The Stepfather (C-)
(PG-13 for mature thematic material, intensely violent sequences, disturbing images, some brief sensuality): An interesting genealogy led to the making of this film, beginning back in the late 70s, when a true incident captured the imagination of writer Donald Westlake, who turned it into a movie script, filmed in 1987 with Joesph Ruben directing and starring Terry O'Quinn as the obsessed, psychotic father who goes through a chain of families in the attempt to find the perfect one, then failing, kills them off. The film's success spawned a couple of sub-average sequels, then went to video, where Screen Gems found it, deemed it worth a remake, using the same horror devices that made it such a success in the late 80s.
Obviously, the studio had no intention to improve on the original, just up the suggestiveness & violence, give it a modern look and film it with a new cast & director. The aim, of course, is simply to target a teen audience that settles for anything that has suspense, terror, bloody violence, a sexy teen couple & updated morality
A troubled son (Penn Badgley, who seems badly directed for his role) returns home from military school to find his mother in love with, and sleeping with, the man who is to become his stepfather (Dylan Walsh, who carries his role well with devilish split sweet/evil personality). His mother (Sela Ward, appearing sympathetically earnest as the divorcée cum new wife) radiates with a renewed look on life and with dreams of a happy family once again. Balancing out the foursome is the son's lifelong girlfriend (Amber Heard, whose basic talent is skin deep, well tanned).
Obviously, the studio had no intention to improve on the original, just up the suggestiveness & violence, give it a modern look and film it with a new cast & director. The aim, of course, is simply to target a teen audience that settles for anything that has suspense, terror, bloody violence, a sexy teen couple & updated morality
A troubled son (Penn Badgley, who seems badly directed for his role) returns home from military school to find his mother in love with, and sleeping with, the man who is to become his stepfather (Dylan Walsh, who carries his role well with devilish split sweet/evil personality). His mother (Sela Ward, appearing sympathetically earnest as the divorcée cum new wife) radiates with a renewed look on life and with dreams of a happy family once again. Balancing out the foursome is the son's lifelong girlfriend (Amber Heard, whose basic talent is skin deep, well tanned).
We are asked to suspend believability - the unpremeditated, sloppily executed murders, without a trace of police follow-up, the naivety of the most recent family, which would have been at least acceptable in the 80s, when dramatic elements superceded realism or logic. As suspension thins right to the final ubiquitous scene, to the most ridiculous showdown between father & son amid a thunderous rain & lighting storm, both in, above & below their home.
For the target audience, there are shock moments to stop the heartbeat momentarily & plenty of skin showing between the younger leads. For the rest of us, it's hardly enough, 90-minutes of on-again, off-again schlock terror. (Grade: C-)
