The Family Stone

Hi All,
No, this is not a post about Sly and the Family Stone, but rather, is about the movie I watched last night. 'The Family Stone' stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Dermot Mulroney as a couple going home for Christmas. Parker plays Meredith, Everett's (Mulroney) girlfriend, who everyone in the family immediately hates. I don't know about anyone else, but Sarah Jessica will always be Carrie Bradshaw to me. Sorry, Sarah. It's hard to break from such a popular and identifiable character. I kept waiting for poor, beleagured Meredith to call Miranda and complain about how horrible this family was treating her. But, alas, no Miranda. Who was, BTW, the best character on 'Sex and the City.'
Seeing Sarah Jessica as a somewhat cold, high-strung woman wasn't entirely believable. Prior roles aside, I just don't think she was right for the part. Someone like Bridget Wilson could've tackled this role with glee. As for the rest of the family, it included some standards: Luke Wilson (The Wilson brother without a hideously deformed nose. Is it just me? Or does Owen Wilson need some serious surgery???) plays the laid-back, easy-going brother, some generic actress plays the generic sister, there's a token gay brother, and token we-don't-approve-of-this-girl parents (Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson, still making us want to call him 'Coach.'). And then there was Amy. The sister who hates Meredith right away, but comes to like her in the end. Played by one of my favorite up-and-coming actresses, Rachel McAdams. Again, poor casting. I love McAdams, but she's not meant to play the bitchy-sister role. She's too nice. And you want to root for her too much.
The plot itself was highly implausible and unrealistic. I know that movies only have two hours, maybe two and a half, to get these stories developed. But I'm sorry; you don't meet someone one day and literally the next day, you're in love with them. If that happens in real life, I want to hear those stories. I understand about the 'love at first sight' theory, which can be true mainly due to hormones and pheremones and all of that other biological stuff that tells our brains to think, "She's HOT!" or "He could do whatever he wanted with me." haha I say that about Brad Pitt all the time and Bean just shakes her head. :) That's not love though; that's infatuation. But to actually be IN LOVE with someone, takes a lot of time, I would think. I would hope.
But not for these characters! It's not spoiling anything to tell you that some miraculous connections happen in this movie. I was surprised, though, by the amount of drama in this one. There was a serious subplot about an ill family member that had me in tears at the end. Of course, I cry easy so that's no surprise. The one that takes the cake was 'Freaky Friday.' Not the Jodie Foster original, which I remember as a kid. But the new version with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan (before she became a media whore). Bean teases me still about my flooding of tears in that movie. There was a sweet mother-daugther connection at the end! It was emotional! I was PMSing! I had to cry! haha Even I laugh about that one. I cried at 'Freaky Friday.' Sheesh.

The Family Stone Grade: C-
Mildly entertaining, but unrealistic, and not all that funny. And a bit predictable.


In other news, I've been listening to The Dixie Chicks' Taking The Long Way quite a bit this week. This is a GREAT CD. I'm not sure what genre to put them in anymore, since their music really does transcend 'Country.' At first listen, I thought it was a really mellow folksy-country album. But after repeated listens, I've fallen in love (what?? haha) with their harmonies and tight rhythms. Think Fleetwood Mac if they went a little bit Country. Not that the Chicks are as good as Fleetwood! Very few people are as good as Fleetwood. But that same sense of harmony is there. I love that stuff. Once you start listening to this album, you can't get those harmonies out of your head. That's a good thing. So if you like any of their prior music, I'd say this is a must. They're very talented women.


Alternate Titles For 'The Family Stone'
1) Miracles Do Happen
2) Drama and Laughter in Winter
3) Is This Family Stoned?
4) Revenge of the Bitchy Sister
5) Good Lord, Can We Be Any More Generic?

Have a great day, All.