Stepmom (1998)

A terminally ill woman has to settle on her former husband's new lover, who will be their children's stepmother.

Director:

Chris Columbus

Writers:

Gigi Levangie (story), Gigi Levangie (screenplay)

Stars:

Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Ed Harris

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Roberts	...	Isabel Kelly
Susan Sarandon	...	Jackie Harrison
Ed Harris	...	Luke Harrison
Jena Malone	...	Anna Harrison
Liam Aiken	...	Ben Harrison
Lynn Whitfield	...	Dr. P. Sweikert
Darrell Larson	...	Duncan Samuels
Mary Louise Wilson	...	Mrs. Franklin
Andre B. Blake	...	Cooper (as Andre Blake)
Herbert Russell	...	Photo Assistant (as Russel Harper)
Jack Eagle	...	Craft Service Man
Lu Celania Sierra	...	Photo Shoot Model
Lauma Zemzare	...	Photo Shoot Model
Holly Schenck	...	Photo Shoot Model
Michelle Stone	...	Photo Shoot Model

Storyline

Anna and Ben, the two children of Jackie and Luke, have to cope with the fact that their parents divorced and that there is a new woman in their father's life: Isabel, a successful photographer. She does her best to treat the kids in a way that makes them still feel at home when being with their dad, but also loves her work and does not plan to give it up. But Jackie, a full-time mother, regards Isabel's efforts as offensively insufficient. She can't understand that work can be important to her as well as the kids. The conflict between them is deepened by the sudden diagnosis of cancer, which might may be deadly for Jackie. They all have to learn a little in order to grow together.

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Plot Keywords:

cancer | custody | rapunzel character | woman | photographer | 

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Taglines:

Be there for the joy. Be there for the tears. Be there for each other.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Class Divided

Filming Locations:

Bedford, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,142,440, 27 December 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$91,137,662

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$68,573,131

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, 1492 Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the film, the characters played by Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon are often at odds with each other. In reality, the two are close friends, and chose this project specifically to work on together.

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Goofs

Isabel helps Anna get her trees to look real. She paints some leaves on the tree; they are minimal but very big strokes and exceed the sides of the tree. In the next shot, when Anna has a turn, the painting has changed - the "leaves" are tiny and there are suddenly lots of little neat ones rather than the ones Isabel just painted.

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Quotes

[first lines]
DJ Scott Zoe: [the morning DJ on the radio] Hey, good morning, New York. Scott Zoe here at 102.7, WNEW-FM, where rock lives. Beautiful autumn day in the city, and a great record coming your way, too.
[the song Under Pressure by David Bowie plays]
Isabel: [Isabel gets up in a rush to go and wake up Ben] Ben? Ben? Ben. Get up, get up, get up. Late, late, late. Ben? Come on, honey. Get up. We're seriously late.
[...]

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Connections

References Leave It to Beaver (1957)

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Soundtracks

Under Pressure
Written by David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Brian May, and Roger Taylor
Performed by Queen and David Bowie
Courtesy of Raincloud Productions Ltd.
Jones/Tintoretto Entertainment Co., LLC., Hollywood Records & EMI Records UK

User Reviews

Touching

A sweet and honest movie. It's definitely a family film. I liked the relationship of having to fill someone's shoes in a sense, because people are so attached to them. Sarandon was awesome of course. She carried her part with grace and the feral intensity of a mama bear. Nothing got over on her and I liked that because she wasn't going to be around much longer. It wasn't about sizing up the competition, but making sure she was the right person her kids could grow up with instead of her. It was heartfelt and real. Great film.