Stepmom (1998)

A terminally-ill woman must deal with her ex-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, must cope with the fact that their parents divorced and their father is now with successful photographer Isabel. She does her best to treat the kids in a way that makes them still feel at home when they're with their dad, but she also loves her work and doesn't plan to give it up. But full-time mother Jackie finds Isabel's efforts offensively insufficient and 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 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 | tickling | woman | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes the Person Will Cant With Live Becomes the Pearson You Can't Live without

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon were looking for a project worth working together on. They eventually settled on this script.

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Goofs

Isabel's rings constantly change from no ring to engagement ring to engagement ring and wedding band, in no logical order and often in direct conflict with the storyline.

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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

Referenced in Chasing Life: Unplanned Parenthood (2014)

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Soundtracks

Rhythm of the Road
Written by Bill Nershi
Performed by The String Cheese Incident
Courtesy of Sci Fidelity Records

User Reviews

Good Drama With Some Good Performances.

Stepmom is a really good drama. Their are some very sad moments in the movie but their are also some funny ones too. Julia Roberts stars as Isabel, who is of course the 'Stepmom' and what a brilliant job Julia does. Other good performances come from Ed Harris who plays Luke, Isabel's boyfriend and Susan Sarandon who plays Jackie, Luke's ex-wife. Jena Malone and Liam Aiken also do quite a good job as Luke's kids Anna and Ben. The music in the movie is really nice too. I give Stepmom a 9/10.

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

Gross USA:

$91,137,662

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$159,710,793

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, 1492 Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS (re-release) (2002) SDDS (re-release) (2002) Dolby Digital (re-release) (2002)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1