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The Stepford Wives is a 2004 black comedy/science fiction film based on the Ira Levin novel The Stepford Wives. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links SW02. ... Frank Oz (born May 25, 1944) is an American film director, actor and puppeteer. ... Scott Rudin (born July 14, 1958) is an American motion picture producer known not only for his award-winning films, but also for his legendary temper. ... Ira Levin (born August 27, 1929 in New York) is an American novelist, playwright and songwriter. ... Paul Rudnick is a screenwriter and playwright. ... Nicole Mary Kidman AC (born June 20, 1967), is an Australian [1] actress. ... Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is a Tony Award-winning American film and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as the title character in Ferris Buellers Day Off. ... Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Christopher Walken (born March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ... Audrey Faith Perry McGraw, known professionally by her first married name Faith Hill (born September 21, 1967), is an American country singer, known for her commercial success as well as her marriage to fellow country singer Tim McGraw. ... Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actress. ... Roger Bart is Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and SAG Award-winning television, stage and film actor and singer. ... David Arnold (born February 27, 1962 in Luton in Bedfordshire, England) is one of the most popular and successful young British composers[citation needed]. He is probably best known for the film scores to Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996) and four James Bond films. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... This article is about the film studio. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Black comedy and List of black comedies, accessible from a disambiguation page. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Ira Levin (born August 27, 1929 in New York) is an American novelist, playwright and songwriter. ... For the 1975 film see The Stepford Wives (1975 film), for the 2004 remake see The Stepford Wives (2004 film). ...

The film was directed by Frank Oz with a screenplay by Paul Rudnick and stars Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken, Roger Bart, Faith Hill, Glenn Close and Jon Lovitz. Frank Oz (born May 25, 1944) is an American film director, actor and puppeteer. ... Paul Rudnick is a screenwriter and playwright. ... Nicole Mary Kidman AC (born June 20, 1967), is an Australian [1] actress. ... Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is a Tony Award-winning American film and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as the title character in Ferris Buellers Day Off. ... Christopher Walken (born March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ... Roger Bart is Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and SAG Award-winning television, stage and film actor and singer. ... Audrey Faith Perry McGraw, known professionally by her first married name Faith Hill (born September 21, 1967), is an American country singer, known for her commercial success as well as her marriage to fellow country singer Tim McGraw. ... Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actress. ... Jonathan Lovitz (born July 21, 1957 in Tarzana, California) is an American actor and comedian perhaps best known as a cast member of Saturday Night Live and for his show The Critic. ...

Plot

After a deranged reality TV contestant nearly kills her in front of a live audience, an ambitious TV executive (Nicole Kidman) loses her job and suffers a nervous breakdown. As a means of recuperating, she and her husband (Matthew Broderick) move to Stepford: a small, quiet community where the wives are brainless, impossibly beautiful domestic goddesses, who live to serve their shady, oafish husbands. Realizing there is something sinister going on behind closed doors, she resolves to find the truth, no matter how disturbing... Nicole Mary Kidman AC (born June 20, 1967), is an Australian [1] actress. ... Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is a Tony Award-winning American film and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as the title character in Ferris Buellers Day Off. ...

Production

This film is notorious for the numerous production problems that occurred throughout its shooting schedule. The tension started when both John Cusack and Joan Cusack, originally slated to star in supporting roles, pulled out of the project and were replaced by Matthew Broderick and Bette Midler, respectively. After filming was initially completed, several changes were made to the new script and the cast was called back for reshoots. Reports of problems onset between director Frank Oz and stars Nicole Kidman and Bette Midler were rampant in the press. Kidman was reportedly so dissatisfied with the new screenplay that she considered pulling out of the project. In recent interviews, Kidman, Matthew Broderick and producer Scott Rudin have all expressed regret for participating in this project. This article is about the actor. ... Joan Cusack (born October 11, 1962) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress and comedian. ... Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is a Tony Award-winning American film and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as the title character in Ferris Buellers Day Off. ... Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Frank Oz (born May 25, 1944) is an American film director, actor and puppeteer. ... Nicole Mary Kidman AC (born June 20, 1967), is an Australian [1] actress. ... Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is a Tony Award-winning American film and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as the title character in Ferris Buellers Day Off. ... Scott Rudin (born July 14, 1958) is an American motion picture producer known not only for his award-winning films, but also for his legendary temper. ...

