What Is The Structure Of The Movie Stepmom
In the movie, Stepmom, there are five important characters. Isabel, a young photographer who is dating Luke, a lawyer and a recent divorced father of two. Jackie, a stay-at-home mom shares joint custody with Luke. Anna, the oldest child, is 12 years old, and Ben is 7 years old. The children live with their mother, but spend the weekends with their father, who shares an apartment with Isabel. These characters stay consist throughout the movie; however, the relationship between Isabel and Luke changes at the end of the movie because they get married.
A. Identity Family Dynamics
Family Structure
In the beginning of the movie, Luke and Jackie had an okay relationship. Like many divorced families, their main focus was on the children. Since the …show more content…
children lived with Jackie, they had a closer relationship with their mother. Because Isabel lived with Luke, this affected the children’s ability to build a stronger relationship with their father. In the beginning, the children enjoyed giving Isabel a hard time. Anna, specifically, displayed a strong loyalty to her mother and did not want anything to do with Isabel. In contrast, Ben he did not seem to have a close relationship with any parent, but he demonstrated more love towards his mother. During one scene, Ben says, “Mommy, if you want me to hate her [Isabel] I will.” This confirmed that the children were aligned with their mom, and the three created a subsystem based on their hatred for Isabel.
On the other hand, Jackie and Isabel had tension throughout the entire movie, which affected everyone and is evidence of enmeshment. Jackie’s main concern was the safety of her children. Because Luke worked long hours and went on business trips, he often would leave the children with Isabel, which did not sit well with Jackie. Isabel demonstrated that she was terrible with children, even losing Ben at the park during one of the scenes. Despite Isabel’s ability to not be good with the children, she yearns for a closer relationship with them. Jackie, who secretly battled cancer throughout the movie, continually lashes out at Isabel. She judges her inability to care for her kids properly and even threatens Luke to file for full custody after Isabel lost Ben.
Boundaries
Jackie did not seem to have strict boundaries with her children. She had an open relationship with her children especially Anna. During one scene, Isabel tells Jackie that Anna walked in on her and Luke having sex. Isabel proceeds to tell her that they avoided having a conversation with Anna, and Jackie did not understand. Because Jackie and Anna had a close-knit relationship, she was able to explain what happened and reassured her that it was normal.
Luke and Jackie had a fairly positive relationship, but this worsens as Isabel begins to play a bigger role in their relationship. Luke did not set boundaries for Isabel when it comes to how she interacted with the children. Because the children never got over their parents’ divorce, they made it clear to Isabel that she was not their mother, and they did not care to build a relationship with her either.
Roles
Luke definitely played the mediator throughout the movie. He did not want his kids to be affected by his new relationship. He even had an intimate dinner with Jackie to tell her when he decided to propose to Isabel. Towards the end of the movie, Luke facilitates a conversation with Jackie to tell the children that she had cancer.
Jackie is the rescuer in the relationship and has the power since the children were closer to her. Jackie takes care of her children’s needs and emotions. This, unfortunately, did not help Isabel because she wanted to build a closer relationship with them. Once her cancer takes a toll on her body, she begins to share that power with Isabel and pushes for a more accepting nurture role. In the beginning of the movie, Isabel played the black sheep. Jackie and the children seem to deal with her, but do not truly accept her even after the proposal. Towards the end, the children see Jackie become more accepting towards Isabel once she finds out that her cancer had worsened. Immediately, Anna and Ben start to acknowledge Isabel. Like many children, Anna slowly begins to open up and allow Isabel into her life, which leads to a blossoming relationship. Ben followed the same pattern but only because he saw his sister start to react to Isabel differently.
Anna and Ben had different roles in the family. Anna was the emotional, hard-headed one. When Jackie revealed she had cancer, Anna took it the hardest by blaming her for the disease. She also blamed her parents for getting a divorce and seemed to be affected by it the most. This, unfortunately, affected her academic and social life in the process. Ben, on the other hand, was a typical 7-year-old, who played the clown in the family. He expressed himself through laughter and played pranks on people.
Communication
Everyone seemed to have an open, direct, and honest communication. Although Isabel and Jackie were not fond of one another at one point, they still communicated effectively with the children. Because Isabel was young and did not have children, she seemed to struggle with her communication skills with Anna. Towards the end of the movie, Isabel and Anna spend time together, which strengthened their communication skills with one another.
