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

The photo that Meredith gives to all of the family members of a pregnant young Sybil is actually a picture of young Diane Keaton. However, Keaton has never been pregnant and the photo was edited to make her look so.

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Goofs

When Ben is telling Meredith not to dilly dally, his shirt is outside of his pants. Then when he is talking to Everett it is tucked inside his pants.

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Quotes

Meredith Morton: I hope I'm not putting anyone out.
Amy Stone: *Me*. You're putting, *me* out.

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Connections

References Incident at Oglala (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Count on Me"
Written by Jesse Barish
Performed by Jefferson Starship
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label
By Arrangement with SONY BMG MUSIC 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.