So, on New Year's Eve, we went to see The Family Stone, and I have kind of mixed feelings about it. I could review it on the film it was, or, I could review it on the film I expected it to be based on the trailers and ads.
If you've seen the ads, you know what I'm talking about: light-hearted, occasionally slapstick comedy; a story in which our fish out of water learns the true meaning of the holiday from her would-be in-laws in a series of comedic hijinx, and they learn a little something from her too. Everyone in the theater goes home with a smile on his or her face, right?
Wrong.
I won't say why, but it doesn't take a genius to read the situation in which we meet Diane Keaton's character. It sets an ominous tone for the rest of the film that is unshakeable. The SJP character, I'm assuming, is there to provide some comic relief, but the character is too completely awful to identify with on any level. Any humor gleaned from her presence is pure schadenfreude as the family reacts to her audacities with due horror and/or spite. The Stone family was so pleasant aside from their interactions with her, that the unfriendly fiance sideplot was not only unecessary, but distracting from the main drama.
That said, the movie does a few things right, namely, Rachel McAdams, Luke Wilson, and Claire Danes. These three provide the most enjoyable moments of the film and are each charming in very different ways throughout. They provide the levity and relatability that the film so desperately needs, and their performances alone make it worth a rent (or at least a TiVOing off of cable).
It looked really depressing to me. But I've never been a fan of SJP anyway (*dodges the shoes thrown her way*), and I only wanted to see this because it had cutie Rachel McAdams and cutier Luke Wilson. Now I'll wait to rent!