The Family Stone (2005)

An uptight, conservative, businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family's annual Christmas celebration and finds that she's a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.

Director:

Thomas Bezucha

Writer:

Thomas Bezucha

Stars:

Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Dermot Mulroney

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claire Danes	...	Julie Morton
Diane Keaton	...	Sybil Stone
Rachel McAdams	...	Amy Stone
Dermot Mulroney	...	Everett Stone
Craig T. Nelson	...	Kelly Stone
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Meredith Morton
Luke Wilson	...	Ben Stone
Tyrone Giordano	...	Thad Stone (as Ty Giordano)
Brian White	...	Patrick Thomas
Elizabeth Reaser	...	Susannah Stone Trousdale
Paul Schneider	...	Brad Stevenson
Savannah Stehlin	...	Elizabeth Trousdale
Jamie Kaler	...	John Trousdale
Robert Dioguardi	...	David Silver
Carol Locatell	...	Jeweler

Storyline

The Stone family unites in common cause when their favorite son brings his uptight girlfriend home for the Christmas holiday, with plans of proposing. Overwhelmed by the hostile reception, she begs her sister to join her for emotional support, triggering further complications.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | secret | deaf | tension | ring | 

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Taglines:

Feel The Love.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content including dialogue, and drug references

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English American Sign Language

Release Date:

16 December 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hating Her

Filming Locations:

Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$559,515 (Brazil) (13 January 2006)

Gross:

$6,061,759 (USA) (24 March 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Family Stone, Fox 2000 Pictures, Michael London Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Luke Wilson chipped a tooth while filming this movie and asked Diane Keaton to recommend a dentist. Keaton decided to play a joke on him and, when he called the number she had given him, it was actually the number to a psychologist.

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Goofs

When Everett is talking to Julie at her door, asking her to get coffee with him, there is a number 2 on the door like she was at a hotel. When she closes the door and it zooms out, the door is bare.

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Quotes

Sybil Stone: [Signing to Thad after Meredith has insulted his being gay] Hey. Hey, you.
[he doesn't look her way, she tosses a fork at his plate to get his attention]
Sybil Stone: I love you. And you are more normal than any other... asshole sitting at this table. OK? OK. I need a fork.

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Connections

References The Bride Wore Black (1968)

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Soundtracks

"Home Sweet Home"
Written by John Howard Payne (as John H. Payne)
Arranged by Wally Heglin
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment

User Reviews

I did not expect to enjoy this film so much

I admit, I only rented this DVD because I like the Wilson brothers and one of them (Luke) is in it. I don't even remember this film being in the theaters. But I loved it! It was one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in quite awhile. Cinematically, it was nothing impressive, but the writing and the acting was quite good and the end actually made me cry (that's pretty hard to do). It is a rare movie where I can honestly say, everyone in the cast did a great job. And the screenwriters did a great job too. One problem with a lot of Hollywood films, for me at least, is the unbelievability of the characters or the one-sidedness of characters. All of the characters in this film were believable and had good and bad aspects to them. I guess if you are looking for a more fantasy-based storyline, this wouldn't be the film for you. The interactions are all very realistic and it plays out like a realistic holiday that could occur in just about any family. You won't come away from the film learning any great, deep lessons, but you will come away feeling entertained, and wishing that you could keep in touch with the characters to see where their lives take them.