The Family Stone (2005) User Reviews

An unkind chaos

[randl1999-2 · 5/10 · 16 January 2006]

I must disagree with many of the film's critics who found this to be a pleasant and amusing view of a complicated family holiday reunion. Perhaps because of my background as a mental health professional, I found this to be a very confusing and inconsistent attempt to picture what could have been a funny family event. The writers touched so many bases that one wonders if five families could have contained the many quirks, pathologies and eccentricities found in this single unit. My overall impression was of the incredible nastiness this family displayed toward the fiancée of the eldest son, a person no one but the youngest daughter had ever met, but who became the target of hostility, primarily based on the report given by the nasty little sister. The fact that the parents were incapable of maintaining even a modicum of civility or to set the example for the children, speaks to their dysfunction rather than the humor of the situation. Yes, I realize that a terminal illness was also an issue, and yes, Keaton is a fine actress, but her character failed the test of grace--more the writer's fault than Keaton's.

I think that what would actually have happened in this situation is that either the eldest son would have upbraided his family for their boorish and cruel behavior, taken his fiancée and left(if he was really committed)telling them they could call him when they grew up; or, the fiancée, seeing that he was not really committed, would have left, herself. However, had either of these things happened, the movie would have been about 20 minutes long, too short for Roger Ebert to have waxed eloquent.

Talented actors have fun with a familiar premise

[marissas75 · 7/10 · 17 March 2006]

The premise of "The Family Stone" sounds a little shopworn: Everett Stone brings his uptight girlfriend Meredith home for Christmas to meet his large family, who instantly dislike her. Even worse, the trailer reveals most of the plot's complications. However, this premise has been used so often because it reliably provides opportunities for comedy, drama, and insight into family dynamics. "The Family Stone" proves itself a better-than-average example of the genre because of its talented cast and reasonably intelligent script.

Sarah Jessica Parker's presence ensures that Meredith always remains sympathetic, even when we can also perfectly understand why she irritates the Stones. The various Stones-- Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel McAdams, Luke Wilson--make the most of their roles, and, more importantly, they really do start to seem like a family, not a random collection of actors. The only actor who fails to make an impression is Claire Danes, who can't do much with the underwritten role of Meredith's sister Julie.

"The Family Stone" is not a groundbreaking movie, but it goes beyond the fish-out-of-water clichés that its plot might suggest. It finds the emotional truth, as well as the humor, in Meredith's situation. Plus, it's extremely evenhanded: all of the characters are flawed but likable, and in a climactic argument at the dinner table, both Meredith and Sibyl make valid points. Reviewers on this site have accused the movie of pushing a liberal agenda via its sympathetic portrayal of an interracial gay couple and a semi-bohemian family--and of pushing a conservative agenda via its portrayal of the Stones as hypocritical liberals who pay lip service to tolerance but are prejudiced against people like Meredith. Personally, I'm not sure if "The Family Stone" has any agenda, other than to cast good actors in a holiday comedy-drama that doesn't insult its audience's intelligence. And it succeeds pretty well at that.

For a Christmas movie this was more than decent

[juneebuggy · 7/10 · 24 January 2015]

I enjoyed this one, It was just sort of addictive watching this eccentric (normal) family going about the trials and tribulations of love and life at Christmas. Sarah Jessica Parker is an absolute mess here and super fun to watch, she steals the movie actually which surprised the hell out me because she doesn't usually have that much range.

A touching comedy about an uptight, ultra conservative businesswoman (ice queen) who accompanies her boyfriend to his outgoing and screwy family's annual Christmas celebration. He has plans to propose, she is overwhelmed by the hostile reception.

Great extended cast too, including Craig T. Nelson & Diane Keaton as the parents with Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Elizabeth Reaser and Luke Wilson as the kids and (an underused) Claire Danes. I enjoyed everyone's character here and was entertained by the mayhem throughout, even surprised by some of the events. Great acting from all amid moments of humour and even some heartbreak (Keaton has a couple of very raw scenes). 12/23/14

A Messed Up Movie About a Messed Up Family

[Chrysanthepop · 28 April 2008]

If that sounds positive then that's not how intended for it to seem. First, I'm glad I didn't buy the DVD. Seeing the cast, I was tempted to get it but thought perhaps I should watch it first. This is one bad movie. Yes, it has the usual clichés and a lot of it resemble 'Meet the Parents' and it sometimes tries to be 'The Royal Tenenbaums' but it has an unusual twist which only makes the film far worse. Anyway, starting with the good things is that it 'looks' polished and has a good cast. That's it.

