June 19, 2004
Stepford Wives
I saw the new Stepford Wives tonight -- after all, I lived in the town next door to Stepford for eight years and had to see what they would do with it. I totally expected to hate it, but I didn't. I enjoyed it quite a bit (and can't tell if I should feel guilty for liking it or not). I never actually saw the original, which may have helped.
Don't get me wrong, there's a ton of things not to like about the movie, but if you look past the overall messages and issues, there are some great lines as well. I'd love to find the one about Connecticut being the obvious choice for a place you could replace everyone with robots without having anyone notice... Another favorite was when Walter (Mathew Broderick) is trying to get Joanna (Nicole Kidman) to wear colored clothing: “Only castrating Manhattan career bitches wear black. Is that really what you want to be?” she responds, “Ever since I was a little girl."
For a review of it as a light, fluffy movie, try this review here. For a much more serious, biting criticism of the messages in it, try this one instead. Joel Siegel points out that it was supposed to be a dark comedy but that test audiences didn't like it so it made it light and fluffy instead. There are apparently three different versions of the ending even. So maybe originally it would be clearer if one should hate it or laugh at it.
I do have to weigh in and say that I did NOT like the ads where they morph Hilary and Condoleezza Rice into Stepford Wives. If you haven't seen them, the screen shots are linked in the story.
Any one else see the film?
Posted by Emily at June 19, 2004 07:38 PM