Stepmom

Right now you can watch Stepmom in Australia on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel, and in the UK on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 1,552 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Julia Roberts leads a cast with real comic timing. Put it on tonight on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Stepmom earns its spot. Stepmom gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. Jackie is a divorced mother of two. Isabel is the career minded girlfriend of Jackie’s ex-husband Luke, forced into the role of unwelcome stepmother to their children. But when Jackie discovers she is ill, both women realise they must put aside their differences to find a common ground and celebrate life to the fullest, while they have the chance. Between them, Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon carry the comedy without ever forcing it. It hit screens in 1998. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Stepmom holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Stepmom is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Julia Roberts is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.