The Family Stone

Honoring Diane Keaton. And now I've got a few more Diane Keaton movies added to my Watchlist. I've seen quite a lot of her but there are still a few that I could try out.

First impression - love that Diane Keaton just looks and dresses like herself while playing a character in this movie. I think she did that in a lot of these lighter movies and she was probably given free rein with her character, as she should. She is gorgeous. Second - how many children did this woman give birth to?

Everybody's mean to Meredith and that's probably like three quarters of the movie, and while Sarah Jessica Parker does her best to make her tough to like, she doesn't deserve it. At some point it really became too much, they could just ignore her. This is not really a comedy, I don't even understand how they marketed this, it's just downright mean and then it went sideways in a big way. I did not understand the low rating watching it but when Everett started going for Julie and Ben was practically hitting on Meredith every chance he got it just lost me completely. Meredith and Ben are a case of opposites attract that wouldn't make it for long in the real world, not with her career and Everett and Julie is just so damn creepy in that entire context, it's just bad timing and in bad taste and I really hope people don't do this in real life cause I will disinherit family over that. So yeah, that's how I rated this movie, despite the fact that it's got an amazing cast and they all played their insufferable roles to perfection.

I admit, I only rented this DVD because I like the Wilson brothers and one of them (Luke) is in it. I don't even remember this film being in the theaters. But I loved it! It was one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in quite awhile. Cinematically, it was nothing impressive, but the writing and the acting was quite good and the end actually made me cry (that's pretty hard to do). It is a rare movie where I can honestly say, everyone in the cast did a great job. And the screenwriters did a great job too. One problem with a lot of Hollywood films, for me at least, is the unbelievability of the characters or the one-sidedness of characters. All of the characters in this film were believable and had good and bad aspects to them. I guess if you are looking for a more fantasy-based storyline, this wouldn't be the film for you. The interactions are all very realistic and it plays out like a realistic holiday that could occur in just about any family. You won't come away from the film learning any great, deep lessons, but you will come away feeling entertained, and wishing that you could keep in touch with the characters to see where their lives take them.

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.

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.

They can act full of hate,discrimination & judgement during a holiday that's fine. Julie is welcomed without questions,for what she says or does. Frankly I don't blame Meredith for the,awkwardness of her behavior. Than how things end up,just make it more bizarre. The few times it had good moments,was overshadowed with something negative. Cast & cinematography,was something decently done. Ben was respectful to Meredith,but still didn't save the movie. Glad Meredith felt some peace towards the end,but frankly the family didn't deserve her. Or maybe her & the sister,was needed for the family to turnaround. Watch it but if you ever felt unwelcomed,in a family despite trying your best.. Skip it!