Stepmom (film)
Encyclopedia
Stepmom is a 1998 comedy-drama
film directed by Chris Columbus
and starring Julia Roberts
, Susan Sarandon
, and Ed Harris
.
The film was a commercial success, but a moderate critical success.
and Ed Harris
) are a divorce
d couple struggling to keep their children, Anna (Jena Malone
) and Ben (Liam Aiken
), happy with this sudden change of lifestyle.
This is far from easy, as Luke, an attorney
, is living with his new girlfriend Isabel (Julia Roberts
), a successful fashion photographer several years his junior. Isabel tries very hard to make Anna and Ben feel comfortable and happy around her, but Anna repeatedly rejects her overtures while Ben, who is generally kind to Isabel, adds extra complication with his mischievous nature. Isabel behaves with contempt tempered by caution around Jackie, believing she overcompensates for her divorce by spoiling her children. Conversely, Jackie, a former publisher turned stay-at-home-mom, gives Isabel a cold reception, seeing her as an overly ambitious career woman. She also continues to harbor malice against Luke (as can be seen in a confrontation about Isabel). After a long string of arguments and hurt feelings between Isabel, Jackie and Anna, Luke proposes to Isabel, making her Anna and Ben's soon-to-be official stepmom. This causes even more friction.
However, Jackie is diagnosed with lymphoma
, which is discovered to be terminal
. She experiences a range of negative emotions, angry at the woman who she feels played a role in her broken family, and angry at the fact that after all of the sacrifices she made for her family, she will not even get to see her children grow up. Both Jackie and Isabel clash repeatedly, largely over Isabel's parenting. This becomes evident when Ben goes missing on Isabel's watch and Jackie claims that she has never lost him, which she later admits to be untrue. Yet they manage to call a shaky truce, as both Jackie and Isabel come to terms with the fact that the latter will soon step into the role of surrogate mother.
The two women finally bond with each other when Isabel reveals her admiration of Jackie's maternal instincts, while Jackie in turn compliments Isabel's hipness as a means to connect with Anna. Isabel finally lets her guard down when she tearfully tells Jackie her biggest fear is that on Anna's wedding day, all Anna will wish for is her mother's presence. Through her own tears, Jackie says her own fear is that Anna will forget her.
The film ends with Isabel taking a family picture of Luke and Jackie with their children. Jackie demonstrates her accepatance of Isabel by inviting to join them in the portrait, stating "let's get [a photo] with the whole family". Isabel does, and as the closing credits
begin, both women are shown in a photo side by side, finally at peace with one another and future events (Jackie's death and Isabel and Luke's marriage).
making $19.1 million USD in its opening weekend. It stayed at the second spot for another week. The film grossed $91,137,662 in the US
and $159,710,793 worldwide from a budget of $50 million.
Stepmom received mixed reviews from critics. It earned a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
.
Susan Sarandon
was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama and won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
. Ed Harris
won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor
for his roles in Stepmom and The Truman Show
.
to remake
the film in India
. The official Hindi remake, titled We Are Family
, was shot in Australia and stars Kajol
playing Susan Sarandon's character (called Maya), while Kareena Kapoor
plays Julia Roberts' role (Shreya) in the movie. It also stars Arjun Rampal
and is directed by Siddharth Malhotra. The remake, released worldwide on September 3, 2010 and a day before in India and UAE, was eventually declared an average grosser.
The film was also unofficially remade in Marathi
as Tuzya Mazyat (Yours and Mine) in 2008 starring Sachin Khedekar
, Mrinal Kulkarni
, Sulekha Talwalkar and Mohan Joshi.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film directed by Chris Columbus
Chris Columbus (filmmaker)
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Columbus is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Columbus had his largest success with the first two films in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, along with Home Alone, the last...
and starring Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
, Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
, and Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
.
The film was a commercial success, but a moderate critical success.
Plot
Jackie and Luke Harrison (Susan SarandonSusan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
and Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
) are a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d couple struggling to keep their children, Anna (Jena Malone
Jena Malone
Jena Malone is an American actress and musician who has appeared on television, in films, and on Broadway. She made her movie debut with the film Bastard Out of Carolina , and has appeared in films including Contact , Stepmom , Donnie Darko , Saved! , Into the Wild , and Sucker Punch .Malone is...
) and Ben (Liam Aiken
Liam Aiken
Liam Padraic Aiken is an American actor who has starred in a number of films, such as Stepmom and Good Boy!. He starred as Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the series of books....
), happy with this sudden change of lifestyle.
This is far from easy, as Luke, an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, is living with his new girlfriend Isabel (Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
), a successful fashion photographer several years his junior. Isabel tries very hard to make Anna and Ben feel comfortable and happy around her, but Anna repeatedly rejects her overtures while Ben, who is generally kind to Isabel, adds extra complication with his mischievous nature. Isabel behaves with contempt tempered by caution around Jackie, believing she overcompensates for her divorce by spoiling her children. Conversely, Jackie, a former publisher turned stay-at-home-mom, gives Isabel a cold reception, seeing her as an overly ambitious career woman. She also continues to harbor malice against Luke (as can be seen in a confrontation about Isabel). After a long string of arguments and hurt feelings between Isabel, Jackie and Anna, Luke proposes to Isabel, making her Anna and Ben's soon-to-be official stepmom. This causes even more friction.
