Common Sense Media Review
By Corrina Antrobus , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 13+
Eerie 1975 cult sci-fi horror explores gender roles.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
some
Blood is drawn when a fire poker is used as a weapon. A character stabs another with a kitchen knife -- no blood is shown. Voices are raised in arguments. Being a sci-fi, psychological thriller, a creepy, paranoid tone is felt throughout with its horror element ramped up in the end in a nightmarish vision of a zombified character with black eyes.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Characters drink wine and Scotch Whisky. They also smoke cigarettes and cigars in their homes.
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Language
some
Language includes "bastard," "goddamn," "ass," "boobs," and "hell."
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
Characters casually joke about sexual activity. A character walks up to someone and holds their breasts over their shirt -- they appear to consent. Sex noises are heard from an upstairs bedroom. The seemingly enjoyable sex lives of the wives are a result of their husband's self-indulgent programming of their sexual desires. A character's bare breasts are shown under a negligee. At times, the movie is gratuitous in its gaze of the female body. Despite perhaps its black comedy intent, it ultimately remains slyly titillating.
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Products & Purchases
very little
No obvious brands shown or bought. Although satirically, characters recommend cleaning products to one another.
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Positive Messages
some
Doting on your partner shouldn't come at the expense of your individuality and ambition. Your truest love will let you be yourself and not try to rewire you into their idea of perfection. And anyway … perfection is a fantasy. Everyone should reject both insidious and blatant misogyny and question sexual consent. However, in this movie it is down to the women to organize and reject male dominance, with varying degrees of success. Equal rights across the genders remains a work in progress.
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Positive Role Models
some
Joanna Eberhart, is our feminist hero who, although perfectly content in her marriage, strives to retain a part of herself who isn't defined by being a wife or mother. She is an aspirational photographer who is able to question the construct of what a happy family should appear to be. She wants more than an intimidatingly-immaculate house, not only for herself, but for her fellow female neighbors. Along with her like-minded ally Bobby Markowe -- also a positive role model -- they rally to create Stepford's version of a local Women's Liberation group.
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Diverse Representations
a little
Strong female representation throughout. However, their only depictions are of White, upper-class women who work in the home as housewives. Poignant to the Stepford world created, only White families live in this supremacist suburb. When a Black family moves in, it is the talk of the town as a measure of how "liberal" they are to "accept" them (and the recently-opened Chinese takeaway). The Black family is only seen once and they have no lines, names, or story.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Stepford Wives is a thought-provoking sci-f thriller, adapted from Ira Levin's "feminist horror" novel. Katharine Ross and Peter Masterson play Joanna and Walter Eberhart, who move to the idyllic town of Stepford, only to discover things aren't what they seem. The movie has a creepy tone throughout with women depicted as part of the satirical plot of men rewiring them into submissive, obedient wives who are sexually available and eerily docile. Violence is shown when a fire poker is used as a weapon (and draws blood) and a knife is used to see if someone bleeds (they don't). Characters discuss sex -- but never in any graphic detail -- and there is one scene of nudity where a woman's bare breasts are shown under a negligee and a couple are also heard having sex. There are some uses of "bastard" and "ass," and characters drink spirits and smoke cigars. The film led to the term "The Stepford Wife" being integrated into mainstream psyche and a remake was made in 2004, although that film led further into comedy than horror. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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The Stepford Wives (1975)
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What's the Story?
In THE STEPFORD WIVES, married couple Joanna (Katharine Ross) and Walter Eberhart (Peter Masterson) relocate their family from bustling New York to the idyllic suburb of Stepford. Joanna -- an aspirational photographer -- soon notices something subdued and submissive about the women in town, while the men of the Stepford Men's Association seem to be up to something quite sinister.
Is It Any Good?
This 1975 original -- there is a 2004 remake starring Nicole Kidman -- brims with wit as it ribs knowingly at a culture of misogyny. Although some of the scenes in The Stepford Wives are as stiff as a starch-iron shirt, it all adds to the '70s kitsch charm of this classic manic movie. The subject of feminism is a juicy subject to pick apart here, and in retrospect, the audience is left with some questions. For example, which "wave" of feminism is this film surfing? And what is the purpose of the apparent voyeurism of the stereotypically attractive women? Ultimately it's about one woman's quest for independence on behalf of the modern American woman. But does it fall into its own trap of the male gaze, when behind the camera, only men are at the helm? These are all valid questions, but at a time when the Women's Liberation Movement was in full swing, the film makes a noble attempt to juggle awareness of the imbalance of women's rights while representing a mood of female empowerment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what The Stepford Wives is trying to say about society and the role of women. Would you describe the film as a "feminist movie?" What do you understand the term feminist to mean? Can anyone be one? Would you class yourself as one?
What makes the perfect partner? What makes a happy relationship? And should you try to change someone?
The movie is written and directed by men. Does that matter when it comes to the movie's messages? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 12, 1975
- On DVD or streaming: December 3, 1997
- Cast: Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson
- Director: Bryan Forbes
- Studio: Columbia Pictures
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Book Characters, Robots
- Run time: 115 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- Last updated: January 10, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
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The Stepford Wives (1975)
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