The Substitute Wife (1994) (TV)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Peter Werner

Writer (WGA):

Stan Daniels (written by)

Release Date:

23 May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In Nebraska, in pioneer days, a woman who knows she is going to die asks a prostitute to replace her with her husband and four children in order to make it possible for them to keep their family farm. |

Plot Keywords:

Pioneer | Nebraska | 1860s | Frontier | Remarriage

Cast

Farrah Fawcett	...	Pearl
Lea Thompson	...	Amy Hightower
Peter Weller	...	Martin Hightower
Karis Paige Bryant	...	Jessica (as Karis Bryant)
Cory Lloyd	...	Nathan
Colton Conklin	...	Jack
Annie Suite	...	Mrs. Van Der Meer
Babs George	...	Mrs. Parker
Gena Sleete	...	Hattie Donahue
Gail Cronauer	...	Isabel Donahue
Lou Perryman	...	Saloon Keeper
Jonathan Joss	...	Black Deer
Blue Deckert	...	Royal Spencer
Wally Welch	...	Jake
Guich Koock	...	Mr. Van Der Meer

Also Known As:

The Substitute (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

Brazil:92 min | USA:92 min | Australia:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Frederick S. Pierce Company

Not as deep as could have been, but original and intriguing

Imagine this. In a pioneer farm in the middle of nowhere in Nebraska, a women knows she is going to die in a few weeks because of a disease she has. She sets out to find another women to replace her with her husband and their four young children. Since there are six males for one female in that part of the country at that time, she has to fetch very far... and finally comes back with an aging prostitute (prostitutes start early to be aging...) who can't stand her life anymore. There is no other way for her husband to guarantee that he will be able to keep the family farm and their four children together after she dies.

Sounds odd to you? Actually, this starting point leads to some "triangle" situations that are even more peculiar. I liked to watch how the plot developed; many situations are clearly not predictable, and you can't really guess the conclusion before it comes up.

Granted, some aspects could have been developed more deeply, and you are left wondering about the realism of the story. For instance, how could the four children possibly react to such a situation? The movie doesn't really get into that. But then, it just preserves the unity of the plot, and you have more than enough watching how this courageous wife, this outsider women and this perplexed man-and-husband interact and work their way through this harsh and unusual situation.

I think this film clearly deserves more than the 5.2 / 10 it currently displays on IMDB. I give it a strong 7.