The biggest family secret was Jackie’s health, which she chooses to keep to herself until she went off of chemotherapy. First, she told Luke and eventually had to share the news with Isabel and the children. Anna took the news the hardest because she assumed her mother was dying and felt betrayed that she never told her about it, while Ben was unaware of the effects of cancer. After telling Isabel about her health, Jackie met up Isabel for drinks and they had a heartwarming conversation about the what the future has in store, which marks their new relationship. Jackie tells Isabel, “I have their past and you have their future.” Both ladies feel connected to one another. This demonstrates resiliency. They were able to bounce back and begin to build a new supportive relationship with one another.
Although they were not many scenes of Luke and Isabel together, both had a symmetrical relationship. They demonstrated equal power and made decisions as a couple.
Resiliency
Time together demonstrates a strength of resiliency within this family.
In the last scene, the family sits together as they celebrate Christmas. Since Jackie was ill, they chose to celebrate the holiday at her house. During one scene, Jackie asks the family to take a picture with her. As the entire family sits down to take a picture, Jackie insists that Isabel sits with them in the picture since she is a part of the family. Surprised, Isabel sits down beside Jackie and holds her hand as the rest of the family surrounds them. During this specific scene, the family’s emotions were expressed freely. Another important aspect of the families’ resilience is how they finally acknowledged the hardships that Jackie was facing. Anna and Ben both had their intimate conversations with Jackie about their futures, which allowed both to celebrate their relationship with their …show more content…
mother.
C. Family Life Cycle
In the beginning movie, Jackie was a newly divorced mother of two. She had a strong relationship with both of her children. Jackie was not too fond of Isabel because she did not think that she was a good role model for her kids. She seemed very bitter and envious towards Isabel, which negatively influenced the children. Towards the end of the movie, Jackie’s perception and delivery change drastically. Once she learned that her cancer returned and has traveled through other parts of her organs, she understands the limited time she has with her kids. Instantly, she takes interest in getting to know Isabel. Simply put, Jack was forced to rely on Isabel for the sake of her children.
Isabel was a free-caring, young, photographer, who loved her career. Throughout the movie, she was very much in love with Luke and really wanted to build a relationship with his children, even though she knew they hated her. Because Isabel does not have kids of her own, she struggled to connect with the children. After numerous mishaps, the kids finally started warming up to her. Towards the end of the movie, after she learns about Jackie’s health, she learns to become more motherly. The more Jackie, Isabel, and the children spend time together, Jackie shows her how to care for her children. As Jackie become a role model for Isabel, she quickly adapts to Jackie’s parenting approach.
In the beginning of the movie, Luke does not seem to be an active father. He seemed discombobulated with his children, even though he loved them dearly. Working as a lawyer in New York City, he was constantly seen leaving Isabel alone with his children, which did not sit well with Jackie. Although he hated altercations, he was there for his children emotionally. He spoke to them several times about his relationship with Jackie and the new relationship he was building with Isabel. Towards the end of the movie, he seems to be more affectionate towards the children because he knew that Jackie’s time was limited.
Anna definitely had a hard time with the transition between her parents’ divorce. In the beginning, she purposely gives Isabel a hard time because her parents’ never discussed their divorce with her or Isabel’s role. This lack of knowledge spills over to her education. She seemed to have problems in one particular class and had issues with a boy, who continuously kept teasing her. Towards the end of the movie, she was more receptive towards Isabel and she matures drastically.
Ben was very disengaged throughout the movie. Because of his age, he did not seem to care about his parents’ divorce or tension between Jackie and Isabel; however, he was very loyal to his mother. Towards the end of the movie, after learning about his mother’s health, he does latch on to her a bit more. He begins to call her more often and played imaginary games with her to feel connected.
D. Family ecological Environment
Since diversity and cultural experience were not quite visible in this movie, I chose to focus on the topic of divorce as a cultural aspect.
Divorce introduces a massive change in children’s lives, especially when the children are connected to each parent. This usually creates unfamiliarity for the children and often takes time to smooth into the transition of jumping from one house to another. This was the reality for Anna and Ben. Lucky for them, both their parents were not aggressive towards one another and in some parts of the movie even seemed romantically involved. During one scene, Anna, who is very outspoken, asked her dad what happened with him and Jackie’s relationship. He answered very honestly by explaining that he fell out of love with Jackie, but still views her as a close friend. Still confused, Ben asked if parents can fall out of love with their kids.
This open dialogue demonstrates that the children still are in the healing process. In their situation, as they were trying to assimilate into the new family structure, Luke and Isabel got engaged. Children are sponges and are able to detect negative energy. If the parents are encouraging open dialogue, children are prone to mimic this and feel comfortable talking to each parent, which is seen with this family dynamic later on in the
movie.
