The Family Stone Movie Review:


As with most real-life families, relationships in this film are a combination of humour and emotion, usually both at the same time. Writer-director Bezucha deftly avoids stereotypes to bring us an entertaining and honest family comedy.

Sybil and Kelly Stone (Keaton and Nelson) have their five kids home in New England for Christmas. Eldest son Everett (Mulroney) brings his uptight new girlfriend (Parker), who doesn't gel with the Stone's bohemian liberalism, so she asks her sister (Danes) to join them. Earth mother Susan (Reaser) arrives pregnant, with her precocious daughter (Stehlin). Ben (Wilson) brings his hippy vibe with him from Berkeley. Thad (Giordano) has the most stable relationship--with partner Patrick (White). And Amy (McAdams) just can't let anything remain unsaid. It's going to be an eventful Christmas.

While the film has the lively energy of any wacky holiday comedy, there's a raw subtext that makes it much more than that--recognisable tenderness and cruelty, isolation and physical intimacy, subtle liaisons and hard-to-surmount barriers. This is an astute examination of family relationships that brilliantly balances biting satire and warm affection. Bezucha clearly understands how relatives mean the world to us and also drive us crazy, and he slices through each scene with shrewd insight that actually takes us somewhere.

The characters maintain their complexity through fine writing and superior performances. Keaton can play this kind of role in her sleep, but even she's challenged by Sybil, and shines in several remarkable scenes. Everyone in this seamless cast has their moments; our lingering affection for Parker's tense New Yorker is a nice surprise, as are the tenderness that orbits Giordano's character and the telling cracks in McAdams' bravado.

In the end, the film perhaps won't tell us anything we don't already know. But that's not the point. The bookend scenes are startlingly distinct, yet exactly the same. The confrontations touch on everyday taboos like race, sexuality, illness and disability. In such a black comedy, the powerful surge of emotion catches us off guard. Maybe the point is that we're not so different after all: everyone's a mess, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.



Rich Cline

Ok, when was the last time that we had a holiday movie that didn’t involve Tim Allen, Santa Claus, an elf or something nostalgic.

Well I am happy to report that the new holiday film, The Family Stone, is probably the best holiday film I have seen in years.

The Stone family reunites during the holidays to get to know the latest addition to their family, Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker). Meredith is soon to be engaged to the Stone’s oldest son, Everett (Dermot Mulroney). But his family isn’t going to make it easy for him.

Everett’s mother (Diane Keaton) doesn’t want to give up a family heirloom to her son for his wedding and she is also keeping a deep secret from her son. Everett’s sister (Rachel McAdams) can’t stand Meredith and her quirky ways. Everett’s brother (Luke Wilson) would just rather that everyone just mellowed out and was happy.

“The Family Stone” reawakens the biggest treasure of all during the holidays. It isn’t the turkey, the cooking, the presents, or some demented white-bearded fat white guy in a red suit who keeps insisting he can fit down a chimney or even a complex-ridden reindeer who we all know is probably gay.

The biggest treasure of all during the holidays is reawakening what family means to all of us. And to quote another white-bearded fat white guy, who happens to be from Jurassic Park, “We spare no expense”. When it comes to the holidays we really don’t spare any expense when it comes to reawakening those family values. We hold so dear.

There really isn’t one distinguishing performance in this brilliant ensemble comedy that stands out. If I had to choose favorites they would be hands down, Diane Keaton and Rachel McAdams.

Is there any reason not to scream for any performance from Ms. Keaton? The woman is brilliant in everything she does. In this film you can feel her anguish, love and desire. Her emotions and interactions with the entire cast is brilliant. It is amazing how an actress can be good for such a very long time.

The reason I singled out McAdams was that I usually don’t praise her and I am not a big fan. Here she plays a character she wouldn’t typically play and does it without flinching. I loved her “bumming around the house look” as the “pain in the ass” sister who hates everyone. She’s funny, unforgiving and definitely memorable.

Another thing I liked about the film was how intense it can be at one moment and hilarious the next. Probably my favorite scene in the whole piece is a rather intense dinner scene where Meredith asks an inappropriate question to Everett’s gay and deaf brother. The scene is unbelievably brilliant.

I am spending the holidays alone this year due to some rather insidious scheduling conflicts but I needed a film like “The Family Stone” to remind me of all the joyous and blissful times I have had at this time of year throughout my life. This truly is a film that you need to share with your loved ones during this time of year.

For all the others out there spending the holidays away from loved ones, I drop a shot of Bailey’s in my coffee and salute you. Sorry, this review got mushy but it was that kind of film if you know what I mean. I also want to take this opportunity to wish you and all those you hold dear, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.




So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

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