The 2004 science fiction black comedy The Stepford Wives (starring Nicole Kidman) was a remake of a satirical novel written in 1972 and a psychological satirical horror film released in 1975 of the same name. The story is worth revisiting multiple times because the importance of the premise -- a family moves to a new neighborhood, and the wife slowly begins to suspect her fellow housewives may be robots created by their husbands -- has changed over time. The story is iconic, as it's a social commentary on the hive mind many communities share, especially when it comes to domestic expectations of women.
Although The Stepford Wives was considered a box office failure, the movie is actually quite funny and entertaining and deserves more recognition for that fact. The cast was also amazing, as it starred not only Nicole Kidman but also Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken and Glenn Close. There was a lot of energy and support backing this remake and differentiating it from its original version. The creators went campier this time, adding ridiculous scenes to cut the tension rising in the relationships between characters.
Kidman has proven many times in her career that she can pull off comedy and drama, especially in other iconic films she's starred in, like Moulin Rouge. In The Stepford Wives, she plays a successful reality television executive producer whose career suddenly ends at the start of the movie. Her husband Walter (Broderick) takes her out of Manhattan after her breakdown, and they move into the suburbs. At first, she doesn't want to fit in or change herself, and Kidman gives an amazing performance as she showcases Joanna's reluctance to get along with the fellow housewives in the neighborhood.
Joanna is the audience's lead-in to the alternate reality that The Stepford Wives creates. She finds two like-minded friends in the neighborhood, and they choose to be each other's support system as well as the outsiders of the community. Walter joins the Men's Association in Stepford, much to Joanna's dismay, but she keeps her opinions to herself. The organization embraces toxic masculine culture, poking fun at their wives as they sit around and smoke cigars while playing pool. Walter loves his wife, but he plays along to fit in with his fellow men, which creates tension between him and Joanna.
There are laugh-out-loud moments in The Stepford Wives, including the Christmas caroling scene and the scene where the misfit trio discovers Sarah might be a robot. When the scheme of the entire operation unravels, the movie shifts its tone, becoming more terrifying and ominous. Both of Joanna's friends have become robots themselves, and she urges Walter that they must leave, discovering that all the housewives in their neighborhood were once powerful women like her. The cultural shift from the 1970s to the early 2000s adds weight to this crucial moment in the film, reminding audiences of how far women and feminism have come.
Toward the end of The Stepford Wives, viewers are fooled into thinking Walter might have betrayed Joanna, but it's revealed later that he didn't. They plan to expose the truth and free the minds of the housewives in the neighborhood. Their plan starts to work before the big reveal that Glenn Close's character was behind it all. She wanted a beautiful and perfect life for everyone living in Stepford after discovering her husband cheated on her, and she murdered him. There's a comedic relief moment here, too, as someone comments on the fact that she's unhinged.
In the end, the women serve justice to the men, regaining control over Stepford and their relationships. Larry King reports on his show about how the town is retraining their husbands to become better people. This further plays on the toxic dynamics between husband and wife in a "typical" unhappy marriage. This ending to The Stepford Wives might have seemed lackluster to many critics, but the ridiculousness of the entire premise and execution of the film warranted a tidy ending. The movie was meant to take its viewers on a wacky ride, and The Stepford Wives succeeded.