Esprit de famille

I enjoyed this one, It was just sort of addictive watching this eccentric (normal) family going about the trials and tribulations of love and life at Christmas. Sarah Jessica Parker is an absolute mess here and super fun to watch, she steals the movie actually which surprised the hell out me because she doesn't usually have that much range.

A touching comedy about an uptight, ultra conservative businesswoman (ice queen) who accompanies her boyfriend to his outgoing and screwy family's annual Christmas celebration. He has plans to propose, she is overwhelmed by the hostile reception.

Great extended cast too, including Craig T. Nelson & Diane Keaton as the parents with Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Elizabeth Reaser and Luke Wilson as the kids and (an underused) Claire Danes. I enjoyed everyone's character here and was entertained by the mayhem throughout, even surprised by some of the events. Great acting from all amid moments of humour and even some heartbreak (Keaton has a couple of very raw scenes). 12/23/14

I must disagree with many of the film's critics who found this to be a pleasant and amusing view of a complicated family holiday reunion. Perhaps because of my background as a mental health professional, I found this to be a very confusing and inconsistent attempt to picture what could have been a funny family event. The writers touched so many bases that one wonders if five families could have contained the many quirks, pathologies and eccentricities found in this single unit. My overall impression was of the incredible nastiness this family displayed toward the fiancée of the eldest son, a person no one but the youngest daughter had ever met, but who became the target of hostility, primarily based on the report given by the nasty little sister. The fact that the parents were incapable of maintaining even a modicum of civility or to set the example for the children, speaks to their dysfunction rather than the humor of the situation. Yes, I realize that a terminal illness was also an issue, and yes, Keaton is a fine actress, but her character failed the test of grace--more the writer's fault than Keaton's.

I think that what would actually have happened in this situation is that either the eldest son would have upbraided his family for their boorish and cruel behavior, taken his fiancée and left(if he was really committed)telling them they could call him when they grew up; or, the fiancée, seeing that he was not really committed, would have left, herself. However, had either of these things happened, the movie would have been about 20 minutes long, too short for Roger Ebert to have waxed eloquent.

The Family Stone (2005) surprised me in a very good way. All of the actors did very well with the script and with both the funny and dramatic scenes. Sarah Jessica Parker earned a golden globe nomination for this movie, very well deserved! Sarah nailed both her dramatic and humorous dialogue in the various scenes. Of course Diane Keaton did very well in her own character, along with Craig T. Nelson (Poltergeist). Rachel McAdams did a great job as well, and Claire Danes was my favorite character in the entire movie. The script, storyline, and dialogue between characters was all very sharp and well written in my opinion. This movie actually has some pleasing surprises and twists that you definitely do not see coming, at least I didn't! Overall this is a fun, entertaining, funny, dramatic, well acted, and well written holiday film that will warm your heart and for sure make you laugh! 7/10 for The Family Stone.

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.

This is from someone who has seen FAMILY STONE THREE times!

But BEFORE diving in.....FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Title's Content and Context:

The Previews of The Family Stone seemed to hold out the promise of a genuinely light and thoroughly amusing comedy, perhaps a bit over-the-top, but focused on the cultural differences between a very liberal family, (giving the impression that the parents were, perhaps, "Hippies" back in the 60's) and a super-conservative and tightly wound woman, engaged to one of their sons.

The problem is that the film showcased in the theatrical trailer plus the marketing campaign launched to promote it, vs. The actual movie you see in the theater have absolutely nothing in common! Unfortunately, previews sole raison d'etre apparently is to get people into the theater. It doesn't seem to matter in the least to these people if the expectation generated by the short is totally out of sync with the experience given by the film.

Thusly, it is easy to understand the plethora of reviewers who were livid with these bait and switch tactics! At its core, Family Stone is much more of a serious film that attempts to underscore the importance of cohesive family life, and how family unity can overcome obstacles that initially seem insurmountable, such as sharing and then getting over the pain of the loss of one of their own.

The cast is remarkable. Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson, Dermot Mulroney, Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Craig T. Nelson. Almost all of them renowned actors, who conform a superb ensemble cast. If you enjoy family dramas with a healthy dose of comic relief, Family Stone is far and away better than most films of its kind...

8******** STARS.... ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!