The Stepford Wives
   

Review by Richard Lee

Paramount Studios / 2004 / 93 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: November 9, 2004

Specifications 
-DVD-Video
-DVD-9
-Region 1

Aspect Ratio:
-1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:
-English 5.1 Surround
-English Dolby Surround
-Francais
-Commentary By Director Frank Oz

Subtitle Options:
-English
-Espanol
-None

Main Menu:
-Play
-Set Up
-Special Features
-Scene Selection

Special Features:
-Commentary By Director Frank Oz
-A Perfect World: The Making Of The Stepford Wives
-Stepford: A Definition
-Stepford: The Architects
-The Stepford Wives
-The Stepford Husbands
-Stepford: Deleted/Extended Scenes
-Stepford: Gag Reel
-Trailers
-Previews

This remake of the 1975 film which starred Katherine Ross stars Nicole Kidman as Joanna, a top female television executive who gets fired after a reality show she produces goes tragically awry. Her husband Walter, played by Matthew Broderick, convinces her that they should move to a quaint little suburb in Connecticut called Stepford. As soon as they move there, they are greeted by the wife of the head of the Stepford Mens Association, played by Glenn Close, who in turn introduces them to the wives of Stepford. Immediately, we get the sense that something is false and plastic as the wives all exhibit these qualities. Bearing perfect smiling faces and bodies dressed in colorful conservative outfits, the women seem to be trained as servants who never question and never argue. The women are all look like models, most notably Faith Hill making her film debut.

Joanna befriends Bobbie, played by Bette Midler, and Roger, a gay man who provides plenty of comedic one-liners. Christopher Walken plays the head of the Men's Association who are mostly portly and balding men who seem mismatched with their super-model partners. As Joanna unravels the mystery behind the women's strange behavior, her friends change one by one losing their personalities and becoming automatons like the rest of the wives. Soon after, Joanna learns the secret behind the seemingly perfect community of Stepford.

It is here that the remake takes a 180 degree turn from the 1975 original. Whereas Katherine Ross in the original sees her robot self and the film ends right there in a dark "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" kind of way, Nicole's version turns the tables on the men of Stepford and justice ultimately prevails with a tacked-on "happy" ending. The original was a statement about the feminist movement of the sixties and seventies. Made by men, the original ending was a response by the paranoid male population to the empowerment of the female. With this Hollywood ending, women maintain their place next to, maybe even slightly above their men, depending upon how one interprets it. In that regard, the remake updates the story for the sensitivities of today's society and puts in more comedy as opposed to the dark paranoia of the original.

Picture/Sound Quality:

In depicting the utopian society of Stepford, bright pastel colors are used everywhere. The picture sharpness is softened making it appear like the world is air-brushed. This benefits the appearance of the female cast who are meant to look perfect with little or no blemishes. 

The 5.1 surround track does not use the rear channels for much of the movie except for the music soundtrack and for a few chirping birds on long exterior shots. The LFE channel is virtually non-existent. Front and center separation is nicely done. Overall, a movie you won't need to worry about turning down the volume if you have neighbors sensitive to movie explosions. 

Special Features:

Apart from the director's commentary, there are 5 featurettes all dealing with different aspects on the making of the film. The deleted/extended scenes oddly enough contain more special effects than were in the released cut of the film, containing scenes where the wives robotic functions are revealed. In my opinion, had these scenes been left in, they would have made the film more enjoyable. All the featurettes and deleted scenes are non-anamorphic.