respect for him than you do Joanna, unlike the original. And also unlike the original, Joanna is very sleezy, and overall a horrible human being with some redeemable qualities. Being a straight male, I almost feel weird saying this, but Bette Midler was perhaps the best thing about the movie. She put an interesting spin on the character of Bobbie. Most of the jokes are clever, and for the most part classy.
But here is the major problem. Frank Oz made the horrible mistake of updating this movie and changing a lot of the story, just for the sake of changing it. I have a feeling that he wanted to do something different to make this his own movie, but never thought about it hard enough to make it different in a clever way. The climax plays out just like the original, and has the supermarket scene with the Stepford Wives, but then there's a whole "second ending" that not only seems like a sloppy and thoughtless twist, but it makes very little sense. This is the same mistake that Planet Of The Apes and Rollerball both made with their remakes. They tried to surprise the audience with a new shocking twist, but it's not thought out or well executed, and it's just plain dumb. Then my other big complaint is the pacing of the movie. There's far too much "filler" in the middle section. Scenes that draw out the inevitable un-necessarily. Then when it finally comes time for the real excitement in the climax, they rush through it. I was very pleased how Oz filmed and pieced together the climax. Even the way the confrontation at the mansion was changed up, I was impressed. But what was the sense of condensing the best part of the movie into a few rushed minutes when there were several scenes in the middle section that were tediously dull? Ultimately, it's the various new twists and cheap modern day updates that bury this movie. It's not at all that I objected to the changes as a fan of the original, it's because they don't fit the basic theme and tone of the rest of the movie. So many of these modern day changes (just for the sake of changing) feel wildly out of place.
There is a lot of good material and great scenes, and for the most part the story is told well. I think when this comes out on video and DVD I'm going to put this on tape, minus some of the scenes from the middle, and minus the second ending. I'm hoping I'll enjoy it a lot more that way. One more thing. Why did they change the knife scene????? A hand on a stove element? Lame substitution.