I watched it on 2006–04–09, Sunday.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356680/

This is, by far, the worst movie I’ve seen this century.

“The Family Stone” (2005) is unbelievably shallow, empty, void, meaningless and predictable. This film opens a dangerous precedent, since it is supported by a decent budget and it casts decent actors and actresses, yet it utterly fails to reward the viewer. This is a fraud – it literally gives you the finger!

The story is so limited that it goes exactly, and as superficial, as follows: (1) one big family (three brothers, two sisters) gets together for Christmas; (2) one of the brothers brings in his “uptight” fiancé, and that will spark stressful situations among all; (3) in the end, the contained emotions will burst and flip events.

It probably reads “good enough” – and it does have “good enough” potential –, but it is so soooo poorly executed that it is legit to think that someone was lobotomized to give green light to things as they are.

All the action happens at the claustrophobic family house. Now, just check how hard, and uber-artificially, the movie tries to reach different viewers: the “uptight” woman is performed by Sarah Jessica Parker…; one of the brothers is mute, gay, living with his black lover and both are trying to be adoptive parents; one of the sisters is pregnant, living alone, not caring about who is her “current husband” and already a mother of a very annoying little girl; Luke Wilson – aka “the Cop” – tries to perform the “opposite of uptight” character; finally, everyone else is on a robe, from start to finish.

Really scary.

My rating: 0/10 (yes, zero)

Buy it at: amazon.co.uk ; amazon.com ;

The_family_stone_2005_1

Above, poster.

The_family_stone_2005_2

Left to right: the “uptight”, the gay, the bitch, the annoying girl, the cop that never was.