As the year closes and the annual trip back home awaits, the holidays represent the joyous spirit of bringing people together. For the Stone Family, this yearly tradition is coveted and cherished, a festive reunion for one of the most beloved on-screen families. Played by some of the best actors in the business, the Stone’s eschew Hollywood’s stereotypical dysfunctional family, playfully accepting each other’s personality quirks in exchange for undying loyalty, including membership to the tribalistic holiday traditions they hold so dearly. Exquisitely directed by Thomas Bezucha,The Family Stone(2005) is the perfect holiday movie because it leans into each character’s imperfections while refurbishing a classic holiday genre.
TheChristmas-themed rom-comis as storied as the lore of Saint Nick, gifting us holiday classics likeLove Actually(2003),The Holiday(2006),The Apartment(1960),Last Holiday(2006), andElf(2003). However,The Family Stonestands out as a film that revives and reinvents certain design choices and genre cliches from rom-com predecessors with a peppermint twist.
The film is also notable for featuring a gay couple between the Stones’ deaf son Thad (Tyrone Giordano) and his partner Patrick (Brian White). And, though the film can be criticized for tokenizing these characters, the overall message and themes of the story echo queer sentiments, which adds a level of authenticity desperately absent from other entries in this genre.
The ending result is a delightful family comedy that balances tense, cringe-filled scenes with heartfelt intimacy. With the holidays around the corner, now is the perfect time to revisit whyThe Family Stoneis the best Christmastime movie.
The Family Stone Is a Hollywood Reconstruction
The Family Stone
As aforementioned,The Family Stoneis emblematic of traditional Hollywood filmmaking techniques, especially its camera and acting style. It pulls influence from Douglas Sirk’sAll That Heaven Allows(1955), borrowing its New England backdrop and classic Hollywood lighting design amidst the drama of the domicile.
It maintains the screwball brilliance ofBringing Up Baby(1938) andHis Girl Friday(1940) with its hapless mispairing of Dermot Mulroney’s Everett and Sarah Jessica Parker’s Meredith and their clumsy attempts at upholding their faux relationship. Its seemingly single location calls on astounding chamber pieces such asWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?(1966),A Raisin in the Sun(1961), andFences(2016), where the trappings of the domestic space restrict its characters like a pressure cooker.
Most popular Christmas rom-comsrarely venture into worlds of realism, for the genre almost requires a hint of theatricality or fantasy to achieve resounding levels of holiday spirit.The Family Stonesatisfies this prerequisite with its stylized acting and visual design, namely Parker’s self-deprecating screwball acting style and cinematographer Jonathan Brown’s blend of natural realism with Hollywood embellishment.
WhileThe Family Stoneboasts a list of rom-com regulars, Sarah Jessica Parker outperforms as Meredith Morton. Her somewhat abrasive communication skills combined with her perceivably frigid exterior act as a lightning rod for an otherwise warm and intimate Christmas storm at the Stone house, but Parker can handle it with comedic ease, a down-to-earth, straight man in a house full of funny guys. Balanced with her straight-faced humor, Parker’s ability to harness deep vulnerability translates into a heartwarming earnestness as she utters, “Isn’t there anybody that loves me?”
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This heavily stylized acting technique wouldn’t hold up if it didn’t have a strong visual design to stand on. Jonathan Brown, known for his work with director Shawn Levy on films likeBig Fat Liar(2002),Cheaper By the Dozen(2003), andThe Pink Panther(2006), offers experience as a cinematographer in the comedy genre. His high key lighting style and Hollywood sensibilities with three-point lighting and wider framings foster the feeling of Christmas perfection. Brown also opts for warmer hues, a rich golden orange that fuels the sacred memories of holidays with the family.
Despite relying on traditional Hollywood acting and lighting techniques,The Family Stonefocuses on a story that may not have passed in theHays Code era.
The Family Stone Is Queer Coded
During theHays Code era and in pre-code movies, strict censorship restricted American filmmakers and popularized the use of subtext or saying something without saying it directly.The Family Stoneupholds this tradition by implementing queer-coded subtext as its central theme. Though the film features a gay couple, a shining beacon of the family’s pride in being accepting and inclusive, Thad and Patrick hardly earn any screen time compared to their heterosexual counterparts, conveniently shelved away as a background subplot. The satisfaction for queer audiences is hidden within the story’s thematic structures.
After an explosive fight at the dinner table, Diane Keaton’s Sybil affirms her love for her son Thad. The tear-jerking moment echoes the film’s central theme, to love yourself as you are, but it’s interesting howThe Family Stoneapplies this to gender roles. Everett is your stereotypical golden boy, failing to maintain his facade of perfected masculinity. This plays in contrast to Luke Wilson’s Ben and his weed-smoking habits and carefree ways. To the Stone family, Ben is a more truthful depiction of manhood, honest and authentic despite his flaws. Though Sybil jokingly wishes all of her sons were gay, she certainly finds distaste in Everett’s current partner, clashing with Meredith’s more masculine personality traits, notably her headstrong approach to life and her cold demeanor.
Since Everett isnotgay, the Stones would prefer that he abide by their heteronormative standards rather than forcing a relationship with Meredith. This equally affects Rachel McAdams’ Amy, who, with her tomboyish appearance and playful roughhousing, is often read as a queer-coded character struggling against the gendered norms of society. Though the Stone’s wished for gay boys, they remain steadfast in their attempts to dig up Amy’s failed romances, as she is ultimately set up with an ex from the past. Despite their pride in being accepting and inclusive, the Stones exemplify how people are still held back by their own prejudices and preconceptions.
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In a world where people struggle to reconcile their differences and polarized political identities threaten to tear families apart,The Family Stoneis a gentle reminder that we are all stronger together as a united front.