The bad? The writing. The characters are not likable, half-baked and one-dimensional, neither the relationships between the characters nor the characters themselves are well developed. I mean Everett was extremely quick to fall in love with his girlfriend's sister (what the hell? love at first sight? and that too while he was still dating AND about to propose to Meredith). Then in another scene Meredith too realizes after a couple of shots that she's free spirited (and becomes so immediately). Meredith's sister Julie too doesn't seem to care much of what her sister is going through and the two get together right after her sister breaks up with him. Everett's brother Ben too, in one glance realizes that Meredith is the woman for him. This whole switching with partner's sibling was icky to say the least. The whole family seem to be against Meredith when they have never met her before, they hardly give her a chance and they behave extremely rude to her. even though in the beginning she's hard to like, Meredith later on does make some effort. Yet, they immediately like her sister Sarah. How ridiculous! Oh there's too many wrong with this film and I think I've listed enough.

At the same time the film tries to juggle too many themes. It tries to touch them lightly but only make it more clichéd. I mean, there's a gay deaf brother, a more laid back brother, a bitchy sister and a normal sister, a sick mother and a father trying to hold it all together. It all becomes a mess during that one dinner table scene when Meredith brings up the issue of raising homosexual children being a challenge and the whole family, including her boyfriend (who's supposed to know her) treat her in an unbelievably hostile manner) and when she leaves the room all upset, her boyfriend just sits there while the brother rushes out to comfort her. Some viewers have mentioned that the family was under a lot of stress due to the mother's breast cancer which is why they projected all the negativity towards Meredith. Yet, they are the perfect host to Sarah. Here, I go again pointing out the flaws.

Anyway, the cast is good and I watched the movie mainly because of the cast. However, with such poorly written roles (on top of that none of the characters have any likable trait), it is hard for the characters to really impress. The Stones really seemed like a family thanks to the talented actors, all of whom share a good chemistry: Craig T. Nelson as the father, Rachel McAdams as the mean sister, Tyrone Giordano as the calm brother, Luke Wilson as the mellow one, Dermot Mulroney as the older brother, Elizabeth Reaser as the married pregnant sister and Diane Keaton as the loving sick mother. Claire Danes's Sarah Morton looks forced and sadly she can't do much with the horrible part. Sarah Jessica Parker shows shades of her famous Carrie Bradshaw persona but she's quite okay as the uptight girlfriend.

Anyway, I'm done with analyzing this horror. It's sad to see such a great cast wasted on an atrocious film. I wonder how the makers got them to do this.

A Mixed Stone

[asalem182 · 7/10 · 21 February 2006]

The Family Stone was a mixed bag. It had great acting, laugh out loud scenes, and heart breaking moments, but in the meantime, I felt it didn't know what it wants to be, some of the characters were stereotypes we've seen a hundred times before, and I thought some of things happening were totally unbelievable.

The film tells the story of uptight businesswoman Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) who meets the parents of her boyfriend Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) for the first time during the Christmas celebrations. From the get go, The Stones don't like Meredith, so she calls her sister Julie (Claire Danes) to come back her up.

The picture didn't know whether it wants to be a slapstick comedy, or a heartfelt drama. One minute we see pratfalls, the next we wee people crying and talking about the freedom of sexual orientation. These fast mood swings really hurt the movie, as it was at its best when it kept the same tone for more than 10 minutes; I was laughing out loud at the Chritmas morning scenes, and I was really touched by the scene between Sybil (Diane Keaton) and Kelly (Craig. T Nelson) in the bed.

The movie had a lot of characters, but unfortunately, only half of these characters were interesting. The best character was Sybil, the loving and strong mother who keeps all the family together. I also liked Everett, the man who wasn't sure of the decision he's going to make. Anyway, there also some stereotypes like Meredith and Amy (Rachel McAdams), the annoying sister who was just there to hurt Meredith. I felt Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser) and her daughter Elizabeth (Savannah Stehlin) were in the picture just to add a cute little girl to the mix. And I think the film could have used more time to give us a better idea of some characters like Julie and Ben (Luke Wison). But it's always a good sign when you wish a film was longer; Frankly, I was entertained throughout the film.

The Family Stone had a great cast, with some actors giving their best performances in a long time, and I'm surprised no one from the cast was nominated for an Academy award. Diane Keaton was terrific as the mother, and her first and last scenes in the movie are truly heartbreaking. And although I'm not a fan of Parker, I thought she pulled of her role quite well. In fact, I think Danes is the only cast member who gave a so-so performance.

So, I'd recommend The Family Stone, but with a cast like this, I can't help but think this film could have been much better.

A Pleasant Surprise!

