Anna has two mommies
Stepmom A Film Review By Michael Redman Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
**1/2 (Out of ***)
Once upon a time, back probably sometime before the invention of the wheel, the way it worked was that a man and woman married, had children, stayed together until one died and then maybe the survivor remarried. For those too young to remember this prehistoric era, these were called nuclear families.
Then the nuclear family melted down. For a number of reasons -- lifespans increased, life became easier and a "work partner" was less important, expectations of remaining in love heightened, family members went their separate ways during each day and grew apart -- divorce rates soared. The old style family complete with the original mother and father is a rarity.
Now we have relationship units that would have been seen as oddities a few decades ago. The most common of these are situations where children have "new" mommies and daddies and "old" mommies and daddies. Just because this is widespread doesn't mean it's easy. Although it's been going on for years, people are still trying to figure out how it works.
Luke (Ed Harris), father of two children, has a new girlfriend, Isabel (Julia Roberts). This doesn't sit well with his ex-wife Jackie (Susan Sarandon). Not only is Isabel much younger, gorgeous and a fashion photographer, but she's attempting to form a parental relationship with Jackie's kids.
The kids, Anna (Jena Malone) and Ben (Liam Aiken), don't take very well to the new situation either. Anna tells her teacher that her parents are getting back together. Ben promises his mom "I'll hate her if you want me to," and creates a magic potion to cause Isabel to sleep for 1,000 years. Jackie actively sabotages Isabel's efforts to bond even to the point of refusing to allow her to take Anna to a rock concert and then taking her, herself.
The parents have important news for each other. Luke is going to ask Isabel to marry him. Jackie has cancer and may be dying. The combination of these two announcements changes the dynamics of the various relationships. Isabel officially becomes a part of the family and Jackie wants to put everything in order.
Even with these motivations the two women bump heads over just about everything. When Anna has problems with her junior high school boyfriend, the mothers give opposite advice. Every time the women are together, sparks fly.
The movie begins at a snail's pace and takes a long time to reach speed. Although it's important to take time to establish situations and characters, the first half creeps by. By the latter half the story reaches its pace and pulls you in. There are some truly well-done bits towards the end but it takes a while to get there.
Director Chris Columbus attempts to create a film that touches the audience and it works on some levels. Unfortunately many scenes come across as manipulative rather than real. The old Motown songs sound great but they've become a cliched cinematic shortcut. Movies where one of the main characters has a fatal illness are often cop-outs for the more difficult task of demonstrating real emotions. What if Jackie and Isabel had to co-parent without the easy plot solution of cancer?
Although the film's focus is on the women, more screen time for Luke would have made for a fuller look at the family. We don't know much about him other than he seems to be a nice guy and cares about his children and the women. Oh yeah, he is obviously very successful at whatever it is he does. He pays for a spacious city apartment for him and Isabel and a luxurious country house for Jackie and supports both women when neither works. He's also gone a lot, both from the family and the movie.
Both women turn in top notch jobs. Sarandon is has a history of fine performances and is one of the several actresses who have been casted as sensual older women in recent years. As the baby boomers age, so do their film stars. Fortunately now they continue to get juicy roles. Roberts has shown that she is capable of doing good work and she does so here.
Harris has a warm presence and comes across as a real person with what little time he has.
The kids are a mixed bag. Malone seems like a real person but rarely exhibits more than sadness or anger. Aiken is the proverbial cute as a button, stealing every scene that he's in. He looks like a living Japanese anime cartoon character and is difficult to resist. It's too bad that he is about as three-dimensional as those cartoons. Ben's extreme cuteness provides comic relief but detracts from the authenticity of the film.
Some aspects of the movie are very effective. Isabel and Jackie's evolving relationship feels authentic. It doesn't progress in the stereotypical linear fashion that we see in less accomplished films. They dislike each other, grow a little closer, backslide and then get closer again. Something like real life.
There is some unexpected dialog. When Luke finds out that Jackie has cancer, he gives her the all-too-common line, "It should have been me instead of you." But then she nods in agreement.
This film gets inside you. Some of it is real and you'll cry. But after you think about it, you'll feel guilty about responding to some of the cheaper manipulation. It didn't have to be that way.
(Michael Redman has written this column for, oh, about 23 years or so and wonders why the older man and younger woman combination is so popular in Hollywood films today. Email theories to Redman@indepen.com.)
[This appeared in the 12/30/98 "Bloomington Independent", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at Redman@indepen.com.] -- mailto:redman@indepen.com This week's film review at http://www.indepen.com/ Film reviews archive at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Michael%20Redman
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