Search - The Stepford Wives [Widescreen] [Special Collector's Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Adult Language, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 2004 DVD Release: 11/09/2004 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 32 mins Studio: Paramount Total Copies: 137 Genres: Comedy, Science Fiction, Satire, Black Comedy, Sci-Fi Comedy See Also: The Stepford Wives [Fullscreen] [Special Collector's Edition], The Stepford Wives [Special Collector's Edition], The Stepford Wives [Widescreen], The Stepford Wives [Fullscreen]

Ira Levin's best-selling novel about a town where great wives aren't born but made gets a second screen adaptation in this darkly satirical comedy drama. Joanna Eberhart (Nicole Kidman) is a successful television executive until one day her career hits the glass ceiling and crashes to the ground. Looking to take some time off to start over, Joanna and her husband, Walter Kresby (Matthew Broderick), pull up stakes and move to the peaceful suburban community of Stepford. Walter takes to his new environment with real enthusiasm and joins the local men's organization, headed by one Mike Wellington. Joanna, on the other hand, finds that Stepford is just a bit too quiet and well-groomed for her taste, and is taken aback by the aggressively cheerful and servile attitude of Mike's wife, Claire (Glenn Close), and the other women of the community. A notable exception is Bobbi Markowitz (Bette Midler), a happily misanthropic writer who revels in her lack of enthusiasm for housework or exercise. Joanna and Bobbi become fast friends, but as they look closer at the all-too-perfect surfaces of Stepford and its female inhabitants, they slowly discover a terrible secret lurking beneath. Also featuring Faith Hill, Jon Lovitz, and Roger Bart, The Stepford Wives was previously adapted for the screen in 1975, with Katherine Ross in the lead; that version spawned three made-for-TV sequels. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Nicole Kidman - Joanna Eberhart
Matthew Broderick - Walter Kresby
Bette Midler - Bobbi Markowitz
Glenn Close - Claire Wellington
Christopher Walken - Mike Wellington
Roger Bart - Roger Bannister
David Marshall Grant - Jerry Harmon
Jon Lovitz - David Markowitz
Faith Hill - Sarah Sunderson
Lorri Bagley - Charmaine Van Sant

Frank Oz's satiric remake of The Stepford Wives suffered a supposedly rocky time during production with many of the high-powered stars supposedly unhappy with different elements of the shoot. One would never know that were the case based on Oz's commentary track on the film's initial DVD release. He is polite and gracious toward every member of the cast, and dishes no dirt on anyone. His discussion skews toward what they cut in order to maintain the flow of the story. The film itself is presented in a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio. English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Surround, and a French soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Other supplemental materials include five behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, trailers, and a rather humorous blooper reel that showcases stars Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick suffering a serious case of the giggles, as well as a hilariously unintended Woody Allen impression by Broderick. This is a fine presentation of the film, but those hoping for some insider gossip on the film's production will be disappointed. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide