Reel Jolly Series: “The Family Stone” (2005)

Throughout the month of December, I will be working on my holiday review series called the Reel Jolly series. In this series, I will be taking a look at some selections from the Dietrich Theater’s 12 Movies of Christmas festival and some festive movies you can find on streaming.

So, let’s kick things off with the 2005 comedy “The Family Stone,” which can currently be streamed on Hulu and Peacock.

Everett Stone wants to bring his girlfriend, Meredith Morton, to meet his bohemian Connecticut family at Christmas. Straitlaced Meredith, feeling she needs backup, asks her sister Julie to come along.

Hoping to win the approval of her boyfriend’s parents Sybil and Kelly and the rest of the family, instead Meredith succeeds only in highlighting her uptight personality and making Everett doubt his intentions.

The 2005 holiday comedy “The Family Stone” delivers a great blend of humor and heartfelt emotion, a stellar ensemble cast and a realistic portrayal of a messy but loving family navigating a challenging holiday gathering. Since its initial release, the movie has become a cult classic for many who appreciate its honest, and sometimes uncomfortable, depiction of family dynamics and grief. This 2005 holiday movie is also one of those movies that have a “love it or hate it” reception.

The characters in the movie, who do have some flaws, can seem authentic and the interactions between the family members feel pretty real most of the time. The movie also captures the feeling of a tight-knight family that is simultaneously supportive and judgmental, which can resonate with some people that have personal experiences of holiday chaos and inherent family love.

“The Family Stone” also has the ability of balancing screwball comedy with serious drama and very sentimental moments, which can easily appeal to many viewers. It also doesn’t shy away from tense and awkward moments and there are quite a few tense family moments in this movie. A lot of the awkward/tense moments involve the Meredith Morton character (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), who’s a character that you can relate to, but also can be difficult to like during a few scenes.

Luke Wilson, who portrays the very laid back Ben, provides a lighter form of humor that

will easily have you laughing during most of his scenes. His laid-back attitude about everything and his flirtation with Meredith serves as a funny contrast to his brother Everett’s seriousness and the general family tension. One thing I really liked about his character is that he sometimes likes to break the family tension with his comedic moments.

One of the most emotional moments of this movie is when Sybil (played by Diane Keaton) is telling each of her adult children that her illness has returned which will leave some people teary-eyed. When we see the family reunited the following Christmas, Sybil’s absence is heavily felt and, I’ll admit, it got me a little teary-eyed for sure.

Now, while I thought this is a fine watch, there will be some people who may not like the inconsistent tone, which shifts from light-hearted comedy into some heavy drama that also features the terminal illness storyline.

“The Family Stone” received a mixed response from critics and audiences, primarily, due to its polarizing blend of sharp comedy and heartfelt family drama. Despite the mixed initial reviews, the movie has gained a cult following and is considered a holiday staple by many, appreciated for its messiness, emotional truth, and depiction of an impactful, yet loving, family.

MPA: Rated PG-13 for some sexual content including dialogue, and drug references   (runtime 103 minutes)   (Hulu/Peacock)

• 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. Since the script called for eight characters to use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with or interpret for Thaddeus, early rehearsals included a crash course in ASL. The cast members and some critics pointed out that their ASL use was sub-par, but it was a realistic portrayal of a hearing family's use of ASL, which is often perfunctory at best.

• When Luke Wilson is telling Meredith about Everett's allergy, Sarah Jessica Parker shouted "I DIDN'T KNOW" in one take as a joke. You can tell as Luke Wilson genuinely laughs.

• Playing the glue that holds the family together, Diane Keaton was the first actor approached to star in the film. Keaton has stated that she was instantly drawn to her role, as the many layers to Sybil's personality allowed her "to explore so many, often conflicting, emotions".

• Billy Crudup and Johnny Knoxville were expected to play the roles of Everett and Ben Stone before dropping out. The part later went to Luke Wilson. Aaron Eckhart was first cast in the role of Everett but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

• It was released in the United States on December 16, 2005, and was a commercial success with a worldwide gross of $92 million.