The Stepford Wives (2004)

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

"The Stepford Wives" was a shocking and very disturbing book and film. The material has been watered down with many TV-movie sequels. Where the original film the men where actually killing their wives and replacing them with "PERFECT ROBOTS".This film just like the TV-movies instead of "killing the women" they were brainwashed. However in the TV-movies it was okay because they stuck with that concept.Here they seem to be robots (Hello one wife becomes an atm) but later we find out she is just brainwashed. This film sucks and I am glad it tanked!

I like how men behave in the film. Unlike many other films, men in this film are weak, selfish and to some degree quite true. The idea of robots does not make too much sense to me but it looks like a practical way to solve the problem of men. I also like the way how tradition is presented in the film and the AOL joke.

Frank Oz's remake of The Stepford Wives is a convoluted, misguided film, one that has a great idea but can't separate itself from it even at arm's length to show the audience why the idea is so great. It's a film that was ostensibly built off of the love for a premise but burdened by an inability to communicate that premise's ideas and thematic relevance to the audience. As a result, we get a ninety-three minute affair with unlikable characters, lackluster jokes, and a film that seems to be completely robbed of its social commentary.We focus on Joanna Eberhart (Nicole Kidman), a lanky, corporate woman who runs a successful Television network; we open on her pitching a series of shameful, dehumanizing reality TV shows that involve married couples making the decision to either stay with their husband or leave them for the hunks or goddesses they've acquainted themselves with over a lavish retreat. When one of the cuckolded husbands takes a gun to Joanna in the middle of her pitch, she carelessly moves on to trying to pitch a show to her boss about forgiving the shooter and helping the newly destroyed couple's marriage situation. This opening scene is about as pointless as they come, telling us very little about Joanna other than there's no real reason to care about her or sympathize with her.When Joanna's controversial pitches result in her getting fired, Joanna's husband Walter (Matthew Broderick) suggests they move to the quiet haven of Stepford, Connecticut. Stepford is a plastic village, filled with mansions, perfectly trimmed shrubbery, and the appearance of perfection so pristine that any gated community would be jealous. Upon moving there, Joanna spots a cloying and disturbing "perfectness" to the females of Stepford, who operate with a coldness but immaculate precision (one of these females is Faith Hill, who, sadly, has no character and no real significance here). She quickly befriends the sassy Bobbie (Bette Midler) and the effeminate Roger (Roger Bart) in efforts to see through the women of Stepford, especially the maniacal Claire (Glenn Close), who runs the community and maintains its level of obsessive perfectness.The Stepford Wives' immediately problem is it simply doesn't know what the hell it wants to say about men and women in society, gender roles, the male perception of females, vice-versa, or really anything. It simply exists to show a gaggle of unlikable, affluent characters complain at one another (the repetitive arguments between Joanna and Walter wore me down almost as quickly as the entire film itself), and without the presence or significance of social commentary, this film quickly becomes little else than an empty candy wrapper.The original Stepford Wives novel, written by Ira Levin, concerned the impact submissive, obeying housewives had on a community and really peeled back layers of gender relations to show how men really like their women in society with science-fiction twists. The film adaptation, directed by Levin as well, drifted from the science-fiction genre into the horror genre, another passable approach to the story, which led to its cult status amongst horror fans. Oz and screenwriter Paul Rudnick's attempt to bring comedy into the mix, however, feels like a cheap ploy being that the film doesn't have any of its satirical elements in place nor anything meaningful to say about the relationship between men and women in society.The cast here is also wasted, as Kidman's incredibly serious demeanor - which throws off any kind of likability for her character - becomes grating when you realize it's as if she was put in this film only to argue with everyone around her. Broderick is given a thoroughly lame character, as are most of the male actors here because they're not only robbed of personality but they're given the depressingly shallow male roles which perceive women as nothing more than nagging shrews. Finally, as stated, Faith Hill is criminally shortchanged here, as so much time is given to Glenn Close and Kidman it's a wonder why the casting department went through the trouble and the added expense to get a talented personality they weren't going to utilize.Frank Oz's The Stepford Wives is a curious comedic failure, robbed of almost any and all wit with its commendable, picture-perfect set design being its only commendable asset. The supermarket settings are meticulously rendered to give the impression that not a carton of eggs is uneven or a gallon of milk is crooked. If only the film's screen writing had the same kind of explicit order and gave the appearance of something that was checked multiple times before it was allowed to pass.Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Roger Bart, Glenn Close, Christopher Walkin, and Faith Hill. Directed by: Frank Oz.

SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT*** I was so looking forward to the new version of "Stepford Wives". Since the original was made in 1975, I was looking forward to not only today's special effects, but how much scarier it would be. Sadly, the filmmakers decided to turn it into a comedy. HUGE mistake with many repercussions.EXAMPLE: 1975 Version: The scene ends with Joanna confronting the men's club and learning the truth: that all wives have been killed and replaced with clone robots. The next and final scene shows Joanna, as a robot, pushing a cart in the local grocery, greeting the other wives, also pushing carts.2004 Version. The scene ends with Joanna (donning short, dark hair) confronting the men's club and the viewer thinks she is learning the truth. Instead of cutting to the original final scene, the filmmakers added a scene. Glenn Close's character, Claire, is throwing a ball. Everyone is decked out in gowns and tuxedos. Joanna (Nicole Kidman) now has very long, strawberry blonde hair and is talking and acting like a robot.This is one of many examples where the film becomes unhinged. Joanna sneaks into the computer room and corrupts the entire computer system (how? she is not a computer programmer?). We then see all the wives suddenly grasp their foreheads, to demonstrate awful headaches and returning to their normal selves! Since one wife was able to accept a debit card and dispense money with her mouth, how is it possible that she is not totally a robot? The filmmakers think we are stupid.In addition, if they wanted us to believe Joanna was faking being a robot, why didn't they leave her short, dark hairdo alone? Instead of having Nicole Kidman wear a long wig, she has her own natural hairdo. This would've been okay, if they had styled it like a wig. I do not know of any wig company that offers a combed-back hairline style, do you?When we return to the ballroom, the scene ends with Mike (Christopher Walken) having his head knocked off, revealing a computerized interior. So Mike is a robot. Claire (Glenn Close) reveals to all present that she killed Mike after finding him in bed with his new, much younger work assistant. If this is true, then why weren't the wives, in the new Stepford community which she founded, killed off as well?Many great actors thrusts into a lackluster film. Just plain sad.