Review of Stepmom (1998) by Krishna S — 18 May 2008

Stepmom covers several issues faced by a family. A terminally ill divorced mother (Susan Sarandon) has to come to terms with her husband's infidelity and his decision to marry the new woman in his life (Julia Roberts). This new woman is trying hard to fit in with the family with little success. The mother is threatened by her presence. Her children (Jena Malone and Liam Aiken) are also dealing with the changes in the family in their own way. One of them (Malone) also faces the problems of peer pressure etc. The father (Ed Harris) is desperately trying for this new family unit to work. The movie primarily deals with their struggle to deal with these problems.

Stepmom is an excellent take on the nuclear family and some of its trials and tribulations. The script emphasises on emotions rather than humour and is well written. Some of the sequences leave a marked impact on the viewer. These include: the scene where Sarandon and Malone go horse riding in the snow, the scene where they all dance to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," the outburst of Sarandon after the school incident, the scene where Sarandon first comes home after treatment and of course, the finale sequence.

However, the movie would not be half as moving if it had not been for the sterling performances. Chris Columbus manages to cough up the most perfect cast for the film. Both Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts are simply superb as two women who are polar opposites trying to make things work. Their performance indicates why they are considered amongst the best actors of their generation. Ed Harris is also very good as the helpless father and husband who is unable to do anything constructive to help the family deal with the crisis. Jena Malone is very good as the troubled teenager and emotes well. Liam Aiken is perfect as the innocent brother who hopes to become a magician someday.

Nobody here is perfect. The movie deals with inherently imperfect characters each having their own strengths and shortcomings. The viewer can sympathise with each character and get pissed off at them at the same time. The movie is an effective tear jerker and it works extremely well as a drama. At the same time, there is enough warmth and humour to delight the audience. One of my favourite movies of all time. Recommended viewing.