Greetings & salutations fellow movie goers from around the world. Today’s Flashback Review is a Christmas Comedy-Drama my aunt & uncle (special shout-out to Aunt Brenda & Uncle Gabe) took me to see when I was a pre-teen is one of my personal favorite Christmas movies called, “The Family Stone.”
The Family Stone was released in 2005. (same year Revenge Of The Sith came out) It received mixed reviews from critics. Despite a divisive reaction, it managed to recoup expenses at the box office. The Family Stone went on to earn Sarah Jessica Parker a Golden Globe nomination. Thus, rejuvenated her career after HBO’s “Sex In The City” ended, until two feature length films came out in 2008 & 2010.
Today’s review doesn’t contain any crucial SPOILERS whatsoever. Feel free to read my non-spoiler article. Does it still hold up? Well let’s find out shall we?
Nice & Naughty Elements
Nice: The Main Cast including Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Craig T. Nelson, Luke Wilson & Claire Danes all did a great job for their respective performances.
Fun Fact: Rachel worked with Owen & Luke Wilson in separate films such as “Wedding Crashers” & The Family Stone. Rachel & Owen reunite in Woody Allen’s (a sicko) “Midnight In Paris.”
Humor contains a “Fish-Out-Of-Water” scenario for Sarah’s character, Meredith interacting with her boyfriend’s quirky family, snarky one liners from Rachel McAdams (Regina George from Mean Girls in a nutshell) & awkward moments between Meredith & The Stone Family.
Cinematography looked decent without suffering from any technical problems throughout.
Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Star Wars: Rouge One, Star Trek reboot film series) composed music for the film.
Character Development involving Meredith & The Stone Family. As the film progresses, they begin to flesh out. The latter aren’t just characters you identified in a sitcom, they behave like real people.
Members of The Stone Family are very memorable and never easy to forget. Each one has a colorful personality.
Sarah & Diane reunite since they worked together in “The First Wives Club.”
Opening Credits resembles Christmas pictures you see at a Hallmark store. You know the place where it sells greeting cards? The opening indicates you’re invited to come over whether you’ll laugh or cry. Maybe both.
Meredith’s visit with The Stone Family, is relatable for people who visit his/her boyfriend/girlfriend’s family leading to awkward situations. Hilarity Ensues when it comes to meeting eccentric family members.
Meredith telling a story about how she met her boyfriend, Everett was played for laughs when one of The Stones bangs the back of her head against a chair. It’s as if the movie is self-aware.
If you’re a huge fan of Marvel or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, (MCU for short) like me, one of Star-Lord’s songs from his Awesome Mix Vol. 1 is in this movie.
Luke Wilson’s character is named, Ben Stone. Three Years Later, Seth Rogen played a character also named Ben Stone in Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up.” Does it really mean that The Family Stone & Knocked Up are interconnected in some form of multiverse? Where’s Dr. Strange when you need him? Seth Rogen & Judd Apatow are real life potheads.
One of the Stone family member Susannah watches a classic Christmas movie on television which is also one of my favorite Christmas related movies. If you’ve already seen The Family Stone, you probably know why.
Without giving too much away, something very shocking happened to one of the main characters.
My favorite line is “You’re the worst!” I’m giving it an Extra Point for making me laugh so hard.
I’ll try not to spoiler it for you, The Ending is somewhat subtle, but bittersweet. Can’t tell you how it ends. Be sure to bring some tissues:
The film’s title is a triple reference to a heirloom ring, and two famous bands we know are “The Rolling Stones” & “Sly & The Family Stone.”
Naughty: An early relationship unintentionally occurred between two people. In real life, it’ll take a week or two for a guy & a gal to get to know one other, before a relationship is established. Ugh! I dislike this trope.
The Final Verdict: A-
The Family Stone is a very enjoyable Christmas Comedy-Drama filled with all the positive aspects I’ve listed as Nice. As a reminder, it is one of my personal favorite Christmas movies of all time. If you have nothing to do during the holidays, I highly recommend it for you, your boyfriend/girlfriend or family members.
To this day I’m still puzzled on why The Family Stone is a divisive holiday film. Seriously! That was an enjoyable film from beginning to end!
Nickthemoviecritic.com 