A silly remake

The reason for doing a remake is that the director has the confidence to create something better than the original. Sadly, Frank Oz's The Stepford Wives falls far short of the highly praised 1975 original.

Joanna (Nicole Kidman) has been sacked from her high-powered position as a TV network chief. To help Joanna recover from a nervous breakdown, her loving husband Walter (Matthew Broderick) decides to move the family to a peaceful suburb called Stepford. But there is something abnormal about this place - all the wives, married to relatively weak husbands, are just too perfect. This intrigues Joanna and she sets out to find the truth.

Based on the novel of the same name by Ira Levin, The Stepford Wives is a protest against the traditional role of women, but packaged as a sci-fi thriller. It's funny enough, but if director Frank Oz had added more suspense and removed some awkward solo scenes, The Stepford Wives could have been a film with a much bigger impact.

Towards the end you don't know whether this is a comedy that's suppose to make you laugh, or a thriller that could inspire you to consider gender issues. You might enjoy it if you haven't seen the original, or read the book.

VERDICT: WAIT FOR THE DVD