There were not any agencies involved with the family. There was one small scene where Jackie and Luke had a parent-teacher conference about Anna’s behavior, but it was not specific what the issues were. The hospital where Jackie was completing chemotherapy was an outside agency that the family was in involved with; however, after the second failed chemo, Jackie decided to let her body take over and focus her last days with her family.
A. Identity Family Dynamics
Family Structure
In the beginning of the movie, Luke and Jackie had an okay relationship. Like many divorced families, their main focus was on the children. Since the …show more content…
children lived with Jackie, they had a closer relationship with their mother. Because Isabel lived with Luke, this affected the children’s ability to build a stronger relationship with their father. In the beginning, the children enjoyed giving Isabel a hard time. Anna, specifically, displayed a strong loyalty to her mother and did not want anything to do with Isabel. In contrast, Ben he did not seem to have a close relationship with any parent, but he demonstrated more love towards his mother. During one scene, Ben says, “Mommy, if you want me to hate her [Isabel] I will.” This confirmed that the children were aligned with their mom, and the three created a subsystem based on their hatred for Isabel.
On the other hand, Jackie and Isabel had tension throughout the entire movie, which affected everyone and is evidence of enmeshment. Jackie’s main concern was the safety of her children. Because Luke worked long hours and went on business trips, he often would leave the children with Isabel, which did not sit well with Jackie. Isabel demonstrated that she was terrible with children, even losing Ben at the park during one of the scenes. Despite Isabel’s ability to not be good with the children, she yearns for a closer relationship with them. Jackie, who secretly battled cancer throughout the movie, continually lashes out at Isabel. She judges her inability to care for her kids properly and even threatens Luke to file for full custody after Isabel lost Ben.
Boundaries
Jackie did not seem to have strict boundaries with her children. She had an open relationship with her children especially Anna. During one scene, Isabel tells Jackie that Anna walked in on her and Luke having sex. Isabel proceeds to tell her that they avoided having a conversation with Anna, and Jackie did not understand. Because Jackie and Anna had a close-knit relationship, she was able to explain what happened and reassured her that it was normal.
Luke and Jackie had a fairly positive relationship, but this worsens as Isabel begins to play a bigger role in their relationship. Luke did not set boundaries for Isabel when it comes to how she interacted with the children. Because the children never got over their parents’ divorce, they made it clear to Isabel that she was not their mother, and they did not care to build a relationship with her either.
Roles
Luke definitely played the mediator throughout the movie. He did not want his kids to be affected by his new relationship. He even had an intimate dinner with Jackie to tell her when he decided to propose to Isabel. Towards the end of the movie, Luke facilitates a conversation with Jackie to tell the children that she had cancer.
Jackie is the rescuer in the relationship and has the power since the children were closer to her. Jackie takes care of her children’s needs and emotions. This, unfortunately, did not help Isabel because she wanted to build a closer relationship with them. Once her cancer takes a toll on her body, she begins to share that power with Isabel and pushes for a more accepting nurture role. In the beginning of the movie, Isabel played the black sheep. Jackie and the children seem to deal with her, but do not truly accept her even after the proposal. Towards the end, the children see Jackie become more accepting towards Isabel once she finds out that her cancer had worsened. Immediately, Anna and Ben start to acknowledge Isabel. Like many children, Anna slowly begins to open up and allow Isabel into her life, which leads to a blossoming relationship. Ben followed the same pattern but only because he saw his sister start to react to Isabel differently.
Anna and Ben had different roles in the family. Anna was the emotional, hard-headed one. When Jackie revealed she had cancer, Anna took it the hardest by blaming her for the disease. She also blamed her parents for getting a divorce and seemed to be affected by it the most. This, unfortunately, affected her academic and social life in the process. Ben, on the other hand, was a typical 7-year-old, who played the clown in the family. He expressed himself through laughter and played pranks on people.
Communication
Everyone seemed to have an open, direct, and honest communication. Although Isabel and Jackie were not fond of one another at one point, they still communicated effectively with the children. Because Isabel was young and did not have children, she seemed to struggle with her communication skills with Anna. Towards the end of the movie, Isabel and Anna spend time together, which strengthened their communication skills with one another.
The biggest family secret was Jackie’s health, which she chooses to keep to herself until she went off of chemotherapy. First, she told Luke and eventually had to share the news with Isabel and the children. Anna took the news the hardest because she assumed her mother was dying and felt betrayed that she never told her about it, while Ben was unaware of the effects of cancer. After telling Isabel about her health, Jackie met up Isabel for drinks and they had a heartwarming conversation about the what the future has in store, which marks their new relationship. Jackie tells Isabel, “I have their past and you have their future.” Both ladies feel connected to one another. This demonstrates resiliency. They were able to bounce back and begin to build a new supportive relationship with one another.
