Search - Stepmom [Widescreen/Fullscreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Adult Language Movie Release: 1998 DVD Release: 04/13/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Members Wishing: 13 Genres: Comedy Drama, Medical Drama, Family Drama, Domestic Comedy See Also: Stepmom [Fullscreen]

Mrs. Doubtfire director Chris Columbus continues to explore the family turmoil of divorce in the tearjerker Stepmom, a story that pits the birth mother against the new mother. Jackie (Susan Sarandon), a one-time book editor, is now the consummate soccer mom juggling the schedules of her two kids in her New York ranch outside of Manhattan. Her ex-husband Luke (Ed Harris), who gets weekend custody of the kids, is living in the city with a woman half his age named Isabel (Julia Roberts), a high-fashion photographer with a strong stylistic sense of "what's hot." Since Luke is always away at work, the burden of getting the kids ready for school when they are with their father falls on Isabel, and she just isn't the nurturing type. The story heats up, however, when Jackie learns that she has cancer. Facing the horrors of medical tests and chemotherapy, she realizes that, should something happen to her, her kids will be left with this irresponsible Isabel as their mother, especially after Luke proposes marriage to her. What ensues is part parenting lesson, part competitive parenting, but 100 percent family bonding, as Jackie must learn to allow Isabel to be part of her world and her family. ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide

Julia Roberts - Isabel
Susan Sarandon - Jackie
Ed Harris - Luke
Jena Malone - Anna
Liam Aiken - Ben

Stepmom features an excellent cast that includes Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon, but it suffers from a mediocre DVD release. This disc offers a choice between a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and a pan-and-scan version on separate sides of the disc. The widescreen version contains impressive colors and a clear picture, but the 5.0 channel Dolby Digital Audio transfer fails to fully utilize the rear speakers. The energetic Motown songs sound excellent, however, and nicely utilize the capabilities of the sound field. An acceptable 2.0 channel Dolby Surround audio transfer is also available. The special features on this release fall considerably short of the possibilities for this complex story. The most prominent extra is a brief promotional featurette that utilizes scenes from the theatrical trailer combined with short interviews. The major actors, director Chris Columbus, and producer Wendy Finerman provide fluffy statements about the film, but they fail to go beyond the obvious. This disc also contains the original theatrical trailer with a solid widescreen transfer, but it reveals too many pivotal scenes from the film. The trailer for My Best Friend's Wedding, a Julia Roberts comedy, is also included. The only other notable features are sparse biographies and filmographies for Roberts, Sarandon, Columbus, and Ed Harris. Twenty-eight chapter stops are included for easy scene access, and English subtitles are offered as an option. ~ Dan Heaton, All Movie Guide