Differences between the 2004 film and previous versions

• The town's women were formerly successful and powerful figures in their industries - scientists, politicians, television moguls. In 1975, the women were only just beginning to attain power in the workforce equal to men's.

• Among the couples who had recently moved to Stepford was a gay couple. In the original novel, there was no mention of homosexual couples in Stepford.

• Unlike previous versions, the head programmer of the wives, Mike Wellington (Christopher Walken) is revealed to be a robot himself, a Stepford Husband (a nod to the TV movie). The real programmer is his wife Claire (Glenn Close).

• The main character, Joanna, is turned into a Stepford wife in the 1975 version. In this version, she only pretends to be one in order to fool Mike, the programmer of the wife.

• This version is more of a comedy than a horror, unlike the original version.

Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Christopher Walken (born March 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film and theatre actor. ... Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actress. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Continuity

• It is unclear whether or not the wives were ever actually robots, or just under some sort of mind control. During the film's climax, the evening gala, Joanna's husband Walter sneaks down into an underground chamber and discovers panels representing each wife, along with diagrams showing computer chips embedded into their brains. He deactivates the microchips and, once released, the women turn on their husbands in fury. While not explicitly stated in the movie, it may be that the wives had chips planted in their brains, which were transplanted into robot bodies.

Box office

The film's opening gross was $21,406,781 in the US, eventually grossing a total of $59,484,742; it grossed $42,428,452 internationally for a total of $101,913,194 [1].

Filming Locations

The majority of the film was shot in Darien, Connecticut, New Canaan, Connecticut, and at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion in Norwalk, Connecticut where co-star Roger Bart originally lived. ^{[citation needed]} Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. ... New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Stamford, on the Five Mile River. ... The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion is a Second Empire style country house in Norwalk, Connecticut. ... Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. ... Roger Bart is Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and SAG Award-winning television, stage and film actor and singer. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• One of three co-productions of Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks released in 2004, along with Collateral and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.
• Co-Stars Matthew Broderick, Jon Lovitz and Roger Bart would later star in The Producers, the film adaptation of the Broadway play which Broderick and Bart were in. Furthermore, Nicole Kidman was also originally set to appear in The Producers, but dropped out and was replaced by Uma Thurman.
• Sibling actors John Cusack and Joan Cusack were originally cast in the film but had to withdraw after a death in the family. Matthew Broderick and Bette Midler replaced them.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... This article is about the film studio. ... Collateral is a 2004 Academy Award-nominated Dreamworks SKG/Paramount Pictures American drama/thriller/crime film directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie, with un-credited rewrites by Mann and Frank Darabont. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is a Tony Award-winning American film and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as the title character in Ferris Buellers Day Off. ... Jonathan Lovitz (born July 21, 1957 in Tarzana, California) is an American actor and comedian perhaps best known as a cast member of Saturday Night Live and for his show The Critic. ... Roger Bart is Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and SAG Award-winning television, stage and film actor and singer. ... The Producers is a 2005 film based on the 2001 Broadway musical of the same name, which is in turn based on the 1968 movie starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder and Andréas Voutsinas. ... This article is about the 2001 stage musical. ... Nicole Mary Kidman AC (born June 20, 1967), is an Australian [1] actress. ... The Producers is a 2005 film based on the 2001 Broadway musical of the same name, which is in turn based on the 1968 movie starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder and Andréas Voutsinas. ... Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress. ... This article is about the actor. ... Joan Cusack (born October 11, 1962) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress and comedian. ... Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is a Tony Award-winning American film and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as the title character in Ferris Buellers Day Off. ... Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ...

See also

• The Stepford Wives (1975)
• Asterisk animation - provided animation for this movie

Movie poster for the original 1975 film. ... Asterisk is a design and animation production company in New York. ...

External links

• The Stepford Wives at the Internet Movie Database