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Stars:
Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken, Faith Hill,
and Glenn Close
Writer:
Paul Rudnick
Director:
Frank Oz
Feature
length: 93 minutes
Extras:
Director’s Commentaries, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Trailers
Languages:
English and French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and English Dolby
Surround Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 16
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 2004/DVD Release: 2004
Theatrical
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: PG-13
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
A
co-production with DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment’s
upcoming DVD release of Frank Oz’s dark comedy take on “The Stepford
Wives” is another of the latest wave remakes to be inspired by a 1970s genre
film that caught both critical and commercial attention at the box office. While
both films were inspired by Ira Levin’s novel, much has happened in the
decades that have passed between the original and the remake and as much as the
original film is still an effective thriller, it just doesn’t quite hold up
the same way when placed against modern times.
Women
have surpassed men in the role of office professional and what was once
considered quaint now seems surreal by modern standards. It is more common to
find couples where the wife earns more than the husband and less likely to see a
family where one parent works while the other essentially becomes the homemaker.
A few friends of mine are married to women who earn a higher salary than they
do. I suppose for some men this might feel emasculating and there are women out
there who still prefer to be with a guy they consider more financially stable
than they are, but just as divorce has changed family dynamics forever in this
country, the reality of economics and the job market has changed how people
perceive their roles in life. Personally, I love women so I am happy to see them
in positions of power equal to if not higher than men, but office romances are
generally a bad idea and I have to admit, being a single male in my mid 30s,
dating has become harder because women expect a lot more so it is easy to see
why a group of men might try and turn back the clock to start a community that
now more than ever seems more like some fantasy world than something that could
have ever existed.
Nicole
Kidman is terrific as a network programming executive who loses her a job and
suffers a nervous breakdown after a disgruntled male reality show contestant
pulls a gun out on her because her show wrecked his marriage. Her husband,
played my Matthew Broderick, moves the family to the suburbs of Stepford
Connecticut where the men engage in sophomoric activities in a private club
while the women are just too happy to be real… Among the recent new neighbors
to join Kidman’s character’s family include a gay couple, where one is
stereotypically flamboyant and a Jewish couple where the wife is a best selling
author, played with just the right amount of wit and sarcasm by Bette Midler. As
the new arrivals begin to change around Kidman’s character, she begins to fear
that whatever is happening to them will soon target her too.
In
some ways I like this version of “The Stepford Wives” better than the
original, but in some ways I wish they had stuck closer to the original because
I still think the original offers a shocking and unapologetically dark climax
that was indicative of many mid 1970s films. However Oz’s vision stays
consistent throughout even if I am not one hundred percent sure if the film’s
new twist is anymore believable than the “The Stepford Wives” themselves.
Being released in both anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and full screen (1.33:1)
with identical special features, but sold separately, “The Stepford Wives”
looks and sounds terrific and is definitely one of the most entertaining DVD-Videos
I have screened all year. Watching the film and the bonus features in one
sitting, the time just seemed to fly because the content as a whole was very
entertaining and interesting. Both versions feature a discrete and well rounded
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack as well as and English Dolby
Surround Soundtrack and a French Language dubbed Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Soundtrack too. English Captions and Closed Captions for the hearing impaired
and Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded onto the dual layered disc as options
and French Language Subtitles are available for most of the extra value
features.
Director
Frank Oz delivers a terrific screen specific feature length audio commentary
that is supported by a series a behind-the-scenes featurettes that focus on the
making of the film in general (19:44), the cultural impact “The Stepford
Wives” has had on contemporary life (3:52), a featurette on the updating of
the screenplay (5:59), the Stepford wives (10:04), and their husbands (8:08).
Six deleted scenes are presented in a letterboxed aspect ratio with English
Dolby Surround Sound too. They can be viewed individually or as one reel. Since
there are potential spoilers in the scenes and their taglines I am refraining
from any discussion of them here. A gag reel (4:32), the theatrical teaser
(1:24), and trailer (2:30) as well as a reel of preview trailers (7:02) that
include the Jim Carrey film “A Series Of Unfortunate Events,” “Team
America: World Police,” “The Manchurian Candidate,” and “Sky Captain And
The World Of Tomorrow” wrap up the extra value materials included on this DVD.
The
interactive menus are well rendered and easy to navigate. “The Stepford Wives:
Widescreen Special Collector’s Edition” will debut on DVD-Video at retailers
on and offline on Tuesday, November 9, 2004 courtesy of Paramount Home
Entertainment and is definitely well worth checking out.
©
Copyright 2004 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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