Classic Review: The Family Stone (2005)

The Family Stone is a tearjerker that has some feverous supporters while also having haters who hate it in the same proportion. The film never seems to aim higher than being an enjoyable Christmas movie, and the fact that it has so much heated feelings about it means, for better or worse, it managed to rise above its original intent.

Everett (Dermot Mulroney) brings his girlfriend Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) home for the holidays. He intends to propose to her on Christmas morning, and he wants to do it with his grandmother’s ring. His family are going through some tough times, and besides Everett’s brother Ben (Luke Wilson), the rest of the family doesn’t welcome her very warmly, following the lead from the matriarch, Sybil (Keaton) who show her teeth the minute Meredith comes in. The father, Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) tries playing safe, but the rest of the family shows how uncomfortable they feel with her presence, especially the younger sister, Amy (McAdams) who openly disdains her every chance she has.

Meredith doesn’t help. She’s impossibly insecure and stuck up, very contrived and unease with everything. Of course, she’s an easy target, and her insecurity rises exponentially while the family gathers, including two more sons, the very pregnant Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser) and Thad (Tyrone) who is anxiously waiting with his husband Patrick (Brian White) for news about the adoption process they are doing. Things get so awful Meredith calls for the help of her sister Julie (Danes), and the moment she arrives, her connection with Everett is easily noticeable.

The Family Stone is a true ensemble film. Its cast, by far, is the biggest draw and its biggest strength. Everyone here works wonders together, let by one of the most inspired performances by Keaton in the last couple decades. This was probably the first (or one of the first) times she took the role of the matriarch, an archetype she ended up embracing the next years with ups and downs. According to the director, he knew he needed to nail Keaton as Sybil and then everything else would follow. And he was right. Her performance is what we come to expect from her, but she brings a warmth and equally balanced fierceness that makes Sybil totally magnetic.

On the far side is Parker, who also nails it here, creating a very uptight Meredith. She drives us nuts, but she is also pretty funny to watch. Parker manages to build Meredith’s transformation in a very balanced way, and even her being infuriating, we cannot help but cheer for her when we see who she is when she manages to loosen up. She has an amazing scene in the bathroom with Danes’ Julie, when we see she is enjoying her wrongdoings, but she is still trying to hold it in. Between Keaton and Parker, the entire cast seems at ease with their characters, creating a true sense of a family. Even the small characters like Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser) have a few moments to put on a good impression and Luke Wilson as Ben Stone, Danes and Craig T. Nelson are truly great as Julie and Kelly Stone. The standout, though, is McAdams, irresistible as the furious Amy.

Despite the great cast and the enjoyment The Family Stone brings, it’s also not very memorable. It’s entertaining, it’s touching in many moments (the conversation between Nelson and Keaton is beautiful) and it ends just the way it should. And that’s it. The situation between the two couples is charming but it doesn’t really make that much sense when one comes to think of it, and in some moments the characters seem really insane. That hurts the film, but the cast keeps it going forward.

still courtesy of 20th Century Studios

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