[davispittman · 7/10 · 13 November 2015]

The Family Stone (2005) surprised me in a very good way. All of the actors did very well with the script and with both the funny and dramatic scenes. Sarah Jessica Parker earned a golden globe nomination for this movie, very well deserved! Sarah nailed both her dramatic and humorous dialogue in the various scenes. Of course Diane Keaton did very well in her own character, along with Craig T. Nelson (Poltergeist). Rachel McAdams did a great job as well, and Claire Danes was my favorite character in the entire movie. The script, storyline, and dialogue between characters was all very sharp and well written in my opinion. This movie actually has some pleasing surprises and twists that you definitely do not see coming, at least I didn't! Overall this is a fun, entertaining, funny, dramatic, well acted, and well written holiday film that will warm your heart and for sure make you laugh! 7/10 for The Family Stone.

How to make a bad situation worse

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 27 December 2011]

Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, and Luke Wilson star in "The Family Stone," a 2005 holiday movie. Parker plays Meredith, the uptight girlfriend of Everett Stone (Mulroney) who accompanies him home for Christmas. She doesn't fit in with his family which consists of his tell-it-like-it-is mother (Keaton), his deaf gay brother Thad and his lover (Ty Giordano and Brian White), his brat sister who already doesn't like Meredith (Rachel McAdams), his fun brother (Wilson), his pregnant sister (Elizabeth Reaser) and her young daughter waiting for her husband to arrive, and his quiet, accepting father (Nelson).

Meredith gets off on the wrong foot when she feels uncomfortable sharing a room with Everett and displaces Amy from her room. It goes from there, including a game of charades in which Meredith attempts to act out "The Bride Wore Black" and is accused by Amy of pointing to Thad's black lover. In desperation, Meredith moves to a local inn and calls her sister (Clare Danes) to join her for moral support.

This is a sentimental, sometimes funny, predictable film with some good performances. It's a little overdone with the stereotypes -- it could have been effective without hitting us over the head. Diane Keaton is wonderful as a free-spirited mother who worries about Everett's choice of girlfriend and fearful that he's going to marry her. Craig T. Nelson is sympathetic as her husband, trying to keep it all together. Owen Wilson gives a funny performance as the laid-back brother, and Sarah Jessica Parker is appropriately an uptight wreck as Meredith. Dermot Mulroney vacillates between being tense and angry throughout as he deals with his family and Meredith. As the confused, pretty sister, Clare Danes doesn't have much to do but what she does is very good.

Get ready to shed a few tears if you get into this film, which you might not. It's not for everyone, just us saps.

Nevertheless, it's a lovely holiday film that emphasizes the importance of family, of finding out who you are, and of taking a risk.

Horrible film about horrible people

[sarmoti_tiger · 1/10 · 7 April 2006]

Everett (Mulroney) takes his "uptight" city girlfriend Meredith (SJP) home to meet his family for Christmas. His family turns out to be the biggest bunch of fake, hypocritical, horrible and judgemental people you'll ever meet and have decided, even without meeting Meredith, that she's unworthy of any hospitality.

Let's think - boyfriend brings you home to meet the family – anyone would feel nervous. However, when Meredith greets the family in a slightly shaky voice, it is only further proof that she's not "free-spirited" enough to join their happy clan in the hills. I'm not sure why exactly the family did not like her but I THINK it may have something to do with the fact that she was super polite and tried to be respectful. I mean, no doubt, the family would have accepted her in a sec if she pranced through the door, ripped her clothes off and asked them to join her around the fire to smoke pot.

The horrible sister Amy (McAdams) says she hates Meredith because Meredith once took her to a nice restaurant and she also likes to clear her throat. Let's remind Meredith to bring Amy to a back alley for dinner next time and keep the phlegm gargled at the back of her mouth. The mother (Keaton) joins in the fun as is also, horrible; Ben (Wilson), the hippie brother falls for Meredith at first sight (so we can assume that his love for her is shallow and only physical) and starts hitting on her despite the fact that she's his brother's girlfriend. Etc.

There's also the gay deaf brother who has a black boyfriend. This very brother tells Everett straight on "please don't marry her (Meredith)" although he has known the girl for less than 24 hours. You'd think he'd understand the importance of being supportive and non-judgemental…

