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The Family Stone Our rating: Rate this movie   MPAA rating: PG-13 (for some sexual content including dialogue, and drug references) Genre: Comedy, Drama, Holiday Theater release: December 16, 2005 by 20th Century Fox Directed by: Thomas Bezucha Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes Cast: Diane Keaton (Sybil Stone), Craig T. Nelson (Kelly Stone), Dermot Mulroney (Everett Stone), Sarah Jessica Parker (Meredith Morton), Rachel McAdams (Amy Stone), Luke Wilson (Ben Stone), Tyrone Giordano (Thad Stone), Brian J. White (Patrick Thomas), Claire Danes (Julie Morton) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

There seem to be two types of holiday family dramas: the kind that move you with an inspiring poignancy (think Meet Me in St. Louis or It's a Wonderful Life), and the kind that make you think, Well, at least my family isn't that bad (think Home Alone or Home for the Holidays). The Family Stone is definitely one of the latter category.

Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) reassures his girlfriend Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker), who is nervous about meeting his family

At the outset we see Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Everett (Dermot Mulroney) heading to his family's house for Christmas. She's the nervous girlfriend meeting the family for the first time, he assures her they'll love him. Oh, the poor naïve souls. Have they never been to a cinematic family holiday gathering before?

Before they arrive at the magnificent Tudor house that will serve as dysfunction junction over the next week, we meet the rest of the Stones. There's Mom, Sybil (Diane Keaton), who's both universally accepting and outspokenly caustic. Dad, Kelly (Craig T. Nelson), is the long-suffering peacemaker of the family. Pregnant daughter, Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser)—who has a world-wise ten-year-old daughter, Elizabeth (Savannah Stehlin), in tow—appears to be the most normal one in the family (read: she's the most unexplored character). The rest of the large, bustling brood seem to come straight out of the Stereotyped Family Handbook. There's Amy (Rachel McAdams), the snarky single daughter complete with her frumpy clothes and NPR tote bag. Ben (Luke Wilson) is the slacker son who's unshaven and mismatched and whose inappropriate antics are laughed off by the rest of the family. Thad (Tyrone Giordano) is the gay son, who also sports the family disability—he's deaf. His partner, Patrick (Brian J. White), is African American, and they're trying to adopt a baby together. Everett is the overachieving eldest child. And Meredith is the anal-retentive girlfriend the large messy family is prepared to hate.

Diane Keaton stars as family matriarch Sybil Stone

The first third of the movie centers on Meredith's introduction to the Stone clan. As you can predict, it doesn't go well. There are many mean comments and lots of storming out of rooms. What I kept waiting for, to no avail, was some back story on why Meredith is so prim and pinched. "You know this is hard for me," she whines to Everett about meeting his family, and I figured an explanation was forthcoming—an abusive mother, a personality disorder, a childhood spent in the care of wild dogs, something. Nope. She's just humorless. And for some reason, Everett really digs her. These are the first two of many unanswered "why"s strewn throughout the movie.

Everett digs Meredith so much he's planning to propose to her on Christmas, an act his entire family seems bent on discouraging, especially his grumpy mom who refuses to give him the previously promised family ring to pass along to this woman. And just when we think the movie is going to turn on the Meredith axis, we learn there are bigger issues afoot. This isn't just an introducing-the-pinched-girlfriend-nobody-likes drama, this is a Family Drama. There's a secret illness in the family. Meredith's sister, Julie (Claire Danes), shows up at Meredith's request for backup—turning a couple of romances on their ear. And then there's a tangential and painfully awkward discussion about homosexuality at dinner one night after which Meredith storms off … again.

A kitchen disaster leads to laughter for Amy (Rachel McAdams, left), Sybil, and Meredith

But this time it isn't Everett who goes after her, it's slacker brother Ben who's the only Stone who's shown her any kindness since she arrived, though mostly by hitting on her. He takes her to a bar where he gets her drunk and dispenses the root of her problem: "You have a freak flag, you just don't fly it." At this astounding revelation, something seems to break loose in her. Finally. Also finally, Everett decides to go in search of Meredith, and her sister, Julie, decides to join him. Except that they seem to do more chatting cute on the main street of their quaint town than earnestly searching for their MIA loved one. In fact, Everett seemed instantly smitten with Julie the minute he picked her up from the bus station. Why? Well, as far as I could tell because she wears her lovely blonde hair down and flowing instead of in a fussy little bun like her sis. Otherwise, who knows? Throughout the evening, new love alliances are made, and no one in the family seems fazed by the sibling switcheroo. Again with the unanswered whys. Why these sudden affections? Why is no one surprised by the swap?

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