The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
Stepmom
Drama · Romance · Comedy · 1998
Jackie is a divorced mother of two. Isabel is the career minded girlfriend of Jackie’s ex-husband Luke, forced into the role of unwelcome stepmother to their children. But when Jackie discovers she is ill, both women realise they must put aside their differences to find a common ground and celebrate life to the fullest, while they have the chance.
Movie details
Stepmom
“Be there for the joy. Be there for the tears. Be there for each other.”
1998 Drama · Romance · Comedy 2h 5m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.2 / 10
Community rating
Jackie is a divorced mother of two. Isabel is the career minded girlfriend of Jackie’s ex-husband Luke, forced into the role of unwelcome stepmother to their children. But when Jackie discovers she is ill, both women realise they must put aside their differences to find a common ground and celebrate life to the fullest, while they have the chance.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Stepmom?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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The Bridges of Madison County
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Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
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Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Chris Columbus
Written by
Gigi Levangie · Steven Rogers · Karen Leigh Hopkins · Jessie Nelson
Julia Roberts
Isabel Kelly
Susan Sarandon
Jackie Harrison
Ed Harris
Luke Harrison
Jena Malone
Anna Harrison
Liam Aiken
Ben Harrison
Lynn Whitfield
Dr. P. Sweikert
Darrell Larson
Duncan Samuels
Court is in session
Put Stepmom on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.