Stepmom (film)

• Julia Roberts: Isabel Kelly
• Susan Sarandon: Jackie Harrison
• Ed Harris: Luke Harrison
• Jena Malone: Anna Harrison
• Liam Aiken: Ben Harrison

Side By Side (Original Title: Stepmom ) is an American feature film from the year 1998 he offered his friend actresses Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon the possibility of cooperation in the film project. .

Action

Who lives in New York City divorced Luke Harrison, father of two children, enters into a relationship with the successful photographer Isabel Kelly. This wants to marry Luke and fighting for the affection of his children Ben and Anna. The mother of two, Jackie, Isabel sees a competitor and leaves no stone unturned, this discredit in the eyes of children. After Isabel Ben in downtown New York City can from her eyes, and this is found by the police, Jackie is considering obtaining a court order that would prohibit Isabel dealing with the children. Luke speaks this idea his ex-wife only with difficulty.

Jackie learns that she is ill with cancer and concludes that, as a future educator of their children desperately needs Isabel. One day Isabel sees a letter issued on Jackie airline ticket to Los Angeles and suspects this wants to move there. She fears her husband Jackie could take the children away and is scared. Jackie revealed that she is sick and flies to Los Angeles to treatment. At this moment, the two women begin to first-name terms.

The treatment brings no results. Jackie's doctor recommends other therapies in Paris or Switzerland, but Jackie wants to stay close to the family.

Isabel strives to do justice to the role of the stepmother, which she even neglected their work. When Anna jilted by her boyfriend and humiliated, Isabel involved a male model, who plays Anna's new boyfriend to make her ex-boyfriend jealous. Although Anna's stature increases in school, Jackie is unhappy with Isabel's educational methods. It is a dispute which of the women as a model for Anna better.

Jackie meets up with Isabel in a restaurant and reveals that she as a mother often neglected their duties. Once she lost her son in a supermarket and found after a long search again. She says that the kids do not have to choose between the two women. At the end of Isabel Jackie is accepted as a family member.

Reviews

Robert Horton berated the movie on film.com as " pudding " Edward Johnson -Ott in Nuovo News Weekly as "embarrassing ". Jim Lane said in Sacramento News & Review, it would constitute the " most outrageous " case of " emotional spam " that was ever seen in a movie.

James Berardinelli criticized the film on ReelViews as a " mishmash " of clichés and a melodrama with embarrassing dialogue. However, he praised the representations of Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon and Ed Harris, she pitied for it, that they had to " recite " the dialogue texts. Berardinelli noted that the director Chris Columbus could indeed create great comedies such as Mrs. Doubtfire, but was overwhelmed with the Dramas.

" Psychologically, sensitive portrayal of a family conflict, but considerably loses its economic integration into a financially worry-free environment of credibility and also appends a contradictory conservative ideology. "

Film Music

The film music by the American composer John Williams. Because Columbus was very impressed with the soundtrack to " Home Alone " ( Kevin alone to the house), he decided to re- Williams for the score to be filled. The result is a very quiet and thoughtful film music that was created with guitar, strings and flutes. The guitar solos were played by Christopher Parkening.

Awards

Susan Sarandon was nominated for her role in the film awards Golden Globe Award and Golden Satellite Award; she won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award. Julia Roberts won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award; for the Kids' Choice Awards she was nominated.

Background

The film was shot in New York City and in various locations in the states of New York and New Jersey. His cost of production was estimated at 50 million U.S. dollars. The film played in theaters worldwide about 159.7 million U.S. dollars, including about 91 million U.S. dollars in the cinema of the United States.