SJP and the Family Stone

Hey everyone! The Family Stone is a new movie I've been really looking forward to - the cast was stellar (Rachel McAdams, my fav, the return of Sarah Jessica Parker, and a little Luke Wilson thrown in - what more could I want), plus it was a Christmas movie (I saw it pre 12/25, so this review is kind of old). It pretty much lived up to my expectations. The Family Stone is one of those movies that have so many awkward moments that you leave it utterly thankful for relative normalcy of your own family. SJP stars as Meredith, girlfriend of Dermut Mulroney's Everett. The two travel to Everett's family home for Christmas. What awaits them is a big loving liberal family that's comfortable with its own members but not too willing to welcome an outsider - particularly one as haughty and stiff as Meredith. Stone has proved that Parker does not have a face for the big screen - that sounds mean - but it's unfortunately true. I loved loved loved her Carrie (most of the time) on Sex & The City and found her attractive on the show despite some of wacko outfits wardrobe put her in each week. Maybe part of the problem with her looks in Stone was the role itself. She played an extremely uptight, driven perfectionist. Her hair was scraped back from her head tightly in a bun emphasizing her face (nose, mole and all) and her clothes seemed to magnify just how taut and wiry her body is. The contrast with Everett's family - relaxed, even sloppy, and almost soft to the point of blurriness was extreme. The Stone family, with the exception of Luke Wilson's Ben joins forces against Meredith. At first the ringleader is Everett's bratty younger sister Amy, played by Rachel McAdams to perfection. She knows precisely what to say to push every one of Meredith's buttons. But the lead hater turns out to be Everett's mom, Sybil, (Diane Keaton). Sybil initially comes off as kind of wacky and funny but she eventually treats Meredith so rudely that the audience just shifted around in discomfort. We eventually learn she has another reason for being so bitchy - though this was supposed to make Sybil more sympathetic, it didn't work for me. What did work for me is most of the movie. When they're not being horrifically mean to Meredith, the Stone family is fun to watch, particularly in a chaotic fight scene toward the end of the movie that had the audience laughing hysterically. The movie has a few twists and turns and some things work out in the end but others don't. I like that it wasn't quite as straight forward as most Christmas dramedys. Several leaps of faith are called for - such as how a little alcohol can basically transform Meredith's personality - but it wasn't anything I didn't mind watching. In fact, The Family Stone was compulsively watchable - awkward moments or not.

-sunday

Boulder Bumpersticker of the Day - Republican Healthcare Plan: Don't get sick.