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WSR Detailed DVD Review
Stepford Wives, The
2004
Genre: Comedy

Reviewed In Issue 91 (Dec 2004) Of Widescreen Review®

Stars:
Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken, Roger Bart, Faith Hill, Jon Lovitz & Glenn Close

WSR Review Scores
WSR Picture Rating: 4.5
DD Sound Rating: 4
DTS Sound Rating: NA
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score: 2.5
Internet Links
www.stepfordwives.com

Special Features
Special features include audio commentary by director Frank Oz, a 20-minute making-of featurette, a three-minute Stepford: A Definition, a six-minute look at redesigning and remaking The Stepford Wives, a 10-minute introduction to the Stepford wives, an eight-minute introduction to the Stepford husbands, six deleted or extended scenes, a five-minute gag reel, and the theatrical and teaser trailer. There are also up-front ads.


 DVD General Information

(Studio/Distributor): Paramount Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number): 33801
(MPAA Rating): PG13
(Rating Reason):

Sexual Content, Thematic Material & Language.
(Retail Price): $19.95
(DVD Type): Single Side, Dual Layer (DVD9)
(Widescreen Edition): Yes
(Full Screen Edition): No
(Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
(Running Time In Minutes): 93
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Regional Coding): 1
(Theatrical Year): 2004
(Theatrical Release): Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release): No
(DVD Release Date): 10/26/04
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

 Credits Information

(Director): Frank Oz
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  DVD Picture Information

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  DVD Sound Information

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  WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
After suffering a breakdown, successful TV exec Joanna Eberhart (Kidman) and her husband Walter (Broderick) move from the big city to the quaint little town of Stepford, Connecticut. Joanna quickly discovers that all is not right in this land of Barbie dolls, and the only one she can truly relate to is her new friend Bobbie (Midler). But when Bobbi begins acting strangely too, Joanna vows to find out the town's secret before she herself becomes one of "The Stepford Wives." With a surprise twist to the ending of the original 1975 movie, this film is much more comedy than horror in genre. Based upon the book by Ira Levin. (Tricia Littrell)

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 DVD exhibits a clean, richly saturated picture, with vibrant hues, natural fleshtones, and deep blacks. The vibrant colors are almost a visual contrast to the drab, dark style of the original movie. Images are sharp and detailed, with nicely rendered textures and definition. Contrast and shadow delineation are also well balanced. When distractions like edge enhancement or pixelization are present, they are not terribly obtrusive. Overall, this is a clean, slick picture that should satisfy, if not impress. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
Great spatial dimensionality and impressive front-three screen-channel soundstaging are cornerstones of this Dolby