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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 [See Full Rating] for some sexual content including dialogue, and drug references.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:16-12-2005

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

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Bezucha deftly avoids stereotypes to bring us an entertaining and honest family comedy.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/02/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Despite its flaws, The Family Stone sparkles bright with originality.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/13/05
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Just desolately average.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
12/17/05
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

Disappointing and ultimately irritating film that fails on several counts, despite a handful of strong performances.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
12/17/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
12/16/05
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
12/17/05
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
01/20/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

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

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

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

A lump of coal brightened by four diamond-sharp performances.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
12/15/05
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

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

The Family Stone shows us the world through several different sets of eyes, and, by the end, we see exactly what they see.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/15/05
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

There are cringe-worthy passages and an overly sentimental structure (everyone pairs up so very tidily), but the performances are delightful, and the picture comes together.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
12/16/05
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
Slate

It feels forcibly formulaic and yet sort of daringly original, all at the same time.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
12/17/05
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

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