STEPMOM

JOHN WILLIAMS

Rating:

Original Review: There are a few rumours circulating around Hollywood at the moment concerning the exact circumstances of Patrick Doyle's removal from, and John Williams' subsequent hiring to the scoring duties on Stepmom. Whatever the truth may be - and there are several versions of it - Williams has certainly pulled off a major coup with his resulting score: a lyrical, understated and generally quite charming piece of fluff.

Stepmom is one of those movies people curl up to watch on a Saturday afternoon with a box of tissues and a half-pound bar of chocolate. It's unashamedly manipulative and sentimental, and stars Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon as, respectively, the new girlfriend and ex-wife of Ed Harris. Both are vying for the affections of Harris' two spoilt children, and Sarandon is winning the battle for their hearts until she drops a bombshell which will tear the family apart. However, director Chris Columbus seems incapable of reigning in the schmaltz content, and as such the film virtually hits you over the head every five minutes, screaming "laugh now!!" and "cry now!!" at you with no hint of subtlety, thereby spoiling the chance of the audience having any genuine emotional reaction to the truly heartfelt performances.

In the end, John Williams' score is far and away the best thing about the movie. It's a score in the same mould as other understated works such as The Accidental Tourist, Stanley & Iris and Always and, if you are a fan of any of these scores, then Stepmom is likely to appeal to you. The gimmick here is the fact that, once again, Williams has employed the services of a virtuoso instrumental soloist to add a touch of intimacy and flamboyance to his orchestral backing. In this case, the solos fall not to Itzhak Perlman or Yo-Yo Ma, but to Christopher Parkening and his acoustic guitar. The cues in which his performances occur ('The Days Between', 'Taking Pictures', 'Jackie and Isabel', 'End Credits') are the best of them all, and the soothing sound of his sublime plucking adds a whole new dimension to the score.

For the most part, Williams' music is quiet, soft and reflective. There is a recurring theme, albeit a very long-lined one, which is performed mainly by pianos and woodwinds. It is presented regularly throughout the score, enjoying a particularly emotional rendition in 'A Christmas Quilt'. However, as was the case with the aforementioned Always and Stanley & Iris, it's not a theme which remains in the memory for very long, and this is the score's one downfall. Having experienced the music, you instantly know that it is well composed, exquisitely orchestrated, dramatically appropriate, and that it makes for a wonderfully relaxing listening experience. After a while, though, it all just tends to melt away into the background, and this is a shame. As we all know, Williams is very adept at creating memorable themes, and this is a score which needed one badly, to stop the whole thing grinding to a halt.

Fortunately, Williams is clever enough to pepper his score with a couple of more lively cues that figure quite prominently. 'Time Spins Its Web', 'The Soccer Game' and 'Ben's Antics' are fun and bright string scherzos, the first which slowly reveals itself to be a Sleepers-style electronically enhanced montage. Similarly, 'Isabel's Horse and Buggy' is a wonderfully vibrant march for the full orchestra with a real haughty tone, and is a real highlight of the score. In the end, Williams fans are likely to be pleased with Stepmom. It's by no means the most memorable work of his career, and it's certainly no Indiana Jones or Star Wars - but then again, the film didn't call for bombast of that magnitude. The gentle, effortless sounds of this album make it ideal easy listening material, and as such comes recommended. I'd still like to hear what Patrick Doyle came up with, though...

Track Listing: Running Time: 57 minutes 07 seconds

Sony Classical SK-61649 (1998)

Music composed and conducted by John Williams. Featured musical soloists Christopher Parkening and John Ellis. Recorded and mixed by Shawn Murphy. Edited by Ken Wannberg. Mastered by Patricia Sullivan. Album produced by John Williams.


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