The Family Stone [WS]

Director: Bezucha Thomas

Overview

A woman meets her future in-laws and discovers they don't much care for her in this comedy from writer and director Thomas Bezucha. Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) is a successful young businessman who is dating Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), and has asked her to spend Christmas with his family, with plans to ask his mother, Sybil (Diane Keaton), for the titular family wedding band and propose to Meredith on Christmas Day. Meredith is more than a bit nervous about meeting Everett's folks, and things only get worse when they arrive -- Meredith is by her nature straight-laced and a bit uptight around strangers, while Sybil and family patriarch Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) are free-thinkers who, except for Everett, have raised a family of cheerfully rebellious children, most notably younger daughter Amy (Rachel McAdams), older brother Ben (Luke Wilson), and adopted sibling Thad (Tyrone Giordano), who is both deaf and gay. Meredith and the Stone family do not get along well at first, especially Sybil, who is appalled at the prospect of Everett giving Meredith the family's heirloom wedding ring; in dire need of moral support, Meredith asks her younger sister, Julie (Claire Danes), to join her for Christmas with the Stones. However, the plan runs into a snag when Everett's head is turned by pretty Julie, and Meredith finds herself on the receiving end of attention from slobby Ben.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/02/2006
UPC:	0024543234029
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	BUENA VISTA HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00

Special Features

Closed Caption;Audio commentary by stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Dermot Mulroney; Audio commentary by writer/director Thomas Bezucha, producer Michael London, editor Jeffrey Ford and production designer Jane Ann Stewart; 6 deleted scenes with optional writer/director and editor commentary; Fox movie channel presents casting session and world premiere; Behind-the-scenes featurette; Q&A session with the cast at the screen actors guild theatre; Outrageous gag reel; "Morton family strata" recipe & more!

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Claire Danes	Julie Morton
Diane Keaton	Sybil Stone
Sarah Jessica Parker	Meredith Morton,Inn Receptionist
Rachel McAdams	Amy Stone
Dermot Mulroney	Everett Stone
Craig T. Nelson	Kelly Stone
Luke Wilson	Ben Stone
Ty Giordano	Thad Stone,Thad Stone
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
Ginna Carter	Jittery Cashier
Gus Buktenica	Bartender
Michael Pemberton	Bus Driver One
Ron Wall	Bus Driver Two
Sarah Jessica	Actor
Judy Garland	Esther Smith in "Meet Me in St. Louis"
Choice Plasencia	Church-Goer
Sylvan Shen	Shopper
Steve Alterman	Voices
John Gidcomb	Voices
Susan Leslie	Voices
Hope Levy	Voices
Randall Montgomery	Voices
Jill Remez	(Voice)
Tim Simonec	Conductor
Reazer Elizabeth	Actor
Michael Giacchino	Composer

Technical Credits

Thomas Bezucha

Thomas Bezucha	Director,Screenwriter
Jennifer Ogden	Executive Producer
Michael London	Producer
Mindy Marin	Casting,Producer
Chris Bailey	Special Effects
Peter Bucossi	Stunts
Darrin Prescott	Stunts
Joseph Livolsi	Special Effects
Melissa Strickland	Producer
Mark Sawicki	Special Effects
David Betancourt	Sound Effects
James Bolt	Sound Effects,Sound Mixer
Laurel Bridges	Sound Effects
Ted Caplan	Sound Effects
Derek Casari	Sound Effects
John Hatchitt	Key Grip
Connie Brink	Special Effects
Clark Tucker	Stunts
Scott Rogers	Stunts
Janet Paparazzo	Stunts
William E. Miller	Key Grip
Steele Hunter	Key Grip
Don Hewitt	Stunts
Mam Smith	Stunts
Jeff Wexler	Sound Mixer
Elliot Tyson	Sound Mixer
Dan Wallin	Sound Mixer
Mathew Price	Sound Mixer
Bezucha Thomas	Director

Editorial Reviews

A marvelous ensemble cast can often turn familiar Hollywood product into a surprisingly refreshing entertainment; and such is the case with The Family Stone, which features A-listers Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Claire Danes, and Luke Wilson alongside such strong character actors as Craig T. Nelson and Dermot Mulroney. An oil-and-water family reunion sets the scene as uptight career woman Meredith Morton (Parker) accompanies her boyfriend, Everett Stone (Mulroney), to his family home for Christmas. Meredith feels ill at ease among his freewheeling parents (Keaton and Nelson) and eccentric siblings, and when the inevitable blow-up occurs she begs her sensible sister (Danes) to spirit her away. And in the tradition of act-one setups, that's when things really get interesting, leading to a Christmas morning the family Stone will never forget. Writer-director Thomas Bezucha may be too eager to stuff disparate elements and characters into the film, but his players save the day with their finely tuned performances and expert comic delivery. Wilson, playing Everett's laid-back brother, sidles into the leading-man slot quite effortlessly, while Rachel McAdams, as a shrewish sister, just about steals every scene she's in. A third-act revelation, intended to be startling, won't catch any viewer by surprise, but its aftermath makes for a poignant denouement. The Family Stone may not always hit the mark, but its mixture of good-hearted warmth and laughs ensure its future as a perennial in the tradition of Jodie Foster's underrated Home for the Holidays.