The Stepford Wives

Ahhh, Nicole Kidman. Is there anything you can do wrong? No, I've decided that you can't. And the Stepford Wives is no exception. Its a remake of the 1975 thriller, only this time its a comedy directed by Frank Oz. Basically, Ms. Kidman plays Joanna, a super-successful TV executive who gets the axe and has a nervous breakdown. Her loving husband, Walter, played by Matthew Broderick, decides to move to Stepford, a sleepy town in Connecticut.
Once there, we learn that things are...strange. The men are nerds, and the wives are the model of '50s perfection. Doting, attractive, and a little creepy. Our heroine meets two fellow newbies, a gay guy and Bette Midler. They try to fit in, but soon the others are transformed into mindless robots. At the head of this conspiracy is Mike, played by Christopher Walken, and his wife, played by Glenn Close. Both are so pleasently creepy. As the movie moves on, we learn that yes, the men are turning their formerly successful wives into computer controlled perfection. When Walter changes Joanna, he changes his mind, and overloads the whole system. And the twist in the end is great. But I won't ruin it for you.
This movie is pure fluff. The original played up the whole thriller angle, but here Oz turns it into a comedic spoof. Its perfectly performed by Kidman, Broderick, Walken, Close, Midler and Jon Lovitz. He plays Midler's overbearing husband. Most of the movie is pretty entertaining, and of course, Ms. Kidman owns it. I was captivated, frankly, just as I am anytime I see her. It was funny, fun, and entertained me for an hour and a half. It gets a 7.

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