The Stepford Wives
Originally written for The Milpitas Post
Directed by: Frank Oz
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, Roger Bart, Jon Lovitz.
Rated: PG-13 for sexual content, thematic material and language.
Parental Notes: Much of the humor here will be over the heads of youngsters, but teens with an ear for social satire will doubtless love it.
“The Stepford Wives” is a thoroughly satirical update of the ’70s thriller, and its heady blend of satirical wit and unnerving perkiness is almost fun enough to gloss over its flaws. The opening credit sequence, which features old ’50s films of women cooing and preening with their household appliances, sets the tone perfectly.
The film centers on network CEO Joanna “Jo” Eberhard (Nicole Kidman), who suffers a nervous breakdown after a reality show goes terribly awry and she is fired from her position. Her sweet husband Walter (Matthew Broderick) quits his job at the network and moves with his shaky wife and their two kids to the suburban paradise of Stepford. In Stepford, all the wives are perfectly dressed, gorgeous, and full of effusive praise and obedience for their pudgy, nerdy husbands.
Jo is immediately put off, and soon she and the other two outcasts of Stepford, Jewish slob Bobbie Markowitz (Bette Midler) and flamingly gay Roger (Roger Bart), are snooping around trying to find out what their husbands get up to in the Stepford Men’s Club. It is soon revealed that the men of Stepford are doing something that turns powerful, interesting people into borderline robots who do exactly what their husbands want. Jo is determined to do something, but Walter is increasingly dissatisfied with her and she’s running the risk of being Stepfordized herself.
There are plenty of cracks in the plaster here, especially the fuzzy science (are the Stepfordized women robots or not?). The film seems to be saying that communication about real feelings is a vital part of a successful marriage, but the most important conversation between Jo and Walter takes place off screen. Worse, there are scenes, like Close’s final monologue, which border on being the very thing they satirize.
However, the strong performances and often surreal satire are such a joy that it’s not too hard to forgive director Frank Oz (of Muppet fame) or screenwriter Paul Rudnick (who wrote the brilliant play and film “Jeffrey”) for the occasional blunder.
Kidman is fantastic in her part, wearing Jo like a second skin and showing us both the character’s intelligence and her flaws. Broderick has really grown up, and while Walter is at times rather boyish, he is also menacing, and Broderick brings that across effortlessly. The supporting players, from a high-strung Glenn Close and a hearty Christopher Walken as the leading couple of Stepford to bickering Jon Lovitz and Bette Middler, are a joy to watch.
Overall this is a fun film for those who can laugh at the ’50s paradigm and don’t mind overlooking the occasional problem. “The Stepford Wives” has some delightfully wicked wit and provides some major laughs at the expense of insecure men and insanely perfect women. It’s not for everyone, but the folks it’s aimed at will love it.