Meredith eventually calls her sister Julie (Danes) in for help. Julie is the opposite of Meredith - she's free spirited and is probably the president of the "save the whales while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro" club (She falls off the bus and she doesn't even care!!). Everett falls for her at first sight (so again, we assume this is only physical because he knows nothing about her). Way to go Everett, fall for your girlfriend's sister on the day you plan to propose to her!! Immediately, the family flocks to Julie like flies to a carcass while Meredith is helping with dinner and is lonerised in the corner. At the dinner table (and this is the scene which made me so upset for Meredith that I ACTUALLY cried), Julie asks the gay brother questions about what race he wants his adopted child to be (since he's in an interracial relationship). Julie touches on the issue of race and everyone smiles, giving it the "that's a very good profound question" nod. Then Meredith brings up the topic of homosexuality, asking if he thinks it's going to affect the child. OK, maybe she didn't phrase it well but it was obvious she was NOT being a homophobe (If she WAS homophobic, would she be eating dinner with 2 gay men AND spend the entire afternoon with the gay black guy in the kitchen??). Meredith is surprised by the fact that the mother says she "wished all 3 of her children would be gay" and the family immediately labels her as the disgusting narrow-minded a-hole (yes and the father even yells at Meredith). Funny that, When Julie asks, the family sees her as being "curious and interested" but when Meredith asks, she's "offensive and rude".

Naturally, Meredith runs out in tears. Ben runs after her while the BOYFRIEND just sits there. Julie doesn't look too bothered either and instead of seriously looking for her, the two end up having a pleasant little walk in the snow, talking about their dreams and goals. It's disparing that Ben, the brother who's known Meredith for only a couple of days seems to be more concerned about her well-being than her own boyfriend and sister. Everett even has the audacity to ask Julie if she wants to "go get a coffee" while Meredith is still missing!!! Meredith spends time with Ben, get a coupla beers and suddenly turns "free-spirited" (she lets her hair down!! REBEL!) Then we know what happens, they end up in the same room (though they don't sleep together) and Everett realizes he loves Julie. Everett tries to get Julie to try on the wedding ring he intended to give Meredith. When Julie kinda refuses, he almost forces it onto her finger...romantic. I find it even more disturbing though, that as a sister, Julie didn't go up to Meredith and say something like "dude, your boyfriend is totally hitting on me". Instead, she starts to feel that she also loves this strange man that she's just met the day before (though there is no indication of any type of relationship development between the two. Finally, everyone confronts everyone and then follows the typical, everyone starts fighting, they all fall down and start laughing out loud together and then it seems that all the meaness from before is forgotten and everyone becomes best friends forever.

Meredith ends up with Ben and Everett the a-hole ends up with Julie the a-hole. Meredith seems to be TOTALLY OK with that and neither the sister or Everett seems to feel bad at all (note, the two began flirting with each other while Meredith was still going out with Everett). Who cares, Meredith will have the joy of telling her nephews and nieces "I, your auntie, slept with your father".

And inbetween all of this, we find out the mother has breast cancer. So there's a lot of crying from the family, then a lot of meaness, then a lot of crying, then a lot of, you get the idea. I'm still confused as to how the cancer bit fits with the "romantic comedy"

That's you and me, kid... you and me.

[alagandruga · 10/10 · 28 May 2021]

That brief moment between Rachel McAdams and Diane Keaton alone is worth the ten stars i give to this movie.

Comedy et tragedy

[rlgolden · 7/10 · 17 June 2006]

The Family Stone covers three days in the life of the title family, Christmas Eve, Christmas and, briefly, the following Christmas so that it can wrap up the multiple story lines of the plot. One of the things I like about the movie is that this is not in your face as far as the tragedy part, no more than a few lines in a couple of scenes.

Sarah Jeessica Parker plays against her type, a stuffy, straight-laced businesswoman and does a surprisingly good job throughout the movie. Luke Wilson is at his best, the laid-back brother to Dermot Mulroney who is called upon the bring Parker down to earth and Mulroney is the somewhat confused suitor who... well, you will just have to watch the movie.

Craig T. Nelson also gets kudos for keeping you interested in his character. He plays Diane Keaton's husband and Keaton, one of the best actresses, sparkles. The film doesn't waste any time with character introduction, getting right into the plot but gives you time during the movie to see what each character is about. I took off a point because the movie is predictable to a degree.

Family of bullies

[alexannsharp-637-846563 · 2/10 · 19 December 2021]

Almost two house of watching a poor shy woman get bullied by this guys family. We are supposed to dislike her and root for the family but I just feel so sorry for her. The mother and especially Rachel McAdam's character are so awful to SJP's character Meredith. HAD to stop watching.

