Director
Thomas Bezucha
Cast
Claire Danes….Julie Morton
Diane Keaton….Sybil Stone
Rachel McAdams….Amy Stone
Dermot Mulroney….Everett Stone
Craig T. Nelson….Kelly Stone
Sarah Jessica Parker….Meredith Morton
Luke Wilson….Ben Stone
Tyrone Giordano….Thad Stone
Brian J. White….Patrick Thomas (as Brian White)
Elizabeth Reaser….Susannah Stone Trousdale
Paul Schneider….Brad Stevenson
The Movie
I’ll be honest from the start. I have never really taken a liking to Sarah Jessica Parker. I think she is talented. I think she is attractive. I just don’t like her. Going into this movie I kept an open mind and while I still don’t like her, I love this movie.
Parker plays Meredith Morton, who is going to her boyfriend’s home for the holidays. Her boyfriend, Everett, is the golden boy of the family and this is her big chance to make that great first impression. Unfortunately for her, her up tight attitude doesn’t take well with the family. Everett’s sister Amy runs Meredith down before she even arrives at the house due to a prior meeting.
From there the normal shenanigans take place with her trying to get in good with the family but never being able to say the right thing. The Stone family doesn’t cut her any slack either and it generally leads to a hellish time for her. The only member of the family that warms to her and tries to get her to relax is Ben Stone, played fantastically by Luke Wilson.
Eventually it comes out that Everett may want to bestow “the family stone” on Meredith, which takes about as well as you would expect. Different obstacles come into play not only for Meredith, but the entire Stone family. It all plays extremely well and the ensemble cast adds so much to the storytelling that it makes the movie one that you could easily fall in love with.
While I feel that Parker and Dermot Mulroney seem to be forcing it when acting their roles, there may be a reason for that. As for the rest of the cast, Diane Keaton is amazing as the caring/overbearing mother. I cannot say enough about Rachel McAdams. If you have read my past reviews of things that she has been in or even my wrestling column, you will know that I am such a fan of hers and she does not disappoint. Luke Wilson, who always seems high to me, is awesome as Ben and the rest of the cast pulls their weight.
Story: 8/10
Acting: 8/10
Look/Feel: 8/10
Originality: 7/10
Entertainment Value: 9/10
Total Score: 40/50
FINAL Score: 8/10
The Video
Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 – This movie looks great. I’m a big winter/holiday fan and this put me right into a huge snow pile.
The Sound
5.1 Dolby Surround – No sound problems that I noticed. The movie sounded good to me.
The Extras
Featurettes:
Fox Movie Channel (FMC) presents Casting Session – Pretty much a feature about getting the cast for the film and how much trouble they had getting the film done. They actually tried to make this movie three times before it fell apart and this was the one that worked.
FMC presents World Premiere – Red Carpet interviews
October 8, 2005: Q&A with Cast at the Screen Actors Guild Theater – A really funny Q&A session that Luke Wilson totally takes over with his stories.
Behind The Scenes – Making of feature that is decent and funny.
Gag Reel – Always funny to see actors become human beings.
Deleted Scenes – Nothing of note. Some funny things but really don’t matter to the movie at all.
Meredith’s Strata: “A Morton Family Tradition” – This is actually a recipe for the special dish that Parker prepares in the movie. Hey, you don’t see this everyday on a DVD.
Score: 8/10 – That recipe is GOLD!
