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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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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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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

So, despite its flaws, there is plenty to like, just like any family.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
12/16/05
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
12/17/05
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
12/17/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

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

Click to read the article

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

Click to read the article

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

The Family Stone aims to please, and lands precisely on so-so.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
12/15/05
Allison Benedikt
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune

I can’t deny the incidental pleasures of watching these talented players giving it their all, even in such a misguided project.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
01/05/06
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hits every conceivable chord, no matter how much of a stretch.

Full Review Source: The Stranger (Seattle, WA) | comment Comment
12/15/05
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

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

...hits upon a couple of sad truths.

Full Review Source: Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah) | comment Comment
12/26/05
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

Ultra-contrived, but delivers an important message about tolerance.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/17/05
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

As a comedy, The Family Stone is more easy listening than rock-and-roll, but some of the performances (notably from McAdams and Nelson) are comfortable and affecting.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
12/15/05
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Moments of high hilarity and cringe-inducing honesty are scattered throughout The Family Stone.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
12/16/05
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

The movie's stock base: pat revelations and cheap manipulations.

Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine | comment Comment
12/19/05
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Now Playing Magazine

Even with an empty tank of ideas by the end of the picture, Stone still remains worthy of a view, providing that desired blast of familial idiosyncrasies just in time for the holiday season.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
12/15/05
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

It plays almost like Terms of Endearment crossed with the feel-good yule romance Love Actually.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
12/16/05
Bruce Westbrook
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

[The film] at times approximates the cozy hostility that can permeate real-life family gatherings. But then the movie's snap turns to sap, and edgy comedy becomes standard gazing-at-the-Christmas-tree warm fuzziness.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
12/16/05
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
Sacramento Bee
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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