Not really a bad romance

[gil-97 · 6/10 · 20 April 2006]

SPOILERS Not actually a bad romance, but follows many mistakes these films have grown up over the years, after Harry and Sally came out. The plot is straightforward. So straightforward, that you can see from the beginning, how it is going to end. From the beginning you see absolutely tolerant family (how more tolerant you could be, if your gay deaf son has a black boyfriend and adopt a black child) that still cannot accept this nervous girl. Hint? Yes. And for God sake, if you ran after someone, catch them BEFORE they get on the bus and ask them to stay, why the hell do they ALWAYS have to get on it, just so the whole bus has to wait, when you change your mind 15 seconds and 100 meters later. And finally, after one brother drops one girl just to fall in love with her sister while she stays with his brother, would that be okay for you? That would be too much even for Beverly Hills or Melrose Place. As I said at the beginning, it is not a complete cr*p. Just do not expect too much. If you like romantic comedies and do not mind mindless clichés - go ahead, but do not say I did not warn you.

This movie fails at everything it tries to do

[CadWalliter · 1/10 · 23 July 2007]

I would give it a zero out of ten if I could. This movie fails as a comedy, as a drama, as everything. The characters are so cliché and hackneyed, it is unbelievable. There seem to be about twenty of them (the characters), and throughout the movie they meet, fall in and out of love, fight, whine, act ridiculous and erratic, wallow in self-pity, and are generally just irritating. Through most of the movie I was saying to myself, "who ACTS like that?" Most of the characters are so unlikeable that their behaviour makes it impossible to care at all about what happens to them.

There hardly seems to be a coherent plot, and what there is of one is a waste of time.

Of course, everything turns out super-duper okay in the end. I literally, physically rolled my eyes at the bus scene, it is so cliché. And the very ending is supposed to be bittersweet, but it is just way too predictable.

Pass this movie by if you value your time.

Family Value

[happy_hangman · 18 January 2006]

Thomas Bezucha's 'The Family Stone' surprised me. I expected a catty WASPish family satire – that, at least, was the impression given in most reviews. I liked this a great deal. The discomfort felt by Sarah Jessica Parker's uptight career girl as she spends Christmas with her partner's close-knit New England liberal family is used to good effect, but as much awkwardness is felt as a result of their jibes as by her tactlessness, so she's not marked out solely as a stooge. Dermot Mulroney, Rachel McAdams (the best thing in Wes Craven's 'Red Eye'), Luke Wilson (a much better actor than brother Owen) and Diane Keaton also give fine turns, and Craig T. Nelson - another much underrated character actor – is perfectly cast Keaton's husband. It's occasionally sentimental, as certain family secrets are revealed, but never in a sickly manner, and works principally because it's that rare Hollywood beast, a genuinely well written ensemble piece. Good work Mr Bezucha. Worth a look.

Nice but...

[Sherazade · 7/10 · 9 September 2006]

This is a very Christmassy tale of family life we probably can all relate too and for a second or so the writers and director or whatever had a good thing going until their started overdoing it a little. Everett Stone (played by Dermot Mulroney) is the eldest son of the Stone family and we meet him bringing his new girlfriend, Meredith Morton (played by the ever shiny Sarah Jessica Parker) home for the holidays. Rachel McAdams, plays Amy Stone the family's last born and the only one who has met Meredith before and we meet her filling the family in on how shallow and vain Merdith is. Diane Keaton, Sybil Stone is the mother a crowd pleaser and also the family buffer, she just wants to see her children happy and have peace around her so she indulges everyone for as long as it will last. Craig T. Nelson, is the dad, Kelly Stone who just follows along whatever his wife is feeling or believing. Tyrone Giordano, play Thad Stone who is hard of hearing and because of this the family has beautifully learned sign language and it is incorporated well into every scene that he's in. All will not be complete without the weird son, Ben Stone and he is played by Luke Wilson. Okay all of this I didn't have a problem with because it sounds like any other family but when the plot twisted, so did the suspension of my disbelief.

When Meredith arrives at the house, nobody really likes her and Everett tries to make her believe that it's all in her head but it soon becomes apparent that it isn't. When mishap after mishap occurs, and Meredith (a woman who doesn't know how or when to shut up) gets fed up, she leave the Stone house and checks into the nearest hotel. Then she telephones her sister, Julie Morton (played by Claire Danes) to come down from Newyork to console her. When Julie gets down there, Meredith asks Everett to pick her up from the bus depot and when he does, sparks begin to fly between the two of them. Meanwhile, sparks have begun to fly between the weird son as Meredith as well. It all just seemed too good to be true and too overwhelming to be borne all at once. And if you haven't had enough of that, they add to the fact (which is also overshadowed by everything else going on) the fact the Sybil Stone is dying of cancer. Oh! in all of that, I forgot to mention that there is another sister, Susannah Stone Trousdale played by Elizabeth Reaser. Phew!

Perfect family Christmas film

[Bonbon90 · 7/10 · 21 July 2008]

I went to watch this film thinking it was going to be a cheesy holiday film with annoying characters in it who weren't funny or likable at all. However i was surprised as this film was actually able to make me laugh as well as cry.

