A Movie Review: The Family Stone

The Family Stone.  Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) brings his girlfriend, Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), home for the holidays to meet his family.  These include mom Sybil Stone (Diane

Keaton), father Kelly Stone (Craig T. Nelson) and siblings Amy Stone (Rachel McAdams), Ben Stone (Luke Wilson), Susannah Stone Trousdale (Elizabeth Reaser) and Thad Stone (Tyrone Giordano).  Everett and Meredith don't realize that they're running into a buzz saw driven by a handful of reasons.  First, Amy Stone has met Meredith and isn't giving the family a good report card on her.  Second, her conservative personality/politics doesn't fit in with the family.  Third, Everett informs his mother that he intends to propose to Meredith.  Add that all together and a massive clash occurs within the Stone family.  Meredith feeling defeated invites her freewill sister, Julie Morton (Claire Danes), to the mess.

The major positive about this movie is seeing a family that really cares for each other.  They aren't gathering during Christmas because it is a duty, but because they really do love each other -- this excludes newbie Meredith, of course.  Also, as soon as Claire Danes shows up, the movie just brightens 100%.  But I also think this movie has serious problems, which revolve around Meredith Morton.  We are introduced to Meredith as a hard-charging, over-controlling business woman.  She's obviously at an executive level, likely a vice president.  And yet when she meets the Stone family she is reduced to an awkward, mistake prone, politically incorrect individual. I do realize that people put on different faces when in various circumstances.  One can be confident at work and yet feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations, but Meredith just doesn't seem to show any qualities in her interactions with the Stone family that would indicate she's a successful business woman.

And as this movie is nearly a decade old, this can't be seen as a major spoiler:  Everett immediately falls for Julie as soon as he picks her up at the bus stop while Ben immediately falls for Meredith.  Now considering we have two brothers and two sisters here, this love square feels just a touch icky.

Even with the above problems I have with this movie, I'd recommend it just to see a movie that shows family members who actually care for each other versus despising each other.