How To Survive (And Maybe Thrive) In a Stepfamily

Some estimate that by the year 2000, stepfamilies will outnumber traditional families in America. The implications of such a shift are the subject of much speculation amongst sociologists across the country, but this informative program dispenses with theorizing and crystal-ball gazing to concentrate instead on the many war zones that stepfamilies encounter on a day-to-day basis. Dr. Donna Spencer and an on-camera host review interview clips with natural parents, stepparents, and children in several sensitive areas: the bossy "ex," tension over child support payments, the emotional gap between kids and stepparents, the question of discipline, the feeling of separateness often experienced by the stepparent, and the importance of keeping the "marriage" and the "family" separate from one another. While the program occasionally takes on the surreal quality of a blow-by-blow account of a psychological sporting event, the willingness of the video to look at uncomfortable subjects head-on outweighs the disadvantages of the format. Plus, I like Spencer's upbeat approach: there ain't a problem that can't be worked out with some good old "pillow talk." Recommended. (R. Pitman)