Saturday, January 07, 2006

The Family Stone


I'm not much for movie reviews, but after seeing this movie I feel obligated to warn as many people as possible to not watch this. I am a big fan of the family get together comedies like Home For the Holidays. You know, the movie that makes fun of how crazy the main character's family is (who they were reluctant to see in the first place) but they discover by the end of the movie they aren't so different from thier family. It usually ends on a pretty good note. Well, this movie is not one of those movies. Some reviews try to put it up as one of those movies, but I warn you now to not believe them. There are a few things I wish the trailer had warned me about:

1) One of the brothers of the main character in the Stone family is a gay deaf guy with a black lover who by the end of the movie adopted a baby. They sure tried to shove as much political correctness bull sh-t into that couple as possible. Oh yes, they are portrayed as the most reasonable loving couple in the movie.

2) There is only one funny scene and part of it is shown in the trailer.

3) The movie has a political agenda, and it is very liberal. They make it very, very obvious. In the first few minutes of the movie the daughter comes in with a NPR tote bag and one of the brother's is casually warned not to have marijuana in the house. Plus look back to 1. Oh yes, I can't forget when the mother says she wished that all her sons were gay.

4) It tries to be a drama with a mother dying of cancer. It is not very successful.

Here is another review that I thought was done well:

’Twas the week before Christmas
and all through the house
was cast full of clichés
not fit for a mouse.

Mom was all foul-mouthed
and dying of cancer.
One daughter was pregnant
The other with too much to say
One son was laid back
Another was gay.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a fuss
A possible fiancé arrived arrive with son two
And the family all complained until they were blue

But I in my chair looked at my watch
Only one hour had passed, how could this be?
Hadn’t I been there already a full century?

That is the best I can do to warn you. It is a waste of money.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for the warning.

Art said...

I have to disagree with you El, on not watching this movie. Conservatives should watch it, if only to truly understand the extent of liberal bias in the media. This is one of those rare movies that makes no attempt to hide its bias. It is unique only in its honesty. The producers of this film should be embaressed by the utter ridculousness of the final product.

Jessica said...

I'm not saying the movie is good, but the producers of the film can portray whatever they want. They came up with the film, and they can make it as ridiculous as they want. I've seen a lot of shitty movies lately and it doesn't suprise me one bit that this movie might suck. I think I'll go see it just to see what you are talking about :) Knowing my weird taste in film, I might actually like it...The great thing about movies, music, and art is that there are so many different kinds that appeal to some and don't appeal to others. Thank goodness for variety eh????? I bet some funky old aunt or better yet probably someone from school I know probably liked the movie. Hahaha!!!!!

Anonymous said...

i didn't like this movie. I had one of those "i only get to see like three a year in a theater (b/c of the baby) and *this* was one of them??" moments. but mostly because of the tone was so uneven (are we trying to be funny or are we making a movie about a radical mastectomy?) and because the relationships were ultimately so shallow (one minute Sarah Jessica is going to marry brother #1, the next she's in bed with brother #2!)

For holiday movies about foul mouthed mothers with breast cancer, try Pieces of April. It's brilliant.

as for the liberal aspect, I totally see your point, El. I wouldn't mind movies like this so much if if movies with sane, normal, loving conservative families *also* got made. But they don't. Not really.

These people struck me as pretty realistic, actually (although, I agree they did try to cram a little too much political correctness into the deaf brother and partner story line). But the Diane Keaton character? Yes, I totally know her. She's one of my professors!

Anyway, I agree people should not waste their money.

I kinda wish someone would write a movie script about a kid who goes away to college and feels alienated from his conservative or republican or whatever family who, by the end of the movie, turn out to be a pretty okay and loving bunch of folks.

sigh.

whitechoclatespacegg said...

Thanks for the warning on this one. I haven't seen it yet myself and was trying to decide if I would. Now maybe I'll wait for it on cable. I thought it looked like something trying to be "Home for the Holidays" which I have always loved as one of my favorite holiday movies. Sounds like I would be disappointed in this one.

Oh, and I love "Pieces of April" that mom is insane, but it's so real.

el said...

Jess-

I'm just trying to save people from spending money on a bad movie. It was poorly made. They never developed it into a comedy or a drama (as Anastasia said). It was sh-t.

Anastasia-

Diane Keaton is one of my professors as well! She actually reminds me of my mom (probably more because she kind of looks like my mom). My parents are still confused as to why I am marrying a conservative. I don't think they'll ever accept that I'm one too. I agree they do need a movie like that.

I love 'Pieces of April'! I saw it at Thanksgiving. It is a very well made movie.