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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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21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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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

A miserable misfire that might explain why so many people take their own lives during the holidays.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/06
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
12/31/05
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

The Stone's cruelty is a delight, especially when it turns out Parker actually is a giant loser.

Full Review Source: Peterborough This Week | comment Comment
12/28/05
Mike Sage
Mike Sage
Peterborough This Week

Like most family holiday gatherings, [it's] awkward and a bit loud in places, but filled with good humor and packed with familiar faces who give you a warm cozy feeling all over.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
12/28/05
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Rings true in both a comedic and dramatic sense.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
12/27/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

...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)

In a time when even movie reviews are quick to qualify everything by perceived left or right leanings, The Family Stone's critique of those who conform their values to political dogma has pertinence.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
12/24/05
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Go ahead--throw the first stone. Throw it right at the screen. Take aim, wind up and let the rocks rip.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
12/24/05
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

The third act is marred by a moment of triteness that is uncharacteristic of the delicious and subtle complexity of the rest of the movie. Not your standard holiday family drivel!

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
12/23/05
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

The romantic realignments, which come later in the film, become transparent almost immediately.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
12/23/05
Les Wright
Les Wright
culturevulture.net

Showered with such gifts as McAdams and Danes, Bezucha surprisingly squeezes precious few laughs out of his syrupy yuletide cider.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
12/22/05
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

A wildly uneven, poorly-written film without much entertainment value.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
12/22/05
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

This is wonderful; it has heart and humor.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
12/22/05
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

Let's just call it Meet the Stepmom for the Holidays and be done with it.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
12/22/05
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

One of those films that succeeds not because it surprises you, but because it does what you want it to do -- and it does so pretty well.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
12/21/05
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

So determined to pair everyone up, whether logically or not, you'd think Noah's Ark was coming to town

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
12/21/05
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

Like the character of Meredith, the film's bravado cannot mask a messy soul but should be given respect for showing up and sticking it out.

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
12/21/05
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Nothing like a little poignancy to mask a distasteful Christmas brew. But Rachel McAdams is hot.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
12/19/05
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

As one of the more likable holiday films to come around in a long time, the comedy The Family Stone will also surprise you with its depth and emotional appeal.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
12/19/05
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com
 
 
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