The characters were likable, Sarah Jessica Parker was a little uptight yet you couldn't help but feel sorry for her, while Rachel McAdams's character was nasty yet there is more depth to her as the film progresses. Good comedic performances are put in by Luke Wilson and even SJP. The whole star studded cast, including, Diane Keaton, Claire Danes and Dermot Mulroney, put in good performances which adds to the great chemistry of this interesting, and a little eccentric, family.

As well as the humour this film is also sweet and touching and very festive, perfect for watching at Christmas with your own family.

good family chemistry and dysfunction

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 26 December 2014]

Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker) is really uptight. She accompanies her boyfriend Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) to his family's Christmas holidays. The Stone family is headed by Sybil (Diane Keaton) and Kelly (Craig T. Nelson). Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser) is the oldest sibling and a stay-at-home mom. Ben (Luke Wilson) is a stoner. Amy (Rachel McAdams) hates Meredith. Thad (Tyrone Giordano) is gay and deaf. Meredith feels picked on especially by Amy and leaves to stay at the inn. She asks her more relaxed sister Julie (Claire Danes) to join her. Everett wants to propose to Meredith with grandma's ring but Sybil refuses to give him the ring. Everybody objects to the proposal.

It's a quirky family Christmas holiday get together. It's not anything new but it's always good material to mine. SJP is overplaying her character a little. She doesn't need to play the role as if she's got a board in her back. McAdams is a fun meanie and she allows for some comedy to come through with SJP. The cast for the family is great and they have good chemistry together.

One of the Hands-Down, Worst Films I Have Ever Seen

[katherineraz · 1/10 · 15 October 2006]

SPOILERS WITHIN:

For some reason I thought this movie would be similar to The Royal Tenenbaums - a story about a lovable, charming, quirky, odd family coming into contact with an uptight professional wardrobe queen. Excellent set up, right?

But the movie starts going downhill from the very first minute, never gets better, and left me wondering why all these otherwise decent actors chose to associate themselves with such an awful, awful script.

Nothing that happens in this movie makes any sense. Now, for something to "make sense" in a movie, it doesn't have to be "realistic." You can believe a winged dragon is going to jump in and save the day at the very end as long as - and this is key here - that point is set up earlier in the script. By establishing characters' motivations and history, the audience will slowly clue into the crux moments of the script where those characters have to make decisions - based on their past experiences - that influence the outcome of the film.

There wasn't one character in this movie that had any background information established before they started making "key" decisions. Things happened, and the audience watches, uninterested, because from the very beginning of the film we aren't given any reason to care.

The Stone family hates Durmot Mulroney's fiancée, played by SJP. The audience has no idea why, because the film never sets up any organic reason for it. The characters merely EXPLAIN reasons they don't like her, which does not a movie make.

Halfway through the film we're clued into the fact that mom has cancer. If this was supposed to be a pinnacle moment, it merely further confuses the plot, as the audience is left wondering why, if someone in the family were about to die, everyone would be so trifling and petty.

Enter Claire Danes. Again, for no reason. From the moment she clumsily falls off the bus line that drags her into the Stones' life, acting as the complete opposite of her uptight sister, we see the plot "thickening" so obviously that I was tempted to fast forward through the obligatory sentimental conversations that had to follow, wherein Durmot Mulroney sees Danes' sensitive side ("I'm an art grant writer... and this totem pole touched me so deeply.")

It's almost an afterthought that he falls in love with Danes, Luke Wilson marries SJP, and the next Christmas everyone lives happily ever after except mom whose dead (but who really cares anyway).

What made this movie especially bad was the "Home Alone"-esquire music that forced joviality at moments when the Stone family was trifling, a horrible section of Christmas-gone- horribly-awry pratfalls (wherein the entire family gets covered in eggs and turkey in the kitchen, ha ha ha).

However, the hands-down worst part of this film were the shallow characters. Diane Keaton's mother was defined by coffee: she had a favorite mug and she hated it when people took the last coffee and didn't make more. Rachel McAdams (as the sister) was supposed to be a liberal college-type, but was nothing except a basketful of laundry and an NPR logo gives this away. (Otherwise she's just a petty brat.) Luke Wilson's character is utterly confusing - at first he's rather creepy (forcing his affections on SJP), then he's a pot- head with a Love and Rockets poster in his room, then he's a doting husband.

