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

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

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 source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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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
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]

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Just desolately average.

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

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
N/R

Click to read the article

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

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

.

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
02/17/06
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

After a bit of a rocky start, The Family Stone blossoms into a beautifully crafted morass of dysfunctionality.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
12/16/05
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

One of the things I like about The Family Stone is that the characters seem real. They may have some quirks, but they're realistic quirks, not those devised by an overly clever screenwriter.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
12/18/05
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

Busts your holiday sweets-stuffed gut with farcical laughter.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
12/15/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

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

The plot is motored more by convenience than credible character behavior and for much of the time, the cockles of our hearts remain unwarmed.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
12/15/05
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

There are just too many damn characters, with the best ones taking a backseat to the dullish love quadrangle.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
12/18/05
Kimberly Jones
Kimberly Jones
Austin Chronicle

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 movie is a holiday romantic comedy that wants to put the holiday romantic comedy out of business.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
12/16/05
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
12/17/05
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

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