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Review by Susan Granger
4 stars out of 4
Bring along lots of handkerchiefs because this adult drama
with that terrible title is a real weeper. It's about two women who
hate each other, two kids caught in the middle, and one man just
trying to survive. Ed Harris's divorced wife, Susan Sarandon, and
their kids - who live in suburbia - are anything but happy when his
perky photographer girl-friend, Julia Roberts, moves into his
Manhattan apartment. Everyone hates her until a life-threatening
illness (cancer) forces Sarandon to accept her ex-husband's
fiancee. Both women are selfish - in their own way. There's the
perfect "soccer mom," who values her children's well-being over
everything else, versus the surrogate, unwanted step-parent who never
wanted children and is far more interested in her career than raising
a family. Grasping her dynamic, gritty part and running with it
magnificently, Susan Sarandon's mean, bitchy portrayal could earn her
the Best Actress Academy Award this year with fresh, hip Julia Roberts
claiming the Best Supporting Actress prize. Their scenes are so true
and so vital and cut so deep. The moving script by Gigi Levangie ("I
am a stepmom. I wrote this from personal experience.") and Ron Bass
("Rain Man," "My Best Friend's Wedding") is juicy, relevant, and
contemporary, and director Chris Columbus ("Home Alone,"
"Mrs. Doubtfire") expertly adds bite and heart to the rich texture,
making it about the humanity of people - with all the laughter and
tears of real families. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10,
"Stepmom" is a spellbinding 10. It's a "must see" to watch two
extraordinary actresses ignite the screen with bravura, Oscar-caliber
performances in a poignant celebration of family and of life.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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