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Movies / On DVD / The Family Stone
The Family Stone

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The Family Stone (2005)

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52 %
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Reviews Counted:147

Fresh:77

Rotten:70

Average Rating:5.9/10

Consensus: This family holiday dramedy features fine performances but awkward shifts of tone.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some sexual content including dialogue, and drug references.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Dec 16, 2005 Wide

Box Office: $59,856,288

Synopsis: Destined to be a Christmas classic, Thomas Bezucha's dazzling dramedy, THE FAMILY STONE, manages to be both warmhearted and sentimental while possessing a razor-sharp hilarious mean streak. The... Destined to be a Christmas classic, Thomas Bezucha's dazzling dramedy, THE FAMILY STONE, manages to be both warmhearted and sentimental while possessing a razor-sharp hilarious mean streak. The fairly conventional story centers on Sarah Jessica Parker's uptight career woman, Meredith, and her run-in with the eponymous Stone family. With her permanently pursed lips and severe bun, SJP looks and acts the anti-Carrie Bradshaw here as, armed with cell phone and business-suit collection, she gears up to meet her fiance's oddball family, a tight-knit, colorful clan who border on bohemian. Matriarch Sybil (Diane Keaton) and patriarch Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) are a loving couple whose diverse children are affectionate and respectful. When Meredith's humorless aura infects the homestead, it is mom Sybil and sister Amy (Rachel McAdams), who sense a romantic mismatch and attack her venomously, sparking a tete-a-tete-a-tete between three feisty females. While this Battle Royal is waged, dramatic subplots brew in the background, one involving the deaf and gay brother Thad's desire to adopt a child, and the other a rather devastating secret on the verge of exposure. It is in the emergence of Meredith's refreshingly calm and breezy younger sister, Julie (Claire Danes), entering the film with a dramatic fall from a bus exit, that brings all conflict to a head. [More]

Starring: Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Jessica Parker

Starring: Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Luke Wilson, Tyrone Giordano, Brian White, Elizabeth Reazer, Savannah Stehlin, Paul Schneider

Director: Thomas Bezucha

Director: Thomas Bezucha
Producer: Michael London
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Release:

Apr 21, 2009

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Reviews for The Family Stone

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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

The farcical elements are much too loaded to provide any real fun, and the Stones come off more as sanctimonious, politically correct left-wing prigs than enchanting.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
David Noh
David Noh
Film Journal International
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
01/20/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

The movie feels a lot like slacker brother Ben: a little sloppy, mostly predictable, some flashes of poignancy and wisdom, but ultimately doesn't live up to its potential.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/22/06
Camerin Courtney
Camerin Courtney
Christianity Today

a gob of yuletide Play-Doh

Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment Comment
08/21/06
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal

What's so refreshing about Thomas Bezucha's The Family Stone is how it plays off of genre expectations and effortlessly switches back and forth between comedy, romance and tragedy.

Full Review Source: Movie Views | comment Comment
07/29/06
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out

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Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/12/06
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

Tocante sem ser melodramático, desenvolve bem seus personagens, cujas interações soam sempre reais. Além disso, o filme oscila com segurança entre o drama e a comédia e conta com um elenco formidável.

comment Comment
04/14/06
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
03/18/06
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

...turns from endearing to phony even before the first carol is sung.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
02/21/06
Todd Jorgenson
Todd Jorgenson
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

.

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
02/17/06
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

Una comedia dramática absolutamente menor, con personajes potencialmente atractivos pero finalmente inverosímiles y estereotipados.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
01/31/06
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/17/06
Sydney Morning Herald

The Family Stone is a movie for everyone, especially during the holidays.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
01/17/06
Rachel Clarke
Rachel Clarke
Premiere Magazine

Thomas Bezucha who wrote and directed wanted it to build up to a romantic and madcap third act, perhaps a bit like MOONSTRUCK, but somehow it seems forced.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/13/06
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
01/13/06
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Direction, acting, and even the dialogue are strong -- absolutely top notch. They are the work of professionals. It's the story line that bottlenecks the whole process.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment 1 Comment
01/11/06
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

This film is clearly a vehicle for Parker. We wouldn't want to waste all the "Sex and the City" steam now would we?

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
01/06/06
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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