History Film / Stepmom

* {{Jerkass}}: Jackie is determined to hate Isabel especially after she gets engaged to Luke. She tries to undermine Isabel's growing relationship with her daughter by sabotaging any attempt to get closer. An example is earlier in the movie Isabel suggest to Jackie that she takes Anna to a Music/PearlJam concert. Jackie vetoes the idea, saying Anna is too young. Later after Anna and Isabel get closer, Jackie steals Isabel's idea right in front of her.

* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Anna.

-->'''Isabel''': Maybe the problem here is your daughter, and that she is a spoiled, wise-ass little brat.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Aside from some mild pallor, the cancer stricken Jackie looks as pretty and healthy at the end of the film as she has throughout the entire film.

* {{Jerkass}}: Jackie is determined to hate Isabel especially after she gets engaged to Luke. She tries to undermine Isabel's growing relationship with her daughter by sabotaging any attempt to get closer. An example is earlier in the movie Isabelle suggest to Jackie that she takes Anna to a Music/PearlJam concert. Jackie vetoes the idea, saying Anna is too young. Later after Anna and Isabel get closer, Jackie steals Isabel's idea right in front of her.

* SoapOperaDisease: Jackie's "terminal" cancer. (And she's still alive at the end of the film!)

* MommasBoy: Ben. Oh, so much. Jackie says he was born premature, so she coddled him a bit. Unlike his sister though, he doesn't hate Isabel and genuinely likes her

* {{Jerkass}}: Jackie is determined to hate Isabel especially after she gets engaged to Luke. She tries to undermine Isabel's growing relationship with her daughter by sabotaging any attempt to get closer. An example is earlier in the movie Isabelle suggest to Jackie that she takes Anna to a Music/PearlJam concert. Jackie Veto's the idea saying Anna is too young. Later after Anna and Isabel get closer Jackie steals Isabelle's idea right in front of her.

Jackie (Sarandon) and Luke (Harris) are a divorced couple, struggling to help their kids Anna (Malone) and Ben (Luke Aiken) adapt to the new lifestyle as a result. Luke gets a new girlfriend in Isabel (Roberts), a very successful advertising director who treats her career as the most important part of her life. Anna hates her at first, but after Jackie is diagnosed with cancer and starts treating Isabel better, Anna warms up to her. Isabel, as a result, starts becoming less career-driven and more family focused.

A 1998 comedy-drama film directed by Creator/ChrisColumbus, starring Creator/SusanSarandon, Creator/JuliaRoberts, Creator/EdHarris, and Creator/JenaMalone.

[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px_stepmom.jpg]]

A 1998 film, directed by Creator/ChrisColumbus and starring Creator/SusanSarandon, Creator/JuliaRoberts, Creator/EdHarris, and Creator/JenaMalone. Jackie and Luke are a divorced couple, struggling to help their kids Anna and Ben adapt to the new lifestyle as a result. Luke gets a new girlfriend in Isabel, a very successful advertising director who treats her career as the most important part of her life. Anna hates her at first, but after Jackie is diagnosed with cancer and starts treating Isabel better, Anna warms up to her. Isabel, as a result, starts becoming less career driven and more family focused.

* {{Jerkass}}: Jackie is determined to hate Isabel especially after she gets engaged to Luke. She tries to undermine Isabel's growing relationship with her daughter by sabotaging any attempt to get closer. An example is earlier in the movie Isabelle suggest to Jackie that she takes Anna to a Pearl Jam concert. Jackie Veto's the idea saying Anna is too young. Later after Anna and Isabel get closer Jackie steals Isabelle's idea right in front of her.

->''"Still, the art of a movie like this is to conceal the obvious. When the levers and the pulleys of the plot are concealed by good writing and acting, we get great entertainments like ''Film/TermsOfEndearment''. When they're fairly well masked, we get sincere films like ''Film/OneTrueThing.'' When every prop and device is displayed in the lobby on our way into the theater, we get Chris Columbus' ''Stepmom.
-->-- '''Creator/RogerEbert's''' [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981225/REVIEWS/812250307/1023 review]].

The film represents sort of the logical conclusion of the ChickFlick genre taken to its extreme (think of it as the feminine equivalent of ''Film/LastActionHero'', but without being an explicit parody). Formulaic to the core and 90% predictable to a fault, the 10% consists of either {{Dead Horse Trope}}s played totally and unexpectedly straight or just flat out bizarre {{Narm}}. The film often gets cited on how ''not'' to do a ChickFlick. Still, for those not too discriminating, it's fairly well made and delivers on its concept.

* {{Jerkass}}: Jackie is determined to hate Isabel especially after she gets engaged to Luke. She tries to undermine Isabel's growing relationship with her daughter by sabotaging any attempt to get closer. An example is earlier in the movie Isabelle suggest to jackie that she takes Anna to a Pearl Jam concert. Jackie Veto's the idea saying Anna is too young. Later after Anna and Isabel get closer Jackie steals Isabelle's idea right in front of her.

-->-- '''RogerEbert's''' [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981225/REVIEWS/812250307/1023 review]].

* MayDecemberRomance: Luke and Isabel.

->''"Still, the art of a movie like this is to conceal the obvious. When the levers and the pulleys of the plot are concealed by good writing and acting, we get great entertainments like ''Terms of Endearment''. When they're fairly well masked, we get sincere films like ''One True Thing.'' When every prop and device is displayed in the lobby on our way into the theater, we get Chris Columbus' ''Stepmom.

* Jerkass: Jackie is determined to hate Isabel especially after she gets engaged to Luke. She tries to undermine Isabel's growing relationship with her daughter by sabotaging any attempt to get closer. An example is earlier in the movie Isabelle suggest to jackie that she takes Anna to a Pearl Jam concert. Jackie Veto's the idea saying Anna is too young. Later after Anna and Isabel get closer Jackie steals Isabelle's idea right in front of her.

* WickedStepmother: Averted with Isabel as she couldn't be nicer. To Bad she gets a lot of unwarranted hate from Jackie and Anna (at first).

A 1998 film, directed by ChrisColumbus and starring SusanSarandon, JuliaRoberts, EdHarris, and JenaMalone. Jackie and Luke are a divorced couple, struggling to help their kids Anna and Ben adapt to the new lifestyle as a result. Luke gets a new girlfriend in Isabel, a very successful advertising director who treats her career as the most important part of her life. Anna hates her at first, but after Jackie is diagnosed with cancer and starts treating Isabel better, Anna warms up to her. Isabel, as a result, starts becoming less career driven and more family focused.

The film represents sort of the logical conclusion of the ChickFlick genre taken to its extreme (think of it as the feminine equivalent of ''LastActionHero'', but without being an explicit parody). Formulaic to the core and 90% predictable to a fault, the 10% consists of either {{Dead Horse Trope}}s played totally and unexpectedly straight or just flat out bizarre {{Narm}}. The film often gets cited on how ''not'' to do a ChickFlick. Still, for those not too discriminating, it's fairly well made and delivers on its concept.