Stepmom Details

Despite its unappealing title, this is an incredibly touching and sophisticated film about post-divorce family life. As the girlfriend of divorcee Ed Harris, ambitious fashion photographer Julia Roberts starts off on the wrong foot when she meets his family. Attempting to woo his two children, she finds herself competing with their “perfect” mother Susan Sarandon. However, when Sarandon falls seriously ill, the women must reappraise their priorities. Strong performances, which are not afraid to be unsympathetic, and unpredictable narrative twists make this far from your average sentimental family drama, and viewing requires a large quantity of tissues.

It is sometimes difficult to imagine what Hollywood scriptwriters would do without a terminal illness to fall back on: it provides opportunity for sentimentality, redemption, reconciliation and big gestures, all of which are too much in evidence here.