| The basic story is this:
Everett (Dermot Mulroney - one of the weirdest sounding
names in Hollywood) is bringing home the woman he is
intending to marry to mom, dad, sister, sister, sister's
husband, sister's daughter, sister's unborn child,
stoner brother, gay brother and gay brother's life
partner (I think that gets 'em all) to meet for the
first time. Rachel McAdams (sister number two) is
the only one who's met her before and she wasn't
impressed. Now they're all going to spend the
holidays together. The Stone Family is a very
liberal, hippy, wacky family, and Everett's girlfriend
looks about as much fun as a Nazi/S&M Dominatrix with
extremely bad PMS. She seems all business and
nervous as hell. Extremely tightly straight-laced
she is thrown with no outside support smack dab into the
home of the Stones. And comedy
ensues. Right? Kind of. This is not a
screwball comedy, at least not at its core, as Roger
Ebert seems to think it is. What it is, is a story
of the true definition of being judgmental and the
humilty one must have to achieve being truly not
judgmental. Sort of a "let he who is without sin
cast the first stone" (he-he) kinda thing.
Sarah Jessica Parker, who might indeed
be the nicest person in existence for all I know, plays
the uptight Meredith and plays it to a tee. I have
issues with her, and with her hair pulled back, the
woman actually frightens me a little. She looks
like she's perpetually ready to kick me in the balls.
But that's just me. This look however, does
wonders for her part, and as the movie progresses, her
excellent acting skill allowed even me to rethink my
opinions on her as a person, let alone a character.
Frankly, this was the perfect part for her, and she does
it admirably.
Essential to the story is the gay
brother and his lover, who make up a major part of the
vehicle by which we come to understand that our wacky,
all-accepting family is not as perfect as they might
think they are. Ever eager to show their own
acceptance, they immediately spurn anyone who doesn't
seem willing to do the exact same thing. Irony.
But yet still, it isn't that simple.
Mom is convinced, and with cause, that Meredith is wrong
for her boy Everett, son number one and hero of the
family. Dad, more willing to try, is too
distracted by other, deeper issues being hidden from the
rest of the family to help, and Craig T. Nelson does a
wonderful job with this part. (By the bye, this is
the second time I've seen him play a very cool, good
father who happens to like smoking pot on occasion -
where was sighting number one, movie fans? I'll
tell you at the end.)
Things go horribly and comically wrong
and Meredith, rather than giving up, instead calls in
back-up: her sister Julie. Julie is played (again,
perfect casting) by Claire Danes, who I would do
terrible and wonderful things to given the opportunity.
After Meredith puts her foot in her mouth again and is
overly punished for it over dinner, the real circus
begins.
I highly recommend this movie, despite
the fact that it takes a little while to get going.
The first half hour seems a little slow, as though
writer/director Thomas Bezucha isn't sure yet how to
mesh the comedy and drama together. While the
beginning is still charming and enjoyable to watch, it's
much trumped by the rest of the movie that moves much
swifter and figures out how to intermingle these two
very human states of being.
***SPOILER WARNING***
Now, what kicked my overly-emotional
ass, was a situation involving sickness. In what
is one of the tenderest and most beautifully painful
moments I've seen on film in some time between a husband
and wife, the great Diane Keaton and the excellent Coach
(Craig T.) demonstrate what true marital love is.
In a tender and almost love-filled erotic moment, a
shocking reveal shows a mastectomy scar that practically
knocked me out of my seat. It's been hinted at for
some time that Mom is sick, and what we find out is that
she's dying of breast cancer. This hit me right
where I live, as breast cancer is a very real thing in
the life of one of the women I most respect in my life.
No fault of the film maker, I was taken out of the movie
and crying for a good five minutes after that.
Thanks for the escape, Hollywood. But the scene is
essential to the heart of the movie and wonderfully
executed by actors and director alike.
***END OF SPOILER***
Again, The Family Stone is not
a great movie, but it is a great watch as well as movie
that will spur much discussion and thought if you are
even half aware of having a family of your own. I
heartily recommend it.
As far as the last time Craig T.
Nelson was a great dad who liked his weed... see
Poltergeist.
Kinda makes you wonder: Was it
in the script or does Coach hang out with Willy Nelson? |
