Stepmom (1998)
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A terminally ill woman must navigate a complicated relationship with her ex-husband's new girlfriend who is set to become their children's stepmother.
The story
Jackie and Luke Harrison are a divorced New York City couple who are struggling to co-parent their two children, daughter Anna and son Ben. Luke, an attorney, is living with his girlfriend of one year, Isabel Kelly, a successful fashion photographer several years his junior. Isabel, who has never wanted to be a mother, tries hard to make Anna and Ben feel comfortable. However, the children react differently to her presence, and Jackie treats Isabel with coldness and suspicion. The tension between the two women escalates as Luke prepares to propose to Isabel, making her the children's official stepmother, while Jackie secretly battles a terminal illness.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Jackie and Luke Harrison are a divorced New York City couple struggling to co-parent their children, Anna and Ben. Luke lives with his girlfriend, Isabel Kelly, a young fashion photographer. Isabel tries to bond with the children, but Jackie views her as an immature intruder. The conflict intensifies when Luke proposes to Isabel, making her the official stepmother. Amidst this tension, it is revealed that Jackie is dying of terminal lymphoma. She initially sabotages Isabel's efforts to connect with the children out of jealousy and fear. Eventually, the two women begin to bond over shared concerns for the children's future. After a series of confrontations, including a situation where Ben goes missing and a shared moment of vulnerability regarding their fears for Anna's future, they reach a tentative truce. They realize that while Jackie holds the children's past, Isabel will hold their future. On Christmas morning, a terminally ill Jackie accepts Isabel into the family circle, and the two women share a final, peaceful moment together while holding hands for a family portrait.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chris Columbus
- Writers
- Gigi Levangie · screenplay; Jessie Nelson · screenplay; Steven Rogers · screenplay; Karen Leigh Hopkins · screenplay; Ron Bass · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Julia Roberts; Susan Sarandon; Ed Harris; Jena Malone
- Genres
- comedy-drama
- Themes
- motherhood; divorce; illness; family dynamics
- Tone and mood
- drama; emotional
- Premise and plot tags
- mother-daughter; step-parenting; terminal illness
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was noted for the strong performances of its lead actresses despite a manipulated plot.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 44% · scale: percentage · review count: 93; Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 21; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was released on DVD and VHS in April 1999.; The film's budget was $50 million and it grossed over $159 million worldwide.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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