on The Family Stone

There seems to be one every holiday season - the family coming together farce, advertised with enough slap to shake a stick at. This year’s entry, The Family Stone fills the screen with a tight family headed by Craig T. Nelson and Diane Keaton. The Stone family of ten, including the five children, one husband, one life partner and a grandkid, finds their ‘better’ natures emerging as golden boy, Dermot Mulroney as Everett, brings home his tightly wound girlfriend. The thought that Everett might actually propose to Meredith, beautifully played by Sara Jessica Parker, drives the family’s frenzy. Parker manages to find the vulnerability and heart behind Meredith’s external strive for perfection. From the slim black skirt to the tightly wound bun, you get the sense that Meredith on some level finds herself to be claustrophobic. Luke Wilson, as Ben, once again stole my heart as the stoner younger brother who takes the time to look behind Meredith’s frosty facade.

The acting of all the ensemble does a beautiful job of bringing this somewhat contrived story together. It’s not entirely a happy-fun Christmas movie, but it is good.

The Family Stone

• Matinee or Evening Movie: Evening
• Add to Collection: Yes
• Grade: A-