It has only been 4 years since I did the first Sequel, so I might as well get to this. This is The Stepford Wives, the 1975 Classic. The reason for me doing this Film is a weird one. At a Thrift Store, I found a clearly-handmade DVD. It was in a blank, white sleeve with a Title written in red marker: The Stepfard Wives. No, really. It was written on the spine AND the front- just for perpetuity. I kind of regret not buying it, though I'm 99.9% sure that it is still where I left it. As it happens, this was in Queue on Tubi anyhow, so it was the kick I needed to finally cover it.
If you aren't familiar with the original, you may remember the 2004 Remake. If you don't, well, enjoy the mystery! The Plot involves a family moving to a new Town- Stepford- and things getting a little weird. The Wife notices that the women all act like Donna Reid and that's just not natural.
Will she solve the mystery?
Will anyone that reads the Tags be slightly-SPOILed (for a Film that is 45 years old)?
To find out the answers and more, read on...
A woman- Joanna- moves to Stepford from NYC with her Husband and two kids.
It all seems nice and perfect. Too perfect?
Bored with the banality of the area, she finds a friend who is another recent Homeowner and the pair become kindred spirits.
They can see how weird things are...and they are only beginning.
The pair try to organize a Women's Liberation Group in the Town, but find that most of the Women aren't naturally-expressive and talk like they are in
The Truman Show.
Say what you will about them, but look how organized those Towels are!!!
Trouble comes as her Husband joins the Men's Club that seems to run the Town and it's just another example of him deciding things without asking her.
On the plus side, that one member sketched a very detailed drawing of her face and eyes...
At a Party, Ms. Van Sant starts to act strange, repeating two lines to anyone she walks up to.
This comes after a light rear end accident in her car gave her 'strange headaches' and she was driven to a Hospital...in the opposite direction of the Stepford one.
After a few failed attempts to decipher what is going on, Joanna watches her friend's kids while she goes on a mini-Vacation with her Husband.
When she comes back, she is dumber, does Chores, dressed like the 1950s and has bigger breasts. I'm sure that there's someone who sees this Film not as a Horror one and this is probably why.
She's given a chance to flee, but chooses to go back for her kids. Bad call.
She finds out that her friend has been replaced by a Robot and flees to find her kids.
She is eventually chased to a replica of her Bedroom and confronted by her double, only with bigger breasts and eyes freakier than Meg Foster's.
In the aftermath, she is shown shopping with the other Stepford Wives, complete with dress you'd wear to the Kentucky Derby and vacant (but now matching) eyes. The End.
A classic of the 70's for all of the right and wrong reasons. First, all of the good stuff. The look of the Film is great. It was made to be 'A Thriller in broad daylight' and it definitely works as such. You see what looks like a nice, quiet community, but there are clearly people working behind the scenes. The men in Town are in on a secret that you don't find out until later. Looking at it now, the twist is pretty famous, so I can only imagine what real surprise was like for 70's Viewers. Were you one? Let me know. The effects for the Robots are very subtle and, well, mostly non-existent. There's no interesting reveal, like pulling the face-plate off in Westworld. The most you get is a very well-hidden shot of Bobbie (sorry, Bob) being stabbed and nothing coming out. Shouldn't there be like oil or some sort of fluid? No? Alright, I'm no Robot Doctor.
To be fair, this is supposed to be a big secret, so no obvious signs of 'hey, she's a robot' should be appearing if they do a good job. I do also like the not-at-all subtle subtext of the Robots having bigger breasts. Is this commentary? Nah! The only bad stuff here really comes down to the Pacing. It's a 70's Film- they were never in any rush. Parts in the middle seem to drag a bit as she looks into what is happening with the women. There's also stuff with just no follow-up, like the Hydrologist who apparently dated our Lead before she got married and had kids. I was waiting for him to show up and maybe get killed by a Fembot (to be an Almost Hero) to save our Lead. Nope.
I should also mention my biggest issue with the whole concept- the kids. The kids don't recognize that their Moms are now Robots? One of our Leads' kids was a young Mary Stuart Masterson- no joke- so she would pick things up. It's got to be a Plot Hole, no?
Regardless, the Film is a true Classic and worthy of all the praise. I guess it is yet another Fiction vs. Fiction that I need to cover now, isn't it?
Next up, we complete the Trilogy with the final Film made...7 years after the last one. I guess the Town wasn't going anywhere. Stay tuned...
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