Too many people reviewing this take the film too seriously- or they went in expecting far too much. I loved the film, however in saying that, it had potential to be a whole lot better.
Nicole Kidman's role is pretty bland though, and there's not much she could do with it. Bette Midler is the standout in the film- back in top shape as far as comedy is concerned. Roger Bart is a real discovery in this film- and hopefully he'll be in more comedies in the future. It's nice to see a stereotype in a film after so much political correctness.
Having also seen a test screening of the film though, I can reveal Frank oz's original cut was a hell of a lot better than the final cut. There's a thread on the IMDb messageboards were I go into detail on the changes that have been made.
The comedy is very Will And Grace, current-events sort of sitcom comedy-a rarity on the big screen. There are some really great jokes (things you can do with a pinecone), parts that amuse (the opening sequence and the reality show satire), and some interesting special effects. However, the new 'Larry King' ending confuses people a lot- as well as the Cartoon bit. These were added after the test screenings, and shouldn't have been. The original ending had the women inside robotic bodies, but there human brains intact. The ending scene has Joanna leaving Stepford, and Bobbie malfunctioning (the 'Goodbye, seeya' bit in the trailer)- and means that there aren't any plot holes in the film.
The editing leaves some slow parts in the film, and the movie should have been longer. Frank Oz left out a scene (that will be on the DVD almost definitely), that he'll regret leaving out- and would've livened up the movie so much. In it, Joanna stabs Bobbie (a bit of tension for those who complained the movie wasn't dark enough), she malfunctions and displays her functions- including built in fridge, speakers (head flies off and spins around to demonstrate orgasm), whisk, and lawnmower.
All in all though, I thought the movie was great. It had some biting satire, hilarious jokes. I think people are too used to either incredibly witty banter in movies (sort of a cross between Neil Simon, Quentin Tarantino and Jerry Seinfeld) or incredibly stupid gross-out movies- and that's why they couldn't accept this movie.
See the Stepford Wives for a good cinema-going experience.
Nicole Kidman's role is pretty bland though, and there's not much she could do with it. Bette Midler is the standout in the film- back in top shape as far as comedy is concerned. Roger Bart is a real discovery in this film- and hopefully he'll be in more comedies in the future. It's nice to see a stereotype in a film after so much political correctness.
Having also seen a test screening of the film though, I can reveal Frank oz's original cut was a hell of a lot better than the final cut. There's a thread on the IMDb messageboards were I go into detail on the changes that have been made.
The comedy is very Will And Grace, current-events sort of sitcom comedy-a rarity on the big screen. There are some really great jokes (things you can do with a pinecone), parts that amuse (the opening sequence and the reality show satire), and some interesting special effects. However, the new 'Larry King' ending confuses people a lot- as well as the Cartoon bit. These were added after the test screenings, and shouldn't have been. The original ending had the women inside robotic bodies, but there human brains intact. The ending scene has Joanna leaving Stepford, and Bobbie malfunctioning (the 'Goodbye, seeya' bit in the trailer)- and means that there aren't any plot holes in the film.
The editing leaves some slow parts in the film, and the movie should have been longer. Frank Oz left out a scene (that will be on the DVD almost definitely), that he'll regret leaving out- and would've livened up the movie so much. In it, Joanna stabs Bobbie (a bit of tension for those who complained the movie wasn't dark enough), she malfunctions and displays her functions- including built in fridge, speakers (head flies off and spins around to demonstrate orgasm), whisk, and lawnmower.
All in all though, I thought the movie was great. It had some biting satire, hilarious jokes. I think people are too used to either incredibly witty banter in movies (sort of a cross between Neil Simon, Quentin Tarantino and Jerry Seinfeld) or incredibly stupid gross-out movies- and that's why they couldn't accept this movie.
See the Stepford Wives for a good cinema-going experience.