The Stepford Wives

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The Stepford Wives

PG

1975

1h 55m

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

96 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Joanna Eberhart moves to the quiet town of Stepford with her husband and children. The town seems perfect -- maybe a little too perfect. There's something not quite right with the suburb's women: they're vapid, unfathomably devoted to housework and completely subservient to their husbands. Joanna teams up with another recent transplant, Bobby, to investigate the mystery of Stepford's wives and makes a horrific discovery.

Critics Consensus

The Stepford Wives's inherent satire is ill-served by Bryan Forbes' stately direction, but William Goldman's script excels as a damning critique of a misogynistic society.

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Martin Knelman

Globe and Mail

Oct 8

This one has a brilliantly low premise that bound to touch a few nerves.

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David Robinson

The Times (UK)

05/02/2025

The film is... a very effective fable.

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Paul D. Zimmerman

Newsweek

05/02/2025

Director Bryan Forbes photographs the victims of Stepford in the most romantic way.

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Joshua Tyler

Giant Freakin Robot

Jun 23

The film’s attack on family life was a complete and total victory. Generation after generation of children are now raised by daycare centers, and latchkey kids have become so normal that no one even uses the term anymore.

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Frank Gagnard

Times-Picayune

Mar 30

Glossily made and diverting enough for the easily diverted.

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Charles Brock

Florida Times-Union

Feb 4

The front assault on woman's lib has a paranormal basis. But you'll have to come and see it for yourself.

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Skyler T

@RT83774132 4h

This is an iconic move, kind of a Black Mirror type drama set in the mid 70's. The editing is slower than we are used to today but that is true of all movies from that era. It's not a comedy, satire or camp like the remake. It's a social commentary of how men viewed women at that time. It's woven it's way into the social fabric of society. When someone says their neighborhood is like the Stepfort Wives, everyone knows what you are talking about. That's what this film did.

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Robert P

@Superbad 1d

This is a much better movie then the second Stepford Wives, thus I give it a four star review!

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Michelle G

@tediously_brief Aug 25

This film is the Margaret Atwood quote "Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them."

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Wayne K

@WayneKelso Jun 13

One of those smart, subtle 70s satires that bothered past audiences because it was so clever and infuriated modern audiences because the message wasn’t spoon fed to them, The Stepford Wives manages to do social commentary and bone-chilling suspense in almost equal measures. The final act is a masterclass in escalation and brutal, shocking payoff, and the dialogue, performances and camerawork always convey the sense that all is not as it seems. It’s funny that feminist groups took offense to it for depicting the titular wives as submissive and subservient, since that’s the very thing the story itself is critiquing. The fact that the husbands treat the scenario as if its perfectly normal is what really hammers the point home. If you like your social satires sharp, perceptive and insidiously creepy, this is definitely a movie to check out.

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Cees T

@RT15093300 Oct 5

Slow start; rushed end. Nice horror comedy if you just turn your brain off. 6.6/10

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Garry A

@heavyg 08/13/2025

It's a slow grind getting through the first hour. Joanna Eberhart is great in this. The last 20 minutes were shocking, even though I could guess how the movie was going to end.

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Bryan Forbes

Director

Katharine Ross

Joanna Eberhart

Paula Prentiss

Bobbie Markowe

Patrick O'Neal

Dale Coba

Peter Masterson

Walter Eberhart

Nanette Newman

Carol Van Sant

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Synopsis

Joanna Eberhart moves to the quiet town of Stepford with her husband and children. The town seems perfect -- maybe a little too perfect. There's something not quite right with the suburb's women: they're vapid, unfathomably devoted to housework and completely subservient to their husbands. Joanna teams up with another recent transplant, Bobby, to investigate the mystery of Stepford's wives and makes a horrific discovery.

Director: Bryan Forbes
Producer: Edgar J. Scherick
Screenwriter: Ira Levin, William Goldman
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Embassy Pictures
Production Co: Palomar Pictures, Fadsin Cinema Associates
Rating: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2018
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Mono

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