REELGUY'S REEL REVIEW:
"The Stepfather" just good enough a thriller to be enjoyable
Maine Connection: The movie takes place in Portland, Oregon, sister city to Portland, Maine. The ReelWife once worked in the Portland Jetport and had to help a young lady from abroad who had mistakenly landed in the wrong Portland. I am more than willing for the psychopath in this picture to stay on the West Coast permanently.
A remake of the 1987 horror-thriller about a con artist/psycho looking for the "perfect" family and who's willing to slash his way through those people that don't meet his standards. Interestingly, the star of the original film was Terry O'Quinn, who now plays John Locke on the popular TV show "Lost." Another TV star, Dylan Walsh of "Nip/Tuck" fame, steps into the stepdad role in this remake. Walsh is the highlight of the picture, successfully mixing a friendly demeanor with a creepy edginess. The movie's first act is appropriately dark with some intentional foreboding of what's to come. The story makes no secret of the fact that Walsh's David Harris is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Once clue after clue fall in the laps of teenage son Michael, the estranged ex-husband, and Aunt Jackie mid-way throughout the picture; it becomes overly redundant and a bit ridiculous for them not to act. The telegraphed third act resolves the situation too quickly to do justice to the drawn-out story. "The Stepfather" is a decent enough thriller for Halloween despite the generic quality of its ultimate resolution.
David preys on divorced women and their children, looking to insert himself into a fractured family picture. The most recent woman to fall for David's affections is Susan Harding (a hard-not-to-like Sela Ward; "The Day After Tomorrow") and her three children. He is "too good to be true" and creates a "whirlwind" romance leading to an engagement. The younger siblings, a boy and a girl, are wooed by David's easy-going demeanor but troubled teenage son, Michael (Penn Badgley; TV's "Gossip Girl") is appropriately wary of this stranger. After a year at a military school because of disciplinary problems, Michael does not want to rock the boat and be separated again from his siblings and girlfriend, Kelly (Amber Heard; "Zombieland"). David may appear on the surface to be a godsend but his hidden past and occasional slip-ups will eventually lead to his need to move on and the family's doom.
Ward's performance as Susan is solid. Her natural likability makes up for much of the character's shortcomings, including a blind eye to David's mysterious past and odd behaviors. The film's expected hero figure is the elder son Michael. He is reluctant to fall under his future stepfather's charm. While Badgley is not the flashy performer that Shia Labeouf was in the comparable domestic thriller "Disturbia," he performs his role as stoic "man of the house" adequately. The supporting characters are pretty much cannon fodder for the film. They are simply hurdles David must get around or go through to maintain his idyllic lifestyle. None of them really stand a chance against this death stalker, though David is only a human psychopath.
Unintentionally humorous, Michael's girlfriend Kelly appears in her underwear or a skimpy bathing suit 90% of the movie. Obviously, trying to hold the attention of the teen male crowd during the film's slower moments. There are certainly times, especially later in the story, when "The Stepfather" is reminiscent of a Lifetime Channel or CW made-for-tv movie. It is Walsh's above par performance that saves the film from mediocre obscurity. He is perfect in the role of the too nice new man for mommy. His overall calm demeanor makes his outbursts that much more extreme and jolting. I wish there were more of these in the course of the film. A decent movie rental to watch with your teenagers or your parents, "The Stepfather" is just good enough to make the viewing experience enjoyable.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, mature thematic material and brief sensuality.