Although they were not many scenes of Luke and Isabel together, both had a symmetrical relationship. They demonstrated equal power and made decisions as a couple.
Resiliency
Time together demonstrates a strength of resiliency within this family.
In the last scene, the family sits together as they celebrate Christmas. Since Jackie was ill, they chose to celebrate the holiday at her house. During one scene, Jackie asks the family to take a picture with her. As the entire family sits down to take a picture, Jackie insists that Isabel sits with them in the picture since she is a part of the family. Surprised, Isabel sits down beside Jackie and holds her hand as the rest of the family surrounds them. During this specific scene, the family’s emotions were expressed freely. Another important aspect of the families’ resilience is how they finally acknowledged the hardships that Jackie was facing. Anna and Ben both had their intimate conversations with Jackie about their futures, which allowed both to celebrate their relationship with their …show more content…
mother.
C. Family Life Cycle
In the beginning movie, Jackie was a newly divorced mother of two. She had a strong relationship with both of her children. Jackie was not too fond of Isabel because she did not think that she was a good role model for her kids. She seemed very bitter and envious towards Isabel, which negatively influenced the children. Towards the end of the movie, Jackie’s perception and delivery change drastically. Once she learned that her cancer returned and has traveled through other parts of her organs, she understands the limited time she has with her kids. Instantly, she takes interest in getting to know Isabel. Simply put, Jack was forced to rely on Isabel for the sake of her children.
Isabel was a free-caring, young, photographer, who loved her career. Throughout the movie, she was very much in love with Luke and really wanted to build a relationship with his children, even though she knew they hated her. Because Isabel does not have kids of her own, she struggled to connect with the children. After numerous mishaps, the kids finally started warming up to her. Towards the end of the movie, after she learns about Jackie’s health, she learns to become more motherly. The more Jackie, Isabel, and the children spend time together, Jackie shows her how to care for her children. As Jackie become a role model for Isabel, she quickly adapts to Jackie’s parenting approach.
In the beginning of the movie, Luke does not seem to be an active father. He seemed discombobulated with his children, even though he loved them dearly. Working as a lawyer in New York City, he was constantly seen leaving Isabel alone with his children, which did not sit well with Jackie. Although he hated altercations, he was there for his children emotionally. He spoke to them several times about his relationship with Jackie and the new relationship he was building with Isabel. Towards the end of the movie, he seems to be more affectionate towards the children because he knew that Jackie’s time was limited.
Anna definitely had a hard time with the transition between her parents’ divorce. In the beginning, she purposely gives Isabel a hard time because her parents’ never discussed their divorce with her or Isabel’s role. This lack of knowledge spills over to her education. She seemed to have problems in one particular class and had issues with a boy, who continuously kept teasing her. Towards the end of the movie, she was more receptive towards Isabel and she matures drastically.
Ben was very disengaged throughout the movie. Because of his age, he did not seem to care about his parents’ divorce or tension between Jackie and Isabel; however, he was very loyal to his mother. Towards the end of the movie, after learning about his mother’s health, he does latch on to her a bit more. He begins to call her more often and played imaginary games with her to feel connected.
D. Family ecological Environment
Since diversity and cultural experience were not quite visible in this movie, I chose to focus on the topic of divorce as a cultural aspect.
Divorce introduces a massive change in children’s lives, especially when the children are connected to each parent. This usually creates unfamiliarity for the children and often takes time to smooth into the transition of jumping from one house to another. This was the reality for Anna and Ben. Lucky for them, both their parents were not aggressive towards one another and in some parts of the movie even seemed romantically involved. During one scene, Anna, who is very outspoken, asked her dad what happened with him and Jackie’s relationship. He answered very honestly by explaining that he fell out of love with Jackie, but still views her as a close friend. Still confused, Ben asked if parents can fall out of love with their kids.
This open dialogue demonstrates that the children still are in the healing process. In their situation, as they were trying to assimilate into the new family structure, Luke and Isabel got engaged. Children are sponges and are able to detect negative energy. If the parents are encouraging open dialogue, children are prone to mimic this and feel comfortable talking to each parent, which is seen with this family dynamic later on in the
movie.
There were not any agencies involved with the family. There was one small scene where Jackie and Luke had a parent-teacher conference about Anna’s behavior, but it was not specific what the issues were. The hospital where Jackie was completing chemotherapy was an outside agency that the family was in involved with; however, after the second failed chemo, Jackie decided to let her body take over and focus her last days with her family.