Cast is the only thing that shines in 'The Family Stone'
by Eleanor Ringel Gillespie

"The Family Stone" can't decide if it wants to be "The Royal Tenenbaums" or "Terms of Endearment." So it settles on old-school screwball along the lines of "You Can't Take It With You," which won best picture in 1938. But what worked then doesn't necessarily work now. And writer-director Thomas Bezucha is neither George S. Kaufman nor Moss Hart nor Frank Capra. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
The eldest son of a New England family, the Stones, brings his girlfriend home to meet his parents, brothers and sisters at the annual holiday gathering. Awkwardness, confusion and outright hostility are the result, until the Stone family comes together to prove its extraordinary capacity for love.

FILM FACTS ...
20th Century Fox
'The Family Stone'

Director: Thomas Bezucha
Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams
Run time: 102 minutes
Release date: Dec. 16, 2005
Rating: PG-13 for some sexual content including dialogue, and drug references.
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READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: C+
"The plot is motored more by convenience than credible character behavior and for much of the time, the cockles of our hearts remain unwarmed."

Austin American-Statesman: 2 of 5 stars
"It's hard to imagine why Meredith would worry a bit about being accepted by the Stones — or why audiences should cough up money to spend time with them."

The Palm Beach Post: B-
"... you may find yourself saying, 'At least no one is dying' — and then a character reveals a fatal disease."


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