Tuesday, February 5, 2019

70's Month - Day:5 The Stepford Wives


Day #5 of 70's Month and today's movie is 1975's The Stepford Wives. 

I don't love or hate this one. The first hour or so can be a bit of a chore as it moves along at such a leisurely pace that you'll probably fall asleep if you turn this one on too late in the evening. However, it's the third act of the film that makes it worthwhile as the tension starts to ramp up, and the film delivers a solid ending. 

The movie is based on a 1972 Ira Levin book of the same name, but I never read it so I don't know if the novel doesn't start to get exciting until the final third, or if this is just an issue with the big-screen adaptation. It's the tale of a woman named Joanna (played by Katherine Ross) who moves with her husband and kids to the suburban town of Stepford. Joanna quickly befriends another newcomer to the town named Bobbie (played by Paula Prentiss) and the two notice that all of the other women in the town seem to be perfect housewives... a little too perfect.

Spoiler Alert! for a 43year-old film: They're robots.
All of the men in the town replace their wives with robots that cook, clean, take care of the kids, and basically do whatever they're husbands say. It's a decent film overall with an interesting premise, I just don't think it completely lives up to the potential of that premise.
2.5 out of 5

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