And worst of all is Durmot Mulroney, whose character development (or lack thereof) the movie centers on. What we finally begin to understand, only through horrible dialog, is that The Family Stone doesn't want Durmot Mulroney to marry SJP because he isn't being "true to himself." If this would have been at all clear in any kind of set-up to the movie, perhaps, perhaps The Family Stone could have had a bit of redemption. As it is, it did not, and therefore this movie is one of the absolute worst films of all time.

This Holiday Movie is one of my Favorites!

[silverpinkcity · 10/10 · 26 November 2021]

6.3 people? Really? This movie deserves a much higher score than that. It has everything you could ever want in a holiday film...or any film, for that matter. Happiness, anger, sorrow, humor, heart and soul, drama...plus a feeling of "realism" that's almost impossible to come by these days.

The house in the movie feels messy and real and "lived-in," as opposed to a fake movie set, along with the people who are not all perfect and polished. You almost feel as though you're peeking through tiny cameras at this family as you witness their foibles and weird relationship dynamics that only families have.

The Stone family, which consists of the two older parents and five adult children, are all congregating at the big ole' family home for the holidays. But now, Everett, the very successful son, is bringing home a new girlfriend named Merideth (played by Sara Jessica Parker) to introduce to the family.

Naturally, it's difficult enough meeting all the members of such a large well-established group. But add the fact Meredith is sort of an ill-at-ease uptight woman to begin with, along with the fact the family has already decided to dislike her (due to the youngest daughter already going out to dinner with the couple and spreading the word that Meredith is a total obnoxious b**tch) and you're in for some real awkwardness.

Meredith (played to emotional perfection by Parker) manages to always say and do the wrong thing, even though she's really trying to make everyone like her. Maybe (as Everett's laid-back brother...also played beautifully by Luke Wilson) points out.

So, Meredith ends up calling her sister (Claire Danes) for support...and that's when things REALLY get complicated! I won't offer spoilers here, because I really want you to watch the movie. And although the story may seem a little dreary at times (like real life, it's both sad and funny) there is a magical moment (about thirty minutes from the end) when all hell breaks loose which is hysterical!

There are a lot of big names in this movie (as you can see...Diane Keaton, etc...) and, like I said, all the actors do a wonderful job. If you are a fan of complicated relationship dynamics, then you will enjoy this movie. My husband commented (from the kitchen) that it seemed cliche, but oh well. Maybe it's not for everyone.

Personally, I think The Family Stone is so much better than a lot of these cheesy Christmas movies that just seem so fake. Trust me, this is miles and miles away from a Hallmark holiday film!

Wasted opportunity

[casybn · 6/10 · 10 November 2006]

This was a wasted opportunity! A great cast and initially an interesting film, but then it descends into a completely unrealistic ending. Meredith is called a 'bigot', but it is more a case of deliberate misunderstanding on the part of this so called open minded family in an effort to drive her out. I think it was a shame the film did not study this more, showing how utterly hypocritical & awful this family was, yes they loved each other fiercely but their hostility to Meredith showed a lot more about them than her and it would have been great to see them realise that they were not nearly as warm & loving & open minded as they thought rather than the ending we got. Also I found claire danes character rubbish, what sister would give up her plans & travel to support her sister and then actually not help her at all. I am surprised how angry this film made me. And I really felt the ending was a complete cop out.

So disappointing...the worst film I've EVER EVER seen

[sophos234 · 1/10 · 24 May 2006]

Watching this film was like shooting yourself in the head, having the spurting blood spell out "The Family Stone" in drippy writing, and then having to carry on living in complete agony and brain-deadness. I need to emphasise how shocked I am at the absurdly high average review rating, but I should qualify my comments with some evidence. I could probably do a minute-by-minute massacre of this film (yes, EVERY minute was worth a good napalming), but for the sake of the readers, I'll keep it brief, and in order of heinousness: 1)This film may have been sponsored by the KKK for the extent to which it manages to undermine good "liberal" qualities. The whole point of liberalism is accepting that people may have an opposing values to your own without thinking they should be hanged for holding such views. The family's unrealistically immediate hatred of Meredith and their cruel treatment of her when she has done nothing to actively offend them is totally incongruous with the pot-smoking Benetton models that formed the family. 2) Why in God's name would you want your child to be gay? Why would you actively WANT your child to be ANYTHING?? Its logically as bigoted to say that you wish for gay children as if you said you absolutely didn't want your children to be gay. You wish for happy children, regardless of their sexual orientation. 3)Sarah Jessica Parker was completely unable to break out of her Sex and the City character, which meant that when she was acting uptight, it seemed completely unbelievable. Her supposedly 'drunken' scene was some of the worst acting I've ever seen. It was like the popular girl at school being in a school play, acting drunk but not doing any of the embarrassing things (i.e. slurring, very BAD dancing) that would actually make the drunkenness realistic, for fear of looking bad. 4)Stupid formulae, which are completely condescending to the audience. e.g. At the beginning, Meredith = uptight = hair scraped back in bun...BUT at the end...Meredith = more relaxed/in love = hair loose and down 5)Horrible script trying to be like Royal Tenenbaums type of quirky but completely failing. Does any mother ever comment to a complete stranger that a certain guy has 'popped' her daughter's 'cherry' in front of said daughter? Come on. Why does laid-back Ben fall in love with Meredith - because he wants a challenge or because he dreams of 'being the snow' that Meredith shovels. Oooh how arty. Eat my shorts. 6)Meredith's sister and the fiancé are a pair of whores who think they're lives should mimic some stupid French novel where people fall in love over a schmaltzy story set in some country where people are foreign and therefore can be patronised (that would be us, viewer). And you can swoon over the fact that Meredith's sister is such a great person that she'll come to the Stone family home to comfort her completely terrorised sister - what a catch. Oh, except that she's a complete cow who takes her sister's fiancé (regardless of her three minute hesitation) and doesn't go out to see if her sister's OK when they hear her car crash in the driveway. Twice. Hmmmmm. (And her hair is far too shiny)

