Dir. Thomas Bezucha, US, 2005, 102 mins
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel McAdams, Craig T. Nelson, Luke Wilson
Bezucha’s ensemble piece is a little like the flip-side of Wes Anderson’s ‘The Royal Tenenbaum’s’, with a family just as eccentric but who – shock horror – actually get along real swell. Hippies, gays and blacks abound in this bohemian close-knit family but one thing they can’t abide is Meredith (Parker), eldest son Everett’s (Mulroney) uptight, neurotic New Yorker girlfriend. Everett has brought her to join mom, dad, four siblings and their assorted partners for a traditional cozy New England Christmas, complete with the intention of popping the question.
It’s not that the liberal Stone Family are hard to please but Meredith confuses the hell out of them with her unfortunate manner and causes hostility with her innate ability to irritate just about everyone. It’s a real fish-out-of-water tale with Parker superbly cast against type and proving very adept at being embarrassingly but deliciously annoying.
Sensing the tide of ill feelings towards her, Meredith calls her sister, Julie (McAdam) and asks her to join the party for a bit of moral support. Unfortunately for Meredith, Julie is the complete opposite of her sister, a bright, witty conversationalist who the family soon adore. The scene is set for much soul-searching, revelations and disruptions making this one Christmas they’re unlikely to forget in a hurry.
‘The Family Stone’ – even the title suggests the concentric and rock-solid stability of the family unit – is a surprisingly feelgood movie, a great and seasonal antidote to all the tales of bickering families forced to spend time with people they dislike just because they happen to share some blood. True, it is a dark comedy, and Meredith does become the butt of many a joke, but it’s deserved and it’s character-building for her so it would appear that everyone is acting with the best intentions!
By turns rom-com, slapstick, dark, and very endearing, the film is no lightweight cotton candy; there is a moral or two, centering on being true to yourself, but also not being afraid to meet a challenge or two. It isn’t just Meredith who learns a lesson or two but the whole Family Stone – and we’re glad for them.
Terrific performances all round and a good one to take the slightly-older family to see over Christmas.
Alison Best
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