Stepford Wives (2004)

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SamBee
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Joined: 14 Mar 2010, 04:55

Stepford Wives (2004)

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I really hated the idea of this film at the time. After all, I'd seen the original which is a classic and a spooky one at that. Since the Stepford Wives' secret was pretty much out before the film, I don't feel guilty telling you the wives are robots, anymore than a little boy sees dead people in another film. The robot thing is introduced slowly - the robot dog, the malfunctioning wife at the dance, the remote controls...

Amazon had this film for free on Prime so I grudgingly decided to give it a go. I actually found it a lot more funny and entertaining than I thought i would.

Nicole Kidman's character is a TV host, who works on some very cynical reality TV shows, which break up marriages. One of her victims ends up trying to shoot her, which leads to her being fired and taking a nervous breakdown. Her husband decides a change of scene is needed so they move to, yes you guessed it - Stepford, Connecticut.

Stepford is something of a utopia, but a male dominated one. All the women are blonde and beautiful but act like fifties housewives. At first she is angry with the traditional values, but later comes to appreciate them. The odd one out is a woman played by Bette Midler, who steals the show as far as I'm concerned. (The other veteran actor - Christopher Walken is a bit disappointing) But she too is in danger.

I haven't described this well, but yes, I kept on thinking of Molly Mormon types as being a bit like Stepford Wives in this version. The shopping, raising children, baking the most amazing things, and a women's organization which resembles Relief Society... the parallels are obvious although the only time religion is mentioned is when it is revealed that Bette Midler's character is a Jewess.

Oh yes, and there are a couple of plot twists at the end. Not bad ones - I never saw them coming but they set the film apart from the 1970s version.
DASH1730 "An Area Authority...[was] asked...who...would go to the Telestial kingdom. His answer: "murderers, adulterers and a lot of surprised Mormons!"'
1ST PRES 1978 "[LDS] believe...there is truth in many religions and philosophies...good and great religious leaders... have raised the spiritual, moral, and ethical awareness of their people. When we speak of The [LDS] as the only true church...it is...authorized to administer the ordinances...by Jesus Christ... we do not mean... it is the only teacher of truth."
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