Stepmom review

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Yoke Home Alone director Chris Columbus with something called Stepmom and you'd expect a formula comedy film, in which a cute kid fends off an evil stepmom with hilarious consequences. But hilarious this isn't.

Stepmom is an out-and-out weepie, designed to showcase the talents of Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts as Oscar hopefuls. The Academy will be hard-pushed to choose between them. Will they go for the noble Sarandon, bravely giving up her children and suffering the physical pain of cancer? Or will they plump for the youthful Roberts, whose performance here is staggeringly better than anything you could have believed her capable of?

For my money, it's Roberts, but only by a whisker. As the fashion photographer she's incredibly moving, throwing her life into turmoil to cope with instant kids and forced to find common ground with a woman who she'd otherwise barely exchange words with. Yet in acting terms, it's Sarandon who gets the showy role, although mercifully we're spared the withering on-screen death. Either way, both woman are easy to root for and believe in. Less so is Ed Harris as the man in their lives: in an underwritten role, he comes across as unsympathetic, and is frankly steamrollered into obscurity by the company he keeps.

Of course, not everybody finds it easy to stomach this kind of heart-tugging drama, and there are times when the emotion is piled on too thick. Luckily, however, there are some lighter moments - - like a very funny Thanksgiving pageant in the middle - which break up the tension. But it's a hardened soul who can bear the last 10 minutes without reaching for the Kleenex.

An old-fashioned weepie that will have your mum sobbing buckets. Oscar-worthy performances from Sarandon and Roberts dominate proceedings, leaving poor Harris with nothing to do with his weak-willed father role.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

Latest in Action Movies
Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World
Brave New World box office crosses milestone for Captain America movies, even though it still might not break even
Michael Bay
Michael Bay and James Cameron had a call to commiserate over the state of the movie industry: "No one can greenlight anything anymore"
Daniel Craig in No Time to Die
James Bond will reportedly remain male and British under new Amazon management, as Pierce Brosnan says it's "a given" that the next actor must not be American
Batman and Catwoman talking
Robert Pattinson is hoping to team up with his The Batman co-star Zoe Kravitz on another project soon
Keanu Reeves and Brzrkr
Justin Lin to helm Keanu Reeves' comic book movie adaptation BRZRKR for Netflix
Black Widow post-credits
Avengers Tower will have a new name in Thunderbolts, and the movie's director says it's "a symbol of things taking a darker turn"
Latest in Reviews
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 review: "A colossal package even if you never go anywhere near Virtual Currency"
Altered: Trial by Frost booster box and packs on a playmat
Altered: Trial by Frost review - "Satisfying enough to offer highly varied gameplay"
Boro and Alta sit on a bench together in Wanderstop
Wanderstop review: "Exalting the transformative power of tea"
The pump header of the NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB showing a 35 degree cpu
NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB review: "Has some solid design points that make installation a lot easier"
Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid gaming keyboard on a wooden desk with blue lighting
Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid review: "one of the best value Hall effect gaming keyboards out there"
Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt in The Electric State
The Electric State review: "Although this may be their most visually stunning movie yet, it looks like the Russos are yet to find their footing outside of the MCU"