The Family Stone (2005)

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 | Farce

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)
La joya de la familia (Argentina) (Colombia) (Ecuador) (Spain) [es]
Die Familie Stone - Verloben verboten! (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Esprit de famille (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Välkommen till familjen (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Aile baglari (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
I petra tou skandalou (Greece) [el]
La famille Stone (Canada: French title) [fr]
La neve nel cuore (Italy) [it]
Perheen jalokivi (Finland) [fi]
Tudo em Família (Brazil) [pt]

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:

Boom mic visible: Over Amy by the window while the family is gawking at Meredith outside when they first arrive.

Quotes:

Meredith Morton: Isn't there anybody that loves me?

Movie Connections:

Features Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Soundtrack:

Home Sweet Home

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.