However, Jackie is diagnosed with lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
, which is discovered to be terminal
Terminal illness
Terminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century to describe a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient within a short period of time. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as...
. She experiences a range of negative emotions, angry at the woman who she feels played a role in her broken family, and angry at the fact that after all of the sacrifices she made for her family, she will not even get to see her children grow up. Both Jackie and Isabel clash repeatedly, largely over Isabel's parenting. This becomes evident when Ben goes missing on Isabel's watch and Jackie claims that she has never lost him, which she later admits to be untrue. Yet they manage to call a shaky truce, as both Jackie and Isabel come to terms with the fact that the latter will soon step into the role of surrogate mother.
The two women finally bond with each other when Isabel reveals her admiration of Jackie's maternal instincts, while Jackie in turn compliments Isabel's hipness as a means to connect with Anna. Isabel finally lets her guard down when she tearfully tells Jackie her biggest fear is that on Anna's wedding day, all Anna will wish for is her mother's presence. Through her own tears, Jackie says her own fear is that Anna will forget her.
The film ends with Isabel taking a family picture of Luke and Jackie with their children. Jackie demonstrates her accepatance of Isabel by inviting to join them in the portrait, stating "let's get [a photo] with the whole family". Isabel does, and as the closing credits
Closing credits
Closing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
begin, both women are shown in a photo side by side, finally at peace with one another and future events (Jackie's death and Isabel and Luke's marriage).
Cast
- Julia RobertsJulia RobertsJulia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
as Isabel Kelly - Susan SarandonSusan SarandonSusan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
as Jackie Harrison - Ed HarrisEd HarrisEdward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
as Luke Harrison - Jena MaloneJena MaloneJena Malone is an American actress and musician who has appeared on television, in films, and on Broadway. She made her movie debut with the film Bastard Out of Carolina , and has appeared in films including Contact , Stepmom , Donnie Darko , Saved! , Into the Wild , and Sucker Punch .Malone is...
as Anna Harrison - Liam AikenLiam AikenLiam Padraic Aiken is an American actor who has starred in a number of films, such as Stepmom and Good Boy!. He starred as Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the series of books....
as Ben Harrison - Lynn WhitfieldLynn WhitfieldLynn Whitfield is an American actress.Whitfield began her acting career in television and theatre, before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special and a NAACP Image Award for her performance as Josephine Baker in the...
as Dr. Stewart - Mary Louise WilsonMary Louise WilsonMary Louise Wilson is an American stage, film and television actress.-Stage:Broadway* Hot Spot — 1963 as Sue Ann* Flora, The Red Menace — 1965 as Comrade Ada* Lovers and Other Strangers — 1968 as Bernice...
as Mrs. Franklin
Reception
Stepmom opened at #2 at the North American box office behind Patch AdamsPatch Adams (film)
Patch Adams is a 1998 comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams. Directed by Tom Shadyac, it is based on the life story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams and the book Gesundheit: Good Health is a Laughing Matter by Adams and Maureen Mylander. The film is generally considered a box-office success,...
making $19.1 million USD in its opening weekend. It stayed at the second spot for another week. The film grossed $91,137,662 in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and $159,710,793 worldwide from a budget of $50 million.
Stepmom received mixed reviews from critics. It earned a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama and won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
The San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress is an award given by the San Diego Film Critics Society to honor the finest female acting achievementes in filmmaking.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
. Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor
National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor
The National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the annual film awards given by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.- 1950s :- 1960s :- 1970s :- 1980s :-1990s:- 2000s :-2010s:...
for his roles in Stepmom and The Truman Show
The Truman Show
The Truman Show is a 1998 American satirical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol. The cast includes Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, as well as Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris and Natascha McElhone...
.
Remakes
Sony Pictures co-produced with Karan JoharKaran Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and Television host. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar. He is one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and the...
to remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
the film in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The official Hindi remake, titled We Are Family
We Are Family (2010 film)
We Are Family is a Hindi film directed by Siddharth Malhotra and produced by Karan Johar. The project features actors Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in the lead roles, and is an official remake of the 1998 film Stepmom. It released worldwide on September 3, 2010, and a day before in India...
, was shot in Australia and stars Kajol
Kajol
Kajol Devgn , better known as Kajol, is an Indian film actress appearing in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of India's most successful and talented female actors....
playing Susan Sarandon's character (called Maya), while Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
plays Julia Roberts' role (Shreya) in the movie. It also stars Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal , born 26 November 1972, is an award-winning Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films, as well as a fashion model.- Film career :...
and is directed by Siddharth Malhotra. The remake, released worldwide on September 3, 2010 and a day before in India and UAE, was eventually declared an average grosser.
The film was also unofficially remade in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
as Tuzya Mazyat (Yours and Mine) in 2008 starring Sachin Khedekar
Sachin Khedekar
Sachin Khedekar is an Indian actor and director, best known for his roles in Astitva, Imtihaan, and as Netaji in Shyam Benegal's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero...
, Mrinal Kulkarni
Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni
Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni is an actress in India known for her role in popular serialsonpari. She has acted in both Marathi and Hindi TV serials and films.-Acting career:...
, Sulekha Talwalkar and Mohan Joshi.