Les envoûtées de Stepford

OK, so the plot is far-fetched, lame and offensive - the movie is a hoot! Keep in mind that I would watch anything with Sharon Gless - but she and Julie Kavner are a good team. A young Don Johnson appears as bland and clued-out Kavner's cop husband. Sharon, the reporter, arrives to do a story on the perfect town of Stepford. She hires Julie as an assistant who promptly gets nabbed by the Stepford gang. Her husband is in on it, of course. Sharon sets out to save Julie - Don and the whole town set out to stop her. Lots of chases, peril and the bad guys get what they deserve. Save it for a rainy day when you want a taste of some familiar TV faces in their early years.

So here I am changing the channels on my expanded all digital channel line-up late one night, and I find the lovely Sharon Gless trying to escape being knifed by Julie "Marge Simpson" Kavner in total late 70's fashion, AND I LOVE IT! Just when it couldn't get any better, in walks Don Johnson and Audra "Mrs. Roper" Lindley (who deserved that Oscar nomination for "Desert Hearts" years back) and I am on the floor!! This movie has got to be the latest undiscovered "gem" in the last 25 years! Who cares how bad the story is. This is CLASSIC!!!

I just saw this film today and thought it was entertaining. I've seen the original Stepford Wives and read the book- and I'm a big fan, but I don't really take this film seriously. Some of the acting is bad- the Stepford Wives are nowhere near as great in this one than in the original- in this one the robotic acting isn't that good. But I still like the plot- and it's very entertaining, and unintenionally funny. I knew I recognised Julie Kavners voice- i checked IMDB and she sounds excatly like Selma from the simpsons in real life! Anyway- I wouldn't say it was a really bad film- and the ending was great!

In REVENGE OF THE STEPFORD WIVES, it's been ten years since the events of the first film.

A resistant resident of the oddly idyllic suburb meets with an unfortunate fate.

Enter TV reporter, Kaye Foster (Sharon Gless), who's in town to investigate Stepford's unusually low rates of crime, divorce, etc.

Meanwhile, the secret, male cabal, led by the sinister Dale "Diz" Corbett (now played by Arthur Hill), uses their army of mindless fembots to keep a watchful eye on Kaye.

For her part, Kaye catches Stepford's crazy vibe right away, as she observes the creepy, somnambulistic wives going through their daily routines. Not surprisingly, the deeper Kaye digs into this bizarre mystery, the more danger she finds herself in, and anyone who attempts to help her doesn't fare very well.

While never approaching the sublime, satirical terror of the original film, REVENGE does have its moments, some of which are quite suspenseful. The wives are convincing, especially Barbara Parkinson, played brilliantly by Audra Lindley. Her "remote control" scene is a classic!

One of the better made-for-TV movies of the period. Watch for the magnificent grrrl power finale!

Co-stars Don Johnson as a police officer with a particularly rebellious wife...

This film essentially begins 10 years after its predecessor left off with all of the women living in Stepford completely docile and totally committed to their husband's interests above all else. So much so that, after the manager of a particular television show reads about the low crime and divorce rates in that town, he decides to send an investigative journalist named "Kaye Foster" (Sharon Gless) to check it out. Sure enough, she is amazed at how incredibly dull and domesticated the women appear to be. Fortunately, there is one particular young woman by the name of "Megan Brady" (Julie Kavner) who doesn't quite fit that mold and she is quickly hired by Kaye to help with her research. What neither of them realize, however, is that there are people within the town who are extremely concerned about having their devious secrets exposed and will do anything necessary to prevent that from happening. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this made-for-television sequel deviates somewhat from the original film concerning the manner in which the Stepford wives were subjugated against their will. If anything, I found it to be a bit more plausible to a certain--albeit quite limited--degree. Be that as it may, I didn't find this movie to be nearly as good as its predecessor due in large part because it lacked the same level of intensity and suspense. No doubt its made-for-television format had something to do with that, but in any case, I didn't quite capture my interest all that much and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.