The Stepfather (2009)

Very disappointing...

It is a performances centric movie

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This is a very predictable and slightly bland horror film. It is not amazingly gory but it does have some violence. You can predict exactly where this is going long before it happens. I found it quite easy going to watch and the climax was suitably exciting to make it feel like it was worthwhile watching. There is nothing that you can take away from this film except the happy knowledge that he survives and there is a sequel. This takes itself seriously and there is no knowing comedy about the slightly tacky setup. There are better films than this but the relative blandness works in its favour giving you a slow ride to oblivion on the psychotic stepfather's path to ultimate annihilation.

I did not see the original (1987) version, which, I gather was more gory. This 'PG' movie constituted a decent time-waster, with a few thrills. Sela Ward is ageless and always pleasant to watch. Dylan Walsh plays the villain, who does a good job of altering his appearance, and putting on a sweet family-loving appearance to hide his dark motives.Comparisons are made here at IMDb to the real-life case of John List. I didn't see much of a connection. Walsh's character uses the alias David Harris, a man who drifts from single-mom to the next, leaving a trail of bloodshed. A better comparison - one I would recommend over this offering - is the Brit production 'Amnesia', with John Hannah, a 3-parter. Hannah is a detective with his own marital problems who stumbles onto related cases wherein the family is 'eliminated' via an accident, and the ex-husband drifts away after cashing an insurance cheque. The suspect is a man with similarities to the culprit, but claims amnesia! Gripping! But Stepfather isn't made of such stern stuff. David Harris alters his appearance, but, although his m.o. is suspected from the film's outset, we see no ongoing effort by the police to track him down, other than a America's Most Wanted broadcast. He really does make a good Stepfather to Sela's kids, until her college-age son returns home. There are minor clashes. Sela makes no effort to do a background check on her new beau, whom she intends to marry. Soon, he must dispose of a few people who are 'on' to him, but the local police are inept at linking him to the events. Sela's son is more aggressive, fortunately.All-in-all, well-performed and a few thrills. The ending is face-lifted from the 2004 Amnesia (mentioned above), but with less effectiveness. Other than sex and free 'room & board', it's hard to see what David Harris gains from his nefarious deeds, whereas in 'Amnesia', we can see the bad guy's ill-gained dollars adding up substantially.

a correct remake. not brilliant but interesting for right dose of ingredients, for the performances and script, for the art to remind old fashion thrillers and for the science to explore the details in decent manner. the theme is generous and the film has the basic virtue to be a decent exercise for an interesting thriller. and that is the good point for enjoy it. because, different by many other thrillers of the day, it use the fascination and not the blood for build a story who seems be far to be special, almost credible. a film about the meetings and clashes. and about family. short, one of films who are far to be real bad . or boring.

I wasn't as big a fan of the original "The Stepfather" movie as some people are, but it sure looks better to me after watching this remake. The cast does try hard, but they can't overcome the fact that there is not much here. The director's main ambition, instead of trying to generate suspense and jolts, seems to be to make the movie look pretty. The movie looks too polished and slick; the original movie used its low budget to add some serious grit. But the real problem with this movie is that it is too slow and by the numbers. You'll be able to guess ever so-called plot turn before it actually happens. There's no suspense as a result, which may explain why the climax is set during a violent rainstorm, to try and generate atmosphere. It doesn't work, and neither does the rest of the movie.