MovieChat Forums > The Stepford Wives (1975) Discussion > The Paula Prentiss character was too... ...

The Paula Prentiss character was too... perfect

posted 11 years ago by SampanMassacre
12 replies | jump to latest

And I'm talking BEFORE the transformation. She was like a contrived readymade friend of the main character, literally came out of nowhere and became and instant sidekick, kind of a female Trapper John to Lloyd's Hawkeye or something, and it just so happened a equally open-minded woman would be new to the town, at the same time, and she was much too "progressive" and funny and everything you will get the opposite of after the inevitable change, I don't know, she was just too much, overplayed the role, in my opinion.

And I felt the husband, Lloyd's husband, was miscast. He looked like he'd be her accountant, not husband.

Also I totally forgot Mary Stuart Masterson was in this.

And I never was able to spot Dee Wallace as the maid.

[–] popcorn-venus 10 years ago

Who's Lloyd? You mean Joanna Eberhard? She was played by Katharine Ross.

As for the husband that is sort of the point imo --these guys who seem sorta meh and are showing signs of middle age want these picture perfect wives to validate them. Maybe it is Peter Masterson's Texan/Southern accent, but there's something about how he plays the character that makes me think this guy is a former jock, a BMOC type but his glory days are now over, he's balding, the law isn't as interesting as it seemed back in college when Joanna thought he "was going to be Perry Mason" and so he's going through a sort of midlife crisis. He bemoans that he is getting old and is definitely conflicted/insecure about things. If he was more flashy and confident his needing the validation of the Men's Association & his being seduced by the robot scheme would be less believable. Think of it, all the husbands in Stepford who get the robo-wives are kinda blah. Dis Coba, while sinister and sociopathic, is in comparison suave and supremely secure in himself. And he's a bachelor! While he is the alpha dog of the robowife-making pack he does not have a wife himself as Joanna & Bobbie note at the garden party. While I am sure Dis has "sampled the robo wares" the implication is that he is above the charade of pair-bonding the men in Stepford engage in.

[–] kaskait 10 years ago

Dis is creepy because he wants the actual, REAL wives these men are throwing away.

But then, as the years pass, I'm moving away from the Robot theory. I think the real wives survive but they are tortured into being obedient and robot like.

"Maybe it is Peter Masterson's Texan/Southern accent, but there's something about how he plays the character that makes me think this guy is a former jock, a BMOC type but his glory days are now over, he's balding, the law isn't as interesting as it seemed back in college when Joanna thought he "was going to be Perry Mason" and so he's going through a sort of midlife crisis."

That is an interesting take on Walter. I never thought of him as a College hero type. But now that you mentioned it, yes, he is. He was an All American prep but life didn't turn out the way he thought it would. And he is infested with jealously to see his wife so enamored with photography. It highlights his lack of love for anything in his work life.

[–] Drooch (5333) 2 years ago

‘Robot theory’? Dude it’s a fact - they create sexbots of the wives then murder the originals. The book might be more ambiguous but the film is clear, and I don’t see any evidence that Dis is after the original wives, other than to copy and kill them.

[–] fiatlux-1 10 years ago

I found it quirky that they made Diz a bachelor here.
In the novel, he is married to a woman who is described as very intelligent.She uses her spare time to translate a Russian novel. Not much else is said about Mrs. Coba. Yet she doesn't seem like 'much of a threat' in the way Diz fears.

But then, in the novel, neither is Joanna!!!! The film made her seem almost unsympathetic. She was icy-cold, blah, and not terribly hard-working in any onscreen way.

Not that this justifies what the men do of course! But I guess the director portrayed her this way instead, so we could *see* why Walter wanted a wife-bot.
But in the novel, there is really no reason given that Walter should lust so hard for a robot other than he wants literal 'perfection'.

I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus.
Didn't he discover America?
Penfold, shush.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] JaneDough42 9 years ago

I liked Paula's character (Bobbie), she was very friendly and outgoing and she said some funny lines, so after her transformation, the contrast in character was very noticeable which is obviously what the Director wanted.

Dee Wallace serves as Charmaine's maid on the outside deck just after the tennis game while Joanna and Bobbie are there. Charmaine says "Thanks Nettie" and comments to the girls about how marvelous she is. It goes for about 10 seconds.

[–] bobbydallas (8516) 5 years ago

Paula Prentiss is great in this film! i agree- she's too perfect even prior to "stepford" treatment

[–] Drooch (5333) 2 years ago

You’re probably right but Prentiss is so charming (and sexy) it doesn’t matter, she’s just great to watch 🤷🏻‍♂️

[–] CalvinJarrett (450) 10 months ago

I think it's more of a casting issue. I don't have a problem with Paula Prentiss, but she has a very distinct style of acting. She's more of a stage actress who happens to be playing film roles. If you ever saw her in Last of the Red Hot Lovers with Alan Arkin (1972), you'll see what I mean. But her voice and mannerisms are a little over-the-top and that's what I think you're seeing more than anything else in Bobbi.

[–] Zarkoff (1854) 5 months ago

I thought she was good. Had a big personality, like [deleted] below said.

I've known women like that.

[–] [deleted] 10 months ago

She seemed like a very social person and liked the idea of having a friend like the main character. I didn't really find her unbelievable. Juat someone with a big personality.

[–] Zarkoff (1854) 5 months ago

I don't find that hard to believe. They were both going through the same things and had similar ideals, that were becoming more common at the time.

Ross's character was more reserved. I thought they had good chemistry, and could see how you could quickly become friends with someone like that.