Stepmom (1998)

"Mom, I'll hate her if you want me to."
Photographer Isabel Kelly (Julia Roberts) steps into the role of Stepmom when she moves in with her older boyfriend, Luke Harrison (Ed Harris). He has two children, a young boy named Ben (Liam Aiken) and a teenage girl named Anna (Jena Malone), with his ex-wife Jackie (Susan Surandon).

Jackie does everything she can to undermine the kids relationship with Isabel short of coming out and telling them to hate her. But it is implied. When she finds out that her breast cancer has returned she's worried about the kind of mother she's leaving her kids with. It comes down to deciding if she's going to continue to sabotage Isabel or help her to be the best Stepmom she can be.

Surandon is inspirational as the grief stricken mom trying to drink up every blessed moment she has left with her children while leaving them with fond memories of their mother. This film is a roller coaster of emotions: love, jealousy, hate, anger, regret, loss and so much more is portrayed within a few hours.

This is one of my favorite dramatic comedy films starring two of my favorite female lead actresses. It makes me laugh and cry every time I see it. This film is so relevant to today's families showing that children and parents don't have to choose sides and that all members can have an enriched involvement if everyone chooses to give a little, accept one another's uniqueness and realize that life is a rocky road no matter who you love. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend you do so and if it's been awhile then definitely revisit it.

Classic
This is one of the best movies of Julia Roberts. Definitely a collection piece. All the three major actors are perfect in the character and I fell in love again with Julia Roberts after watching this movie.

SAD AND TRUE
I CAN RELATE VERY WELL TO THIS MOVIE. AS A CHILD MY STEPMOM AND I DIDNT REALLY SEE EYE TO EYE. THAT HAS DEFINATLEY CHANGED SINCE IVE GOTTEN OLDER. KIDS REALLY DO HAVE A HARD TIME DEALING WITH DIVORCE AND A PARENT SEEING ANOTHER PERSON. IT CAN AFFECT THEM IN WAYS NOONE COULD IMAGINE. THIS MOVIE DEALS WITH THE EVERYDAY DRAMA OF A SPLIT UP FAMILY AND ADJUSTING TO A PARENTS NEW RELATIONSHIP. I THINK THE 12 YEAR OLD IN THIS MOVIE WAS MORE AFFECTED BY THESE EVENTS THAN HER YOUNG BROTHER. SHE WAS VERY HOSTILE AND DEMANDING BUT TURNED OUT SWEET AS PIE. I HOPE THIS IS AN ISSUE MY DAUGHTER WILL NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH. IF YOU CRY DURING MOVIES BE PREPARED. I THINK EVEN THE STRONGEST PERSON WILL SHOW SOME EMOTION TO THIS MOVIE. IT GETS ME EVERY TIME I SEE IT.