The Stepford Wives (2004)

I don't know if you've noticed but I've been watching a lot of crappy movies lately because I'm too lazy to pick movies so I watch whatever trash Netflix suggests me. The Stepford Wives is one of those movies and I gave it a chance because of Nicole Kidman. 

Based on Ira Levin's novel of the same name, the story follows Joanna Eberhart (Nicole Kidman), a successful TV executive. When she is fired and has a nervous breakdown, her husband, Walter (Matthew Broderick), decides to move the whole family from Manhattan to a community in Stepford, Connecticut. There's something weird going on though as their female neighbours are a bit too perfect and the men just seem to sit around in the men's club all day. 

The problem with The Stepford Wives is that the writer had no idea what he was doing. As a result, the plot doesn't make a lot of sense —if the chip is implanted in the original, what's the point of a body double?—, the twist is given away almost immediately, and the ending which was changed to please the audience couldn't be any more unsatisfying —that final twist is quite surprising though because of the direction the story was going up to that point. It's also rather confusing as one moment it says men are evil and the next one it says that women are just as evil, if not even worse. That being said, I still found the story enjoyable enough to keep watching. 

Just like the plot, the characters too are flawed. Actually, they are quite the mess as they lack characterization, backstories, and development. They don't even have a reason to act the way the act. And some characters you cannot help but hate, like Joanna's husband —and I'm still trying to figure out whether he's beyond dumb or just a man. Others, you don't know whether to laugh about or feel sorry for. 

ParamountPictures

Surprisingly, considering the lacklustre script, the cast does a pretty good job. Nicole Kidman is very good as Joanna and really makes you root for her. Glenn Close is brilliant as Claire Wellington, the head matron. Bette Midler is fine as Bobbie Markowitz, a writer who befriends Joanna. And Christopher Walken makes up for the horrible performance by Matthew Broderick. 

Ultimately, The Stepford Wives is not a great film as the tone is often too light for the material and the message changes throughout the film. However, it's an enjoyable flick that will make you have a few good laughs. 

The Wife (2017)

It's Oscar night tomorrow —actually, it's early Monday morning here but nevermind— and since I'm going to lose one night of sleep and sit through the hostless ceremony that is going to award Bohemian Rhapsody and Roma, I figured I should also watch all the movies that split under the radar that somehow made it to the Oscars. The Wife is one of those movies as Glenn Close is up for Best Actress. 

The story follows a charismatic writer, Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce), and his devoted wife, Joan (Glenn Close). When Joe is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his acclaimed body of work and they travel to Stockholm to attend the ceremony, Joan begins to question her life choices and her forty-year marriage built upon uneven compromises and sacrifices.

The biggest issue with The Wife is the story. Simple and plot-heavy at the same time, it lacks credibility, it's predictable, it doesn't always make sense, it has too many pointless subplots and a twist that couldn't have impressed me any less —women writers always had a public even in earlier years (Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters and Agatha Christie, to name a few), therefore Joan giving up her writing in the 1950s when she had no chance as a woman is an absolute bullshit. Sure, she probably wouldn't have had the same success as her husband, nor would it have been as easy to get published, but it sure wasn't impossible if she was as talented as she turns out to be. As a result, the story isn't never compelling —I found it to be quite boring, to be honest.

As a character study, The Wife works a bit better. Joan is the perfect example of the woman who sacrifices her life and career for the man she loves, a woman who has lived her entire life in the shadow of her successful husband. All of a sudden, she reaches her breaking point and she snaps. She is not sympathetic nor likeable but Glenn Close and her strong, compelling but not Oscar-worthy performance make you feel for her. Annie Starke —Close's real life daughter— gives an equally compelling performance as the younger version of Joan. Joe is a self-absorbed, narcissistic man addicted to the spotlight, a spotlight he does not deserve. A man who criticizes everyone in his life, from his wife to his "looking for father's approval" son, and Jonathan Pryce gives a solid performance. Christian Slater is completely wasted in the role of a Nathaniel Bone, the journalist who makes Joan begin to question her life choices, as he's nothing but a plot device.

Sony Pictures Classics

As for the direction, I'm pretty sure if someone more skilled had the job, The Wife would have been a more successful and compelling drama. The thing is that Björn Runge keeps playing the twist as if it was some big reveal or something, which it isn't as it's very clear right from the start, so the tension he tries to build never lifts off. There are also some frustrating, annoying scenes that are dragged way too long and add nothing to the film.

What Happened to Monday (2017)

Almost a month ago, Dell on Movies hosted Girl Week 2017 and kicked it off with his review of What Happened to Monday (you can read it here). I hadn't heard of the movie before but it sounded pretty interesting and I wanted to watch it. Then I found out it wasn't on Netflix Italy but that it would get a theatrical release instead. Thank goodness it was pretty close (November 30) and I didn't have to wait too long to see this pretty interesting dystopic film. 

It's set in 2073 where overpopulation is such a big issue, the government, headed by Nicolette Cayman (Glenn Close), opted for a one-child policy that sees younger siblings cryogenically frozen. There's, however, a set of identical septuples named after the days of the week, the Settman siblings (Noomi Rapace), who, thanks to their grandfather (Willem Dafoe), have evaded capture as each sibling plays her part in portraying Karen Settman, a fake identity they use outside of their apartment. But then one day Monday doesn't come home and...

... I'm going to shut up now because I feel like I've already given away too much. Anyway, the story is overall quite strong, it's pretty inventive and original, and it's so engaging and exciting, it keeps you glued to the screen. There are multiple plots twists, some more predictable than others (especially the end), and some holes here and there, but it's still pretty enjoyable thanks to the suspense and tension director Tommy Wirkola builds and delivers.

Netflix, SND Films, Vendôme Pictures

I'd like to go back to the plot holes for a second though, one in particular. What happened to Dafoe's character, the grandfather? We see him raising the siblings and doing his best to save their lives, but what happened to him? I assumed he died, but I would have loved seeing more of him because of the important role this man has in the siblings' lives. Their relationship is beautiful, and all he does to keep them safe is admirable and touching which is why in my opinion deserved more space. Dafoe's performance is great though.

But not as good as Noomi Rapace's. Her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Millenium trilogy amazed me, but what she does here is so much better. Each sibling has her own personality (they are rather thin characters though) and Rapace delivers them all, with some of course standing out more than others. I have to admit that at times I recognized which sibling was which thanks to the clothes they were wearing, but playing flawlessly and with such depth 7 different characters in the same film isn't easy.