FRANK Oz's all-star remake of Ira Levin's classic chiller undergoes radical cosmetic surgery at the hands of screenwriter Paul Rudnick.

The choking tension which permeated every frame of the original is replaced by campy humour and razor-sharp satire, lending a delicious comic air to this bloodthirsty battle of the sexes.

Joanna Eberhart (Nicole Kidman) is the youngest president in the history of the EBS television network, responsible for the development of the station's cutting-edge output.

She is devoted to her job and shamefully neglects her attentive, mild-mannered husband Walter (Matthew Broderick) and two children.

After an 'unfortunate incident' at the annual EBS conference, Joanna is summarily dismissed from her job and she suffers a complete nervous breakdown.

Electroshock therapy helps Joanna and Walter to re-examine their priorities and they flee the bustle of Manhattan for the leafy New England community of Stepford, Connecticut, founded by the charismatic Mike Wellington (Christopher Walken) and his perky wife Claire (Glenn Close).

Almost immediately, Joanna is disturbed by the peculiar behaviour of the women, who show little emotion and bow to their husbands' every wish.

Joanna's suspicions are shared by best-selling writer Bobbie Markowitz (Bette Midler), who has moved to Stepford with her slacker husband Dave (Jon Lovitz), and gay architect Roger Bannister (Roger Bart), who is hoping to save his relationship with partner Jerry (David Marshall Grant). Together, the three friends uncover a terrifying conspiracy. Can they expose the devious scheme before it is too late?

The Stepford Wives is a hoot, provided you're a fan of Rudnick's acidic sense of humour, which takes few prisoners as Joanna & Co battle the enemy within.

The film opens in spectacular style with the EBS conference, poking merciless fun at the current vogue for reality TV.

Kidman once again demonstrates her impeccable flair for comedy, essaying a career woman not too far removed from her ambitious television newscaster in To Die For.

She clearly relishes the sparky dialogue and the lively banter with Midler and Bart, who keep the laughs coming thick and fast.

Close is a comic dynamo as Stepford's sweet-as-pie grande dame, who leads aerobics classes by impersonating household appliances.

The plot careers out of control towards the end and the final twist feels like a last-minute addition but it's giddily entertaining nevertheless.

Rating 7/10