The Family Stone (2005)

Builds up to being a touching movie about family

Ten minutes into the movie "the Family Stone" I was regretting my choice of the movie. Predictable to the extreme it seemed to have echoes in myriad family movies of recent years : Dan in Real life, The Wedding date and what have you. The family itself was not terribly likeable, the heroine was irritatingly self concious and the hero wasn't doing much to charm the audience.
BUT to enjoy this mtovie you need to be patient. This is NOT a romance! The fact that it starts out with SJ Parker visiting Mulroney's family over the holidays has little to do with their romance and whole lot to do with the undercurrets of family secrets and relationships. the characters do find love by the end and loss as well. Diane Keaton is wonderful as usual. The problem, I felt, was that there wasn't one character or couple to focus the audience's hopes on. Mulroney does an excellent job as the quiet elder son trying to make peace between his family and his girlfriend, Parker is overwrought for most of the movie and Luke Wilson is Luke Wilson. The finest part of the movie is probably in its last half hour and is worth waiting for. September 4, 2008

PREDICTABLE AND DISMAL

Where was Crow and Tom Servo from "Mystery Science Theater 3000" when this bomb came out? This movie is right up there with "Manos and the Hands of Fate" and "Swamp Women"!! What should have been a moving story of family facing a tragedy on what would be their last Christmas together ended up to be a mish-mash of neurotic family members with absolutely no chemistry, focusing on trivial and selfish matters. The film alludes briefly to Diane Keaton's terminal condition and then flicked it off like a fly on the wall. We got none of the pathos and sympathy which a condition of this magnatude demands. I'm a big fan of Sarah Jessica Parker but her character was shrewish and vapid, lacking depth (and a good make-up artist!) Her contract rider should demand that her films be in letter-box or widescreen format - the vertical frame stretch only made her look like a whippet in drag!

I have nothing good to say about the other actors because their roles were not only forgettable, but painful to watch. Only Craig T. Nelson stands out as a man who is dropped in the middle of this madhouse. He did exhibit some human characteristics while trying to corral what appears to be a foster family without any connection to each other by either nature or nurture! The writer attempted to appeal to every demographic by building a fake family of professionals, bums, blacks, gays, mommies, kiddies, terminal matriarch, and confused patriarch. DE EXPERIMENT FAIL'T, DOKTORR!! And the "Gag Reel" was so painful that it made me...well, GAG! This director must have been "The Godfather" to make this many good actors accept an offer they SHOULD have refused! August 3, 2008

The Story is Predictable

This movie is almost painful to watch. It is another movie portrayed as a comedy in the trailers, but it turns out that if you've seen a trailer, you've seen every funny part already. It's a drama and not a very good one at that. The writing fails a potentially good story line. The viewer isn't given enough time to believe that Everett could actually fall out of love with the main character and in love with her sister based on knowing her for half a day. Bad writing! June 10, 2008

Much enjoyed

This dvd I loved from the first time I saw it! Everything about the family, and hardships really touched me. I tried to buy this movie from a buyer prior to this seller. When I received it in the mail it skipped and would not allow me to access any features at all. I quickly went online and found the exact movie I wanted and a friendly and helpful seller who was honest and willing to send it out right away. Even though I have only had it for about a month I have watched it several times. May 26, 2008

Less than one star PLEASE!

My wife and I left this movie before it finished. It was the most hate filled uncomfortable movie I've been to, EVER. How in the world anyone can like this is beyond me. If my family was like this one I would never bring a future bride to meet them. I love movies (have over 1000 DVDs) but I want my money back from the people that made this floater. We should file a law suit for them even using the term movie in conjuction with this thing. May 25, 2008

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