 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Family Stone
- Review Date: April 30, 2006
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2005
Common Sense Media says
Bittersweet story won't appeal to younger teens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this romantic comedy focuses on family tensions emerging when grown children come home for the Christmas holidays. Characters argue and pout; brothers fight, causing black eyes and cut cheeks. Characters drink at a bar, to the point that one passes out and doesn't remember how she ends up in her fiancé's brother's bed. One character is accused of racism, homophobia, and general "uptightness." While it's mainly comedic, the movie also includes a plot thread where a character is dying of cancer (brief glimpse of her mastectomy scar).
What's the story?
In THE FAMILY STONE, the liberal-leaning, proud Stones are upset when good boy Everett (Dermot Mulroney) brings home a bad fiancée. Granted, Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) doesn't mean to be bad. In fact, she tries very hard to be liked. But she's just tense, fretful, and sometimes ignorant, making her a target for the free-thinking Stones. The family includes parents Sybil (Diane Keaton) and Kelly (Craig T. Nelson), and the kids: deaf Thad (Tyrone Giordano) and his African American partner Patrick (Brian J. White), pregnant Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser) and her charmingly brainy daughter Elizabeth (Savannah Stehlin), pot-smoking documentary filmmaker Ben (Luke Wilson), and the wittily "mean one," Amy (Rachel McAdams). Before such judges, every word Meredith speaks seems to indict her. Only Ben supports her. He encourages her: "You have the freak flag, you just don't fly it." Flying that flag will prove Meredith's salvation.
Is it any good?
Thomas Bezucha's film means well and offers fine performances, but is in the end tripped up by holiday-family-gathering movie clichés. The point of The Family Stone isn't really measuring up, though this is, of course, the presumption of Christmas-family-gathering movies.
While it provides pleasurable moments (Susannah watching Judy Garland sing in Meet Me in St. Louis on TV, Brad finding the perfect gift for Amy), The Family Stone is, finally, less brave than Meredith, resorting at last to cookie-cutter resolutions like slapsticky fights and everyone's-happy couplings.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the family relationships. How do the kids' behaviors resemble their parents'? How do the Stones come to see their presumed open-mindedness as insular and judgmental? How might Meredith's transformation from tense to sociable (here pushed along by a night of drinking), be achieved in a less stereotypical way?
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
lost 2 hrs of my life watching this movie
The movie itself was well acted, but it seemed as if someone was pushing an agenda with this movie. They shoved every minority issue into one relationship, and I think it detracted from the story. The minority issue could have been done so much more differently and better. Definitely won't be watching this movie again.
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
liberal agenda
This movie is not about what the previews lead you to believe and on top of that, it's not a good movie. It's not developed, the love story stinks, and there is too much going on to actually enjoy the movie or the charactors. It's more liberal propoganda than a movie
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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
Good Christmas Movie
This movie was a good Christmas movie for families for kids older than 11.
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
It was intertaining but family had no Christian values
Parts of it I have to admit were touching but I left feeling that the parents were very que sera sera with their kids and there were no bounderies set for them in life. On the other hand the interaction between all of them was very loving.
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
I left the movie!!!
I was very disapointed in this movie. the preview did not show what this movie was really about, which was a liberal gay agenda. The first half of them movie was conditioning for the homesexual movement. It made the two gay partners "special"!! Everyone treated them so "special" like it was a great thing. I looked at the trailer again and I was right, it didn't show one thing about the gay stuff!!!! The rest was just caotic.
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Parent of 10 year old
August 29, 2009
AGE
depressing movie with a political agenda
I hated this movie so much that it prompted me to write my first review after throwing the movie away. I agree with the others that saw a very liberal agenda being promoted by the movie.
The character of Meredith, was a good person trying very hard to be liked and get along with a family who was very mean and unwelcoming to her. The first premise the family had for disliking her was for being rather conservative in dress, uncomfortable and had a nervous habit of clearing her throat. Their dislike for her grew worse after she asked to sleep somewhere else instead of in the same bed with her boyfriend. Things turned really ugly after she voiced her opinion of not understanding the mothers comment of why she would wish for her children to be gay. The liberal bias is further made prominent by how well loved and accepted the gay couple is portrayed throughout the whole movie. It was prominent throughout the entire movie. Even in the ending scene, the family is shown with the new baby of one of the daughters and the adopted baby of the gay couple. The grandfather gleamed when he saw the adopted baby and went to hold him. The scene seemed to portray an extra specialness to the adopted baby of the gay couple. I did not find anything about this movie funny in any way. I thought the entire movie was very depressing as a whole but especially the end. There were also 3 uses of God's name in a blasphemous way. This is definitely not a movie I would want my kids to watch, nor do I think it would even be one they would enjoy.
What other families should know:
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AGE
Good family gathering movie but some unbelievable parts
A few unbelievable story lines but the overall whole story was really good. The chaotic interaction between the family members is very familiar.
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AGE
Good family gathering movie but some unbelievable parts
A few unbelievable story lines but the overall whole story was really good. The chaotic interaction between the family members is very familiar.
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Teen, 15 years old
January 4, 2012
AGE
Review
just saw this movie, absolutely amazing by the way. after reading the comments, i noticed that its much more popular with the kids and teens than the adults (who seem to hate it). i agree that not all messages in the movie are positive but it is still a fun movie to watch. the ending is predictable but i like happy endings :)
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Thomas Bezucha |
| Cast: | Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Jessica Parker |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 102 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 16, 2005 |
| DVD release date: | May 2, 2006 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | some sexual content including dialogue, and drug references. |
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