MovieChat Forums > The Family Stone (2005) Discussion > Motivations... Everyone hates this movie...

Motivations... Everyone hates this movie except my entire family.

posted 12 years ago by comedygold
4 replies | jump to latest

I find it interesting reading WHY people have such passion against this movie. My family is very similar in so many ways to the Stone family: tight circle, laid back and liberal yet also overly judgmental if you are different, and quick to talk behind your back. Not to this extreme, but these character traits needed to be amped up in the movie because they only have two hours and with all those characters, there was no time to be subtle or to develop slowly. It's a movie, ya know? I also found this family to have similarities to A LOT of modern-day Americans. It's a cynical and catty world we live in today.

Motivations...
I think haters are too quick to disregard the effects that Sybil's ongoing health status was supposed to have had on the characters. Before they even find out how bad it is this last time, they had already been affected by past battles. It is not overtly discussed or made clear to the audience because that is not how they carry themselves.

I myself once had cancer (the year before this movie), my family still joked viciously, and we never lost a beat with being snarky.

Sybil wanted an unrealistic perfect girl for Everett before she passed.
Everett wanted to hurry and get married either to fix mom or, more likely, just to give her that eldest son's marriage before she died. (this happens a lot with families)

Amy was Amy and I know A LOT of them.

Kelly was worn down. The dinner table showed it. He did feel bad about it after.
(they all seemed to acknowledge their behavior during different points in the story)

About the dinner...absolutely the Stones were sensitive and quick to spew venom at people that didn't accept Thad and his life. Families that have lived with, and are used to, atypical situations within their family are often quick to set-up questioning people JUST so they can have that fight. It's unfortunate and ugly but many people are often overly-defensive about such things and are quick to fight outsiders.

The Stones are flawed, catty, very passive aggressive, and sometimes plainly mean. Still, they are character examples of many more of your neighbors than most of you want to accept. Harsh and cold on the outside but actually quite warm when they take their heads out of their own asses. Just like my family.

[–] doughdee222 12 years ago

I too have been reading the comments on IMDB and am surprised at all the hate people have for The Family Stone. I love this movie, have since I saw it in the theater. Saw it again last night and I still give it a 4/5 rating. It's not perfect but a good, solid holiday film.

Many complain the family is full of jerks who don't give Meredith a chance. I agree that Amy is a jerk, but then if her report of her initial meeting with Meredith is accurate (which it seems to be) she's earned the right to be a bit jerky. Maybe she pushed it too far, but as you say Amy is Amy.
The rest of the family does give Meredith a chance, again and again. But she is so awkward and clueless the chances are lost on her. At what point do you stop being polite and start laughing at the comical person in front of you? Maybe if she just shut up once in a while... (And take off those goddam shoes! High heels in the winter with snow and ice on the ground? How dumb are you, Meredith?) She makes a lot of mistakes and patience wears thins. Particularly since Meredith might be ruining the mother's last Christmas, the last time the family will truly be together and whole.

I like the characters and how they were portrayed. I completely bought that this was a family and that everyone knew everyone all their lives. Everyone was totally comfortable with everyone else and that's the way a real, loving family should be. I like this family so much I wish it was real and I could marry into it, or have them as neighbors.

About that dinner: Meredith thinks she's saying something new and fresh that no one has heard before. But the family members have heard and thought all this through repeatedly, years ago. They are probably just tired of the old ideas Meredith is talking about. Again, she is clueless about the effect of her words and needs repeated hints to STFU! Even her sister understood what was going on and seemed to side with the Stones.

There are certain films that just rub people the wrong way, for whatever reason. They don't give it a chance and are forever sour on it. The Family Stone seems to be one of those films. Maybe too many people see themselves as Meredith, the outsider being introduced to a tight-knit group. But the film is not named Meredith, its about the family first and she is second.

Ah well, it's not my responsibility to sway the masses to love what they don't want to love. Maybe it will take ten or twenty years for it to take it's place as a Christmas classic, as I believe it will, someday.

-Doughdee222

"It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy... Let's go exploring!"

[–] setokaiba238 12 years ago

Most people do have at least a few qualities the Stone family has, but I've never known any group of people who's bad qualities are anywhere close to as extreme as this. As for the cancer excuse, the characters don't gain many sympathy points because pretty much everyone at that age has problems in their family (i.e. debilitating health of family members, divorce, drug use). In fact, compared to many people I know (who are way more pleasant than this family) the Stone family got off easy with only having one major problem.

However, I think the issue most people have with this movie is less about the family and more about the message behind the movie. It's a Christmas movie with a very flawed lesson: When a gang of people beat you down, and humiliate you the right thing to do is conform. Also the unrealistic girlfriend swapping and underdevelopment of most of the characters doesn't help much.

[–] lensue88 12 years ago

I like this movie, I'm watching it now (every Christmas). I can't imagine meeting a large family for the first time at Christmas. It would also be tough to be conservative in a family of liberals (and vice versa). Meredith is uptight, they were rude but the number one son's girlfriend would have a hard time. She does start off wrong taking the room and then booting the mom and sister just because her sister calls?! The dinner scene is inexcusable, no one would give continue stating their views after the Stones reactions. Luke Wilson is the best character here (where has he been?)

[–] Sare0511 12 years ago

Great posts, Comedygold and Doughdee. Completely agreed.

"Internet troll" is not a good resume-builder. Find new interests.