The Family Stone (2005)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Thomas Bezucha

Writer (WGA):

Thomas Bezucha (written by)

Release Date:

16 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Feel The Love.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Deaf | Secret | Ring | Brother In Law

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

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 J. White	...	Patrick Thomas (as Brian White)
Elizabeth Reaser	...	Susannah Stone Trousdale
Paul Schneider	...	Brad Stevenson
Savannah Stehlin	...	Elizabeth Trousdale
Jamie Kaler	...	John Trousdale
Robert Dioguardi	...	David Silver
Carol Locatell	...	Jeweler

Also Known As:

Hating Her (USA) (working title)
Untitled Thomas Bezucha Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:MG6 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Finland:K-3 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Taiwan:GP | Sweden:Btl | Mexico:B | Sweden:7 | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:12 | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Hungary:14 | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:6 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Connecticut, USA

Company:

The Family Stone

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.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Some scenes of the Family Stone's "New England town" were actually filmed in the Borough of Madison, NJ. No problem there - it could pass for a New England town. However, an aerial shot of the town square clearly shows a New Jersey Transit train pulling out of the station -- definitely not something one would ever see in a New England town!

Quotes:

Meredith Morton: What's so great about you guys?
Sybil Stone: Uh, nothing... it's just that we're all that we've got.

Movie Connections:

References "Survivor" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Joy to the World

Trailers do not do it Justice

I totally agree with The Unemployed Critic that the trailers (and the poster) for "The Family Stone" are misleading, and ultimately an insult to the film. My husband and I are cinema addicts, but the trailers convinced us that we could live without another silly and predictable "clash of family cultures" movie. Fortunately the good-to-glowing reviews in American and Australian papers encouraged us to at least give the film a chance. We were rewarded with great writing and acting, lots of laughs and some tears. "The Family Stone" was my favourite of the many movies we saw over the Holidays -- but we almost missed out on it, due to bad Marketing.