Review of The Family Stone (2005) by Ben F — 10 Mar 2011

Not many people like this movie as much as they should. "The Family Stone" is without a doubt, a highly underrated movie. I thought it was very good. It's touching without a doubt, the performances are good, and as the film comes to a close, it leaves an impact on you.

Basically, it's one of those meet the family movies. Sarah Jessica Parker plays the girlfriend who has to meet her boyfriend's family. It turns out to be a disaster, but not in a silly-slapstick way. It feels real. The reason I enjoyed the movie so much was because of the execution of plot. I thought that the route that was taken was extremely original. I was very impressed.

The acting is pretty good. Diane Keaton, and Dermot Mulroney do the best jobs here. They were both excellent. Keaton did a good job of breaking your heart, as she always does, and Mulroney played a good son, with various different elements that I don't want to give away. Everyone else was good, but nothing special.

Believe it or not, I was also a fan of the cinematography. The snowish landscape sequences are shot quite well, and the whole feel of the surroundings of the house really help the tone of the film as it progresses. I don't know, I felt like it was done well.

In my opinion, don't listen to the general consensus of this film. It's actually really good. It will definitely surprise you. It surprised me, let me tell you. I sat down to watch the film thinking it was going to be garbage, but it ended up being the complete opposite for me. Believe me, it's a heart-warmer. See it.