The Family Stone

Is it just me or does the poster for this movie look like someone is flipping you off?

The first thing I have to say about The Family Stone is that it's not quite as much of a comedy as the marketing efforts might lead one to believe. I was thinking it was going to be something along the lines of "Meet the Parents," but it was way too serious and much less goofy. The film maintains a rather lighthearted tone for the most part and was pretty funny as well, but there was a much heavier dose of drama then I had anticipated. I liked the movie quite a bit, but the mood often alternated from dramatic to funny to extremely awkward and back again.

This is your basic clash-of-personalities set up. Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) is coming home for Christmas with her boyfriend, Everett (Dermot Mulroney), to meet his family for the first time. Meredith is extremely reserved and old-fashioned, which is an instant mismatch with the relaxed and easy-going Stone family. Amy Stone (Rachel McAdams), having already met Meredith during a visit to New York, warns everyone that Meredith is completely uptight and snooty, with an abhorrent habit of clearing her throat. Absolutely disgusting. So, when Meredith offers everyone a well-mannered handshake instead of a hug, the family summarily dismisses her as being a very horrid person indeed. After a series of awkward interactions with the family members and some appallingly cold treatment from Amy, Meredith decides it's a bit too much for her to handle and checks into a hotel room while calling her sister, Julie (Claire Danes), in for backup. When Julie finally makes it out to the house, however, Meredith becomes even more disheartened when she sees the entire Stone family take an instant liking to her sister.

There are actually several other little subplots occurring aside from the main "everyone hates Meredith" storyline, some of which are funny and others that are quite serious and dramatic. Certain scenes were downright awkward, and not in a comedic way. This really threw me off at first, but thankfully I didn't feel completely sucker punched, as the funny parts really were pretty hysterical when they occurred. Even when things started to get a bit heavy, I could always count on Luke Wilson's character, Ben Stone, to do or say something funny that eased not only the other characters' tension but the audience's as well. But it was strange at first, having to get used to the oscillating tones of the film.

This is a movie that I definitely recommend, but only if one doesn't expect a 100% goofy comedy, because while I really enjoyed the funny scenes—of which there are many—I can't say that this film was marketed properly. I wasn't pissed at this unexpected serious side like I was when watching "Prime," probably because this story was consistently engaging whereas Prime was neither funny nor interesting. You'll get your money's worth with this movie, but only if you want to watch a comedy/drama. If that's the case, then you will enjoy the well-balanced Family Stone.