Honestly, if you grew up in the late '90s, you probably remember the exact moment you realized Stepmom wasn't actually a comedy. The trailer made it look like a quirky battle of wits. You know the vibe: Julia Roberts, the "cool" fashion photographer with the trendy loft, versus Susan Sarandon, the hyper-organized "super-mom" who makes her own juice. It felt like a classic "clash of the titans" setup where the kids would play pranks and everyone would eventually share a laugh.
Then the second half hits.
Suddenly, you’re sobbing into your popcorn because Jackie (Sarandon) has terminal cancer, and Isabel (Roberts) is terrified she’ll never be enough to replace her. It’s a gut-punch of a movie. But looking back at it now, in 2026, there’s so much more to the story than just the tear-jerker plot. From the "feud" that never actually happened to the way it quietly changed how we talk about blended families, let's get into what really went down behind the scenes of this 1998 staple.
Stepmom: What Most People Get Wrong About the Roberts-Sarandon "Feud"
For years, the tabloids lived for the idea that Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon absolutely despised each other. It made for great headlines. "Battle of the Divas!" "On-Set War!" It was the kind of clickbait that sold magazines before clicking was even a thing. People assumed their on-screen friction was just a reflection of real-life hatred.
The truth is way more boring.
In 2017, Sarandon finally pulled back the curtain on Twitter. She revealed that the entire "feud" was actually manufactured by her own PR person at the time. Seriously. Her publicist was literally leaking fake stories to the press to drum up interest in the movie.
Sarandon famously said, "If you make a movie with a male star, everyone assumes you're f---ing. If it's a female star, everyone assumes you're fighting." Julia Roberts was totally in on the joke, too. She once told Entertainment Weekly that she and Susan were actually hoping people would say they were having an affair instead because that would be "delicious cocktail-party fodder." Instead, they got the "boring" rumor of a catfight. In reality, they chose the project specifically so they could work together.
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The "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" Factor
We have to talk about that bedroom scene. You know the one. Jackie is dancing with her kids, Anna (Jena Malone) and Ben (Liam Aiken), to Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. It’s supposed to be this joyous, defiant moment against the illness.
But it’s also kind of the turning point for Isabel.
Julia Roberts plays Isabel Kelly as someone who is deeply out of her element. She’s not "bad" with kids; she’s just an adult who never planned on having them. That’s a nuance Roberts doesn’t always get credit for. Usually, we see Roberts as the charming lead who wins everyone over in five minutes. Here, she’s awkward. She’s defensive. She lets a kid get lost in Central Park (at Belvedere Castle, for the location nerds out there).
She’s human.
The movie works because it doesn't make Isabel a villain. It makes her a woman who is trying to fit into a pre-existing puzzle that doesn't have a spot for her.
Why the Critics Were Split (and Why We Didn't Care)
If you look at the reviews from December 1998, they weren't all glowing. Stepmom currently sits with a middling score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics like Roger Ebert felt it was a bit too "manipulative." They complained about the John Williams score being too "goopy" and the dialogue being a little too "on the nose."
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But for the audience? It didn't matter.
The film grossed nearly $160 million worldwide. Why? Because it touched on something real: the "Intimate Outsider." That’s a term sociologists use for stepparents. You’re expected to love these kids like your own, but you have no legal standing, no history, and often, no authority. Watching Roberts navigate that—while Sarandon deals with the literal fear of being erased—hit home for millions of people going through messy divorces.
The Nyack House and Other Real-Life Details
The movie feels so grounded because it mostly stayed out of the studio. That gorgeous Victorian house where Jackie lives? It’s a real place in Nyack, New York. It’s called "The Glenholme," and it actually went on the market a few years back for over $3.7 million.
Director Chris Columbus (the same guy who did Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter movies) wanted that lived-in, cozy-but-dying-autumn feel. He filmed all over New York and New Jersey, using spots like:
- Wollman Rink in Central Park for the ice skating scene.
- Bronxville High School for the parent-teacher meetings.
- Maplewood and Glen Ridge in NJ for those picturesque suburban streets.
The production started in September 1997 and wrapped in early 1998. It was a fast shoot, but you can feel the weather changing on screen. That transition from the lush greens of summer to the stark, cold Christmas morning is a perfect metaphor for Jackie’s health.
The Most Heartbreaking Scene (That Isn't the Ending)
Everyone talks about the final Christmas morning scene, but the real meat of the movie is the restaurant conversation between Jackie and Isabel.
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This is where they finally stop performing. Jackie admits her biggest fear: that on Anna’s wedding day, she’ll be dead, and Isabel will be the one leaning over to tuck a strand of hair behind Anna's ear. She’s jealous of the future.
Then Isabel hits her with her own fear: that Anna will look at her and wish it was her mother instead.
It’s a rare moment of female solidarity in film that isn't about a man. Even though Ed Harris (Luke) is the one they’re both tied to, he’s barely in the scene. He’s almost an afterthought. The movie belongs to the two mothers—one biological, one by choice.
Practical Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re going to revisit Stepmom tonight, keep a few things in mind to see it through a fresh lens:
- Watch Jena Malone. She was only about 13 during filming, but her performance as the grieving, angry Anna is incredible. She manages to be "bratty" without losing the audience's sympathy.
- Look for the "Power Shift." Notice how the camera angles change. Early on, Jackie is often filmed from a lower angle to make her seem dominant and intimidating. By the end, the shots are level, showing Isabel and Jackie as equals.
- Check the Wardrobe. Isabel’s clothes are sharp, dark, and professional. Jackie’s are soft, layered, and "earthy." It’s a classic costume design trick to show their personality clash before they even speak.
- Listen to the Silence. Some of the most powerful moments aren't the big speeches; they're the moments where Jackie is alone in her room, dealing with the reality of her diagnosis.
Whether you love it for the 90s nostalgia or hate it for making you cry every single time, Stepmom remains a fascinating case study in how we tell family stories. It's not just a "Julia Roberts movie." It’s a messy, loud, emotional look at what it means to share the people you love.
To really appreciate the evolution of Roberts' career, you might want to compare this performance with her work in Erin Brockovich, which came out just two years later. You can see the shift from the "America's Sweetheart" era into the powerhouse dramatic roles that defined her later career. Or, check out Susan Sarandon's work in Anywhere But Here to see how she handled another complex mother-daughter dynamic right around the same time.