An uptight, liberal 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-spirite... Read allAn uptight, liberal 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.An uptight, liberal 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.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 8 nominations
- Thad Stone
- (as Ty Giordano)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWriter and director Thomas Bezucha put the nine cast members playing the Stones through several weeks of rehearsal so they would bond well enough off-camera to convincingly portray a family. This included a crash course in American Sign Language, as eight of the nine characters would be called upon to utilize American Sign Language in the script to either communicate with or interpret for the character of Thaddeus. While some critics, and the cast members themselves, pointed out that their American Sign Language use was sub-par, it was actually a realistic portrayal of a hearing family's use of the language, which is often perfunctory at best.
- GoofsSome scenes of the Family Stone's "New England town" were actually filmed in the Borough of Madison, NJ. An aerial shot of the town square clearly shows a New Jersey Transit train pulling out of the station, such trains do not run into New England.
- Quotes
Sybil Stone: [to Amy, after opening Meredith's Christmas gift, a photo of a very pregnant Sybil] That's me and you, kid.
[Amy looks up, crying and nodding]
Sybil Stone: Me and you.
- SoundtracksLet It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn
Performed by Dean Martin
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music
But BEFORE diving in.....FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Title's Content and Context:
The Previews of The Family Stone seemed to hold out the promise of a genuinely light and thoroughly amusing comedy, perhaps a bit over-the-top, but focused on the cultural differences between a very liberal family, (giving the impression that the parents were, perhaps, "Hippies" back in the 60's) and a super-conservative and tightly wound woman, engaged to one of their sons.
The problem is that the film showcased in the theatrical trailer plus the marketing campaign launched to promote it, vs. The actual movie you see in the theater have absolutely nothing in common! Unfortunately, previews sole raison d'etre apparently is to get people into the theater. It doesn't seem to matter in the least to these people if the expectation generated by the short is totally out of sync with the experience given by the film.
Thusly, it is easy to understand the plethora of reviewers who were livid with these bait and switch tactics! At its core, Family Stone is much more of a serious film that attempts to underscore the importance of cohesive family life, and how family unity can overcome obstacles that initially seem insurmountable, such as sharing and then getting over the pain of the loss of one of their own.
The cast is remarkable. Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson, Dermot Mulroney, Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Craig T. Nelson. Almost all of them renowned actors, who conform a superb ensemble cast. If you enjoy family dramas with a healthy dose of comic relief, Family Stone is far and away better than most films of its kind...
8******** STARS.... ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!
Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!
- Tony-Kiss-Castillo
- Jan 31, 2024
- Permalink
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- La joya de la familia
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $18,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $60,062,868
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $12,521,027
- Dec 18, 2005
- Gross worldwide
- $92,884,429
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1