''The Substitute Wife'' is a 1994

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

written by

Stan Daniels Stanley Edwin Daniels (July 31, 1934 – April 6, 2007) was a Canadian-American screenwriter, producer and director, who won eight Emmy Awards for his work on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and ''Taxi''. Early life Born in Toronto to Jewish pa ...

, directed by

Peter Werner Peter H. Werner (born January 17, 1947, in New York City, New York (state), New York) is an American film director, film and television director. Biography Werner was born to a American Jews, Jewish family, in New York City, New York, one of t ...

and starring

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she playe ...

, along with

Lea Thompson Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961) is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the Back to the Future (franchise), ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy (1985–1990) and Beverly Switzl ...

and

Peter Weller Peter Weller (born June 24, 1947) is an American film and stage actor, television director, and art historian. He has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including ''RoboCop'' (1987) and its sequel ''RoboCop 2'' (1990), in whic ...

Premise

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, during the

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

days, Amy Hightower, a farm wife, discovers that she is going to die. Fearing that her husband, Martin will be unable to cope with running the land, while raising four children, Amy decides to find him a woman, whom he will take as a new wife. Against her husband's wishes, Amy sets off in search of a woman; to no avail, she calls upon Pearl, a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

, as a last resort. Pearl instantly agrees to the offer and moves into the Hightower's home. As Pearl soon begins to adapt to her new life as a mother figure, Amy suggests that Martin and Pearl become intimate with one another, despite the heartbreak it causes her. At first reluctant, Martin begins to warm to Pearl, while Amy offers to give up her place in the marital bed. Amy's condition becomes more erratic and she makes out her

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, for which she includes Pearl, whom she considers to be her best friend. As Amy and Martin continue to appear as normal man and wife, Pearl becomes confused as to how she fits in around the situation, and decides to leave, before Amy talks her out of it. The women, with Martin's approval, come up with a solution in which they agree to a polyamorous relationship. Amy takes another turn for the worse and everyone expects her to pull together as she did before, but she passes away. The family and Pearl attend her funeral. Several years pass, and Martin and Pearl, now man and wife, are in attendance as the proud parents at Amy's eldest daughter's wedding.

Cast

as Pearl Hickson *

as Amy Hightower *

as Martin Hightower * Karis Paige Bryant as Jessica (as Karis Bryant) * Cory Lloyd as Nathan * Colton Conklin as Jack * Annie Suite as Mrs. Van Der Meer * Babs George as Mrs. Parker * Gena Sleete as Hattie Donahue *

Gail Cronauer Gail Cronauer is an American stage, television, and feature film actress and an acting professor. She has performed in films as diverse as Oliver Stone's '' JFK'' to the TV series, ''Walker, Texas Ranger''. She is a recipient of the 2007 Dallas ...

as Isabel Donahue *

Lou Perryman Louis Byron Perryman (August 15, 1941 – April 1, 2009), also known as Lou Perry, was an American character actor. He acted in a number of small roles both on television and in films such as ''The Blues Brothers'', ''Poltergeist'', '' Boys Don't ...

as Saloon Keeper

Reception

''The Substitute Wife'' received generally positive reviews. Ray Loynd of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' praised

' script, and went on to say "at times funny, daring, endearing and unpredictable, the production has the texture and flavor of

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and ''My Ántonia''. In 1923, ...

’s Nebraska fiction — except that the values espoused in “The Substitute Wife” would shock most mortals both then and now." In a review from Todd Everett for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', stated that "the story is so good-natured that women should wind up more entertained than offended by Stan Daniels' witty and ultimately touching script", which he compared to the 1950 film ''

No Sad Songs for Me ''No Sad Songs for Me'' is a 1950 film directed by Rudolph Maté, featuring Margaret Sullavan in her last film role as a woman dying of cancer. It was nominated for an Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are award ...

''. He also praised the performances of Thompson and Fawcett's characters, which he deemed the "strongest onscreen relationship".

Home media

''The Substitute Wife'' was originally released in the United States on

LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...

format via

Vidmark Entertainment Trimark Pictures was an American production company that specialized in the production and distribution of television and home video motion pictures. The company was formed in 1984 by Mark Amin as Vidmark Entertainment with Vidmark Inc. (late ...

on February 8, 1995, and on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

on September 25, 2001.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Substitute Wife 1994 films 1994 television films American television films Films scored by Mark Snow Films directed by Peter Werner Films set in Nebraska Films about polygamy 1990s English-language films