So disappointing...the worst film I've EVER EVER seen

Preview Misleading

[RustyDD788 · 8/10 · 27 January 2006]

Having seen the previews on a number of occasions I went to see this film because I was in the mood for a comedy. I guess the preview were all of the funny scenes. However, this turned out to be one of the most touching and sensitive movies I have seen in quite some time. The family stone could be almost anyones family and especially mine. The funny scenes were truly that, funny and very believable, one liners you wish you had said. The acting was first rate, I most enjoyed Diane Keaton and Craig Nelson. The movie moves along well with no dead time and while it is predicable in its storyline with no big surprises it is a very enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. You get your moneys worth.

A Beautiful Surprise

[i_luv_johndeere · 7/10 · 24 February 2007]

I started to watch this movie, expecting a comedy. I was surprised. This isn't necessarily a Christmas comedy. Sarah Jessica Parker is perfectly cast for the role of Meredith. Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson make the perfect parents for this little "dysfunctional" family. This movie has quite the star-studded cast. I personally think Luke is a better actor than Owen, but that may just be me. I thought it would be all about the Meredith/Everett romance, but it is more about the Stone family coming together over the Christmas holiday. It was a good movie, totally different from what I was expecting. It is definitely well worth the watch.

Cannot comprehend how this garbage made it to the theater

[dianalrichardson · 1/10 · 14 July 2006]

I just finished watching this film on my On Demand. I had to rewind, stop, and start the movie 3 times because I thought OnDemand was deleting scenes. THAT'S how ridiculous, unbelievable, and choppy this movie is. I really thought we lost the first half-hour or so, because SJP enters the Stone family household, and they immediately hate her. I thought, oh, well we must have missed the huge lead-in to that. NO! There was no lead-in. The family just flat-out hated the girlfriend of their son for no reason at all. Once I realized we didn't miss the first few scenes, I knew this movie would be disastrous.

It actually gets worse! The entire family is too large that by the end of it, I still couldn't figure out who was related to who (who was that 6 year old anyway????) They did not need such a large cast and I did not get to know ANY of the characters or get to like ANY of them at all, except Luke Wilson, who was sweet. (by the way, I have to call the actors by their real names and not their character's names, because I don't even think we were introduced to all of them by first name.) One of the women (I guess she was a daughter???) her husband showed up for a total of 16 seconds of the movie. The film is so degrading even though it is trying to be politically correct. They make such a huge scene around the deaf son and his black husband that it completely goes against whatever P.C. statement they were trying to make.

I can't even get into how ridiculous and utterly disturbing the 2 romances are. And I forgot about the cancer!! That came out of left field. All of a sudden the evil mother has cancer, however we're still making SJP feel like crap because that's more important. This was an extremely inappropriate look at someone suffering from cancer. Besides that, it did not add to the plot line at all, and instead complicated the story even more so than I ever thought this mess could be complicated.

This film is such a completely tangled mess of untied plot lines, undeveloped characters, and no real genre that it just leaves you feeling MAD you spent any type of money on it at all. I also feel sorry for Rachel McAdams and Luke Wilson -- I'm sure they regret their decision to act in this disaster after seeing the final product. Avoid at all costs.

*Still one of my unexpected favorites! *

[williamsjonathonm · 7/10 · 20 January 2020]

This is Sarah Jessica at her BEST! She commands this performance and I felt for her character !! Excellent casting ; heartfelt - and set up to be a classic holiday choice !!