Stepmom

PG-13

1998

2 hr. 4 min.

Drama

List

44%

93 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Three years after divorcing Jackie (Susan Sarandon), the mother of his children, Luke Harrison (Ed Harris) decides to take the next step with his significantly younger girlfriend, fashion photographer Isabel Kelly (Julia Roberts). But, when the flaky Kelly meets Harrison's children for the first time, their fierce allegiance to their mother is obvious. Try as she might, Kelly fails to endear herself to her young charges -- and to Jackie -- until a looming family crisis changes everything.

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Critics Consensus

Solid work from Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon isn't enough to save Stepmom from a story whose manipulations dilute the effectiveness of a potentially affecting drama.

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Ronald R

Great Movie!!!! Highly Recommended!!!! A++ 🍿🎥🍿

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/24

Full Review

Trafalgar L

"Stepmom" combines the elements of a family film with the grieving process and does it beautifully. Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts and Ed Harris bring a charming story to the table. The film deals with infidelity, divorce and grief, while not talking down to its audience. Chris Columbus's directing is wonderful and this one should not be skipped nor does it deserve to be labeled "Rotten"

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/02/24

Full Review

Unfiltered S

Very good and emotional classic.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/30/23

Full Review

Ari V

Definitely has a few trite misses here and there, but holds up pretty wonderfully all in all.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/23/23

Full Review

Eugenie

I've seen this movie so many times and I can't help but cry every single time I see it. I lost my grandmother who raised me, cancer took her from me. When I miss her, I rewatch this movie we saw together. The actresses are incredible, they show on-screen, emotions that we could relate to. It's not a movie that will change the face of the cinema. However, it still, after so many years, touches me to the core.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

Dani G

Just what you can expect

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/23

Full Review

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Chris Columbus

Director

Julia Roberts

Isabel Kelly

Susan Sarandon

Jackie Harrison

Ed Harris

Luke Harrison

Jena Malone

Anna Harrison

Liam Aiken

Ben Harrison

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Stepmom: Official Clip - Ain't No Mountain High Enough

2:57

Stepmom: Official Clip - Isabel's Plan Works

1:59

Stepmom: Official Clip - You Have Made My Life So Wonderful

2:28

Stepmom: Official Clip - Losing Ben

2:46

Stepmom: Official Clip - Underlying Hostility

2:33

Stepmom: Official Clip - Mommy's Sick

2:11

Stepmom: Official Clip - Are You Dying?

2:53

Stepmom: Official Clip - The Worst Day Until Now

1:54

Stepmom: Official Clip - You Have Their Future

3:14

Stepmom: Official Clip - Will You Marry Me?

2:42

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Terry Lawson

Detroit Free Press

We are coddled with bittersweet cocoa, dazzled with movie-star melodramatics and then trotted off to warm beds with assurance that as hard as life may get, there will always be a movie to trivialize our pain.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 5, 2023

Full Review

Rene Rodriguez

Miami Herald

Premature death has long been a screenwriter's crutch, but it's rarely felt as annoying as it does here.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 5, 2023

Full Review

Jami Bernard

New York Daily News

It's a lovely daydream, made lovelier by the fiercely maternal performance of Sarandon as a lioness protecting her cubs, and Julia Roberts as a mass of insecurity trying to measure up to impossible standards.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 2, 2019

Full Review

Sean P. Means

Salt Lake Tribune

The saddest thing about Stepmom is that so many good actors are laid waste to this sappy and unrelenting melodrama. A waste of talent of this magnitude is really something to cry about.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jan 4, 2023

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

Hallmarkies Podcast

It earns its tears with great performances and good writing

Rated: 7.5/10

Jan 22, 2021

Full Review

Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

If you're going to make children say such terrible things, you should at least back it up with a movie about divorce and death that is sincere and penetrating. In other words, the type of film that Chris Columbus wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.

Rated: 1/5

Oct 8, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Three years after divorcing Jackie (Susan Sarandon), the mother of his children, Luke Harrison (Ed Harris) decides to take the next step with his significantly younger girlfriend, fashion photographer Isabel Kelly (Julia Roberts). But, when the flaky Kelly meets Harrison's children for the first time, their fierce allegiance to their mother is obvious. Try as she might, Kelly fails to endear herself to her young charges -- and to Jackie -- until a looming family crisis changes everything.

Director: Chris Columbus
Executive Producer: Patrick McCormick, Ronald Bass, Margaret French Isaac, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Pliny Porter
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, 1492 Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $91.0M
Sound Mix: Surround

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