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Editor's Note
Destined to be a Christmas classic, Thomas Bezucha's dazzling dramedy, THE FAMILY STONE, manages to be both warmhearted and sentimental while possessing a razor-sharp hilarious mean streak. The fairly conventional story centers on Sarah Jessica Parker's uptight career woman, Meredith, and her run-in with the eponymous Stone family. With her permanently pursed lips and severe bun, SJP looks and acts the anti-Carrie Bradshaw here as, armed with cell phone and business-suit collection, she gears up to meet her fiance's oddball family, a tight-knit, colorful clan who border on bohemian. Matriarch Sybil (Diane Keaton) and patriarch Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) are a loving couple whose diverse children are affectionate and respectful. When Meredith's humorless aura infects the homestead, it is mom Sybil and sister Amy (Rachel McAdams), who sense a romantic mismatch and attack her venomously, sparking a tete-a-tete-a-tete between three feisty females. While this Battle Royal is waged, dramatic subplots brew in the background, one involving the deaf and gay brother Thad's desire to adopt a child, and the other a rather devastating secret on the verge of exposure. It is in the emergence of Meredith's refreshingly calm and breezy younger sister, Julie (Claire Danes), entering the film with a dramatic fall from a bus exit, that brings all conflict to a head.
| Features | Region 1 | | Keep Case | | Full Frame - 1.33 | | Widescreen - 2.35 | | Audio:
| Dolby Surround - French, Spanish | | Dolby Surround 5.1 - English | | Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional | | Additional Release Material:
| Interviews: Cast Members (Q&A) | | Outtakes: Gag Reel | | Deleted Scenes: With Optional Commentary (6) | | Behind the Scenes:
| 1. Featurette | | 2. "Fox Movie Channel presents Casting Session" | | 3. "Fox Movie Channel presents World Premiere" | | 4. "Inside Look: ICE AGE 2" | | Audio Commentary:
| 1. Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney - Stars | | 2. Thomas Bezucha - Director; Michael London - Producer; Jeffrey Ford - Editor | | Trailers:
| 1. Theatrical Trailer | | 2. CONFETTI | | 3. LITTLE MANHATTAN | | 4. JUST MY LUCK | | Interactive Features:
| Interactive Games:
| 1. Family Stone sings "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" | | 2. Snow Globe Ambulance |
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| Technical Info
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Release Information
|  | Studio: TCFHE |
| Release Date: 4/15/2008 |
| Running Time: 106 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2005 | | Catalog ID: 2257763 | | UPC: 00024543234029 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
3 stars out of 5 -- "Keaton, a sorceress at blending humor and heartbreak, honors the film with a grace that makes it stick in the memory." 12/15/2005 p.162Entertainment Weekly
"Parker has a great time being the anti-Carrie Bradshaw while Keaton-as-matriarch is a particular joy -- funny, beautiful, elegant, touching, and at ease..." -- Grade: B 02/01/2006 p.61-62 USA Today
"[S]tuffed with beguiling performances -- some of them unexpectedly good..." 12/16/2005 p.6E Los Angeles Times
"[I]ts offbeat mixture of highly choreographed comic crises and the occasional bite of reality make for an unexpectedly enticing blend." 12/16/2005 p.E1 Sight and Sound
"[It is] refreshing to see a modern update on the nuclear family..." 01/01/2006 p.56 |
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