I can’t deny the incidental pleasures of watching these talented players giving it their all, even in such a misguided project.
The Family Stone (2005)
Tomatometer
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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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Reviews for The Family Stone
A miserable misfire that might explain why so many people take their own lives during the holidays.
The Stone's cruelty is a delight, especially when it turns out Parker actually is a giant loser.
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.
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.
Go ahead--throw the first stone. Throw it right at the screen. Take aim, wind up and let the rocks rip.
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!
The romantic realignments, which come later in the film, become transparent almost immediately.
Showered with such gifts as McAdams and Danes, Bezucha surprisingly squeezes precious few laughs out of his syrupy yuletide cider.
A wildly uneven, poorly-written film without much entertainment value.
Let's just call it Meet the Stepmom for the Holidays and be done with it.
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.
So determined to pair everyone up, whether logically or not, you'd think Noah's Ark was coming to town
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.
Nothing like a little poignancy to mask a distasteful Christmas brew. But Rachel McAdams is hot.
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.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
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