The Family Stone: Is It Based On A True Story? Plot, Review and More
‘The Family Stone’ has numerous tropes of a holiday rom-com that the audience can watch with their families. The overall story is heartwarming, and the relationships between characters are relatable.
The characters seem flawed and lost, making the tale more grounded and authentic. It makes the audience wonder if the movie is rooted in reality. Well, look no further, as we’ve got you covered.
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The Family Stone: Is It Based On A True Story?
The film ‘The Family Stone’ is inspired by real events, at least in part.
The writer and director of the film, Thomas Bezucha, was motivated to write the central premise of the film, which is about Meredith attempting to fit into the family and the traditions that they uphold.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Thomas Bezucha discussed the origins of his novel, “The Family Stone,” revealing that the story was sparked by an everyday occurrence between his sister and the family of her boyfriend.
He stated, “My sister [was] dating someone, and the family didn’t believe it was a wonderful match.”
Initially, the title of the movie was supposed to be “I F***ing Hate Her,” but at that time, Ben Stiller’s “Meet the Parents” was released.
The film “The Family Stone” was finally produced by Thomas Bezucha after a number of years and drafts of the script.
In addition to Meredith’s journey, there are a number of additional components that feel so authentic that they completely submerge the audience in the movie.
Consider the complicated and flawed nature of Everett and Sybil’s relationship, for example. They are navigating several seasons of life and going through a variety of experiences at the same time.
As a result, their viewpoints on a certain subject are dissimilar, which contributes to the tension that exists between them.
The manner in which Everett and Sybil work through their problems and find a way, to have each other’s backs, causes a variety of feelings to surface within us.
In addition to its focus on the complexities of familial connections, “The Family Stone” also addresses significant issues including racial inequality and sexual orientation.
These topics become topics of discourse at the dinner table, which is a development that feels natural and progressive.
Thad Stone, one of Sybil’s sons, is a gay man who is loved by all of his relatives in the Stone family. Bezucha makes sure that none of the characters sound “woke” just for the sake of being “woke,” and instead makes inclusivity the standard.
At the dinner table, the family does not discuss sexual orientation in a way that is idealistic and political. Instead, they reminisce about the past and talk about what it was like when they first found out that Thad is gay.
It seems as though the discussion of sexual orientation is merely a part of the family’s history rather than a reflection of their political stance.
The fact that such problems are addressed in the film gives it contemporary resonance.
To restate, the narrative of love, sorrow, and camaraderie that is depicted in “The Family Stone” is partially inspired by the director’s personal experiences and draws on the subtleties that can be found in real life.
The Family Stone: Plot
Meredith, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is an uptight and hardworking entrepreneur who is shown in the opening scene talking on her cell phone as her fiancee Everett Stone, played by Dermot Mulroney, is shopping for a present for his sister Amy.
He then hangs up her phone when he has it in his possession. They take a breather as the opening credits roll, which feature Christmas cards depicting a variety of sketches of scenarios that appear to be in the Christmas spirit.
The camera then focuses in on the residence of the Stone family, where mother Sybil Stone, played by Diane Keaton, can be seen looking rather wistfully out the window as her son Thad and his boyfriend/life partner Patrick pull up in their Range Rover.
Sybil greets Patrick with a hug after Thad and Patrick had entered the house, and then she quietly approaches Thad, who has a hearing impairment.
Sister Amy Stone, played by Rachel McAdams, is the next person to arrive at the house.
She pulls up in her beat-up Volvo, which is the same maroon color as the Volvo wagon that Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) and Sybil Stone have parked in the driveway.
She is clothed in a somewhat haphazard manner, and her belongings are scattered on the snow after falling out of her bag. It has gotten to her nerves.
Inside the house, a similar get-together takes place, and this time, Susannah and Elizabeth, the sister’s daughter, are also present.
Because he was on neither of the first two flights departing from San Francisco, Brother Ben is still not here.
Now is the time when sister Amy starts telling the rest of the family (her father Kelly, mother Sybil, pregnant sister Susannah, gay-deaf brother Thad, and his partner Patrick) about the dinner she had in New York with other brother Everett and his girlfriend, Meredith Morton.
She portrays Meredith as nasty and a stick in the mud, and she goes on and on about how dreadful she is. During this time, Everett and Meredith arrive in the passenger seat of his Saab.
Meredith is obviously anxious, and Everett is trying to calm her down by reassuring her that everything will be okay.
The rest of the family observes them in the car through the window. They stand in stark contrast to the rest of the family, who appears to have adopted a more bohemian style of attire.
Dad When Kelly goes outside to assist them with their belongings, Meredith is forced to move out of the way as Kelly and Everett embrace.
Kelly is helping them with their things. The members of the family inside snort. Meredith reaches out to Kelly to offer her handshake, but instead, Kelly embraces her in an awkward manner.
They then proceed inside, where everyone embraces Everett and the uncomfortable situation.
Meredith is located somewhere in the middle of everything and is making another attempt to shake hands with Sybil, who she claims resides in a magnificent home.
Meredith continues to yell at Thad despite the fact that she has no need to. Meredith is the only one who does not understand sign language.
Little Elizabeth makes a comment on how nice Meredith’s shoes are. Meredith wishes Amy a Merry Christmas, but Amy hardly even notices her.
Up to Everett’s bedroom, where Meredith firmly states that she will not sleep in the same bed in the house that his parents own with him.
Therefore, Everett requests for her to have a separate place to sleep, and she takes Amy’s room. Amy isn’t very thrilled about this, and both she and Sybil make their displeasure known to Meredith when she moves her belongings into the room.
Meredith is aware that they are unhappy with the situation, but she isn’t getting a lot of assistance in trying to fix it.
Meredith then takes a call from her sister Julie, to whom she confirms that she is, in fact, being authentic, and that everyone despises her.
Ben has arrived, and his mother has already told him that there won’t be any marijuana in the home this year.
While they wait for the family to move in, Meredith continues to regale them with the tedious and never-ending tale of how they first became acquainted.
After that, they engage in a game of charades. Amy accuses Meredith of pointing at Patrick, who is African American, to highlight the fourth word in her clue, which was “The Bride Wore Black.”
In other words, Amy accuses Meredith of being racist.
Bedtime. Nobody seems to be content. Everett will at some point ask for the ring, and Mom and Dad debate the fact that Meredith’s mother does not want to give it to Everett because it belongs to Meredith.
In our contentious culture, it is often difficult to avoid the habit of evaluating everyone and everything; to avoid fitting people into arbitrary formulas we have constructed to order the world in our minds.
This is because it is difficult to avoid the habit of evaluating everyone and everything because it is difficult to avoid our contentious culture.
When one gives in to this temptation, they put themselves at danger of unnecessarily hurting or humiliating other people.
This procedure is presented in a clear and compelling manner in the film The Family Stone, which was written and filmed by Thomas Bezucha.
The Family Stone: Trailer
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Big Eden was his debut film, and it was an uncommon gay love drama that emphasized the concept that community means accepting people just as they are, with all of their gifts and beauty as well as all of their flaws and inner sorrow.
The film was titled after the title of his first novel. This drama about a family that takes place in New England during the Christmas season shares some similarities with others of its kind.
Kelly Stone (Craig T. Nelson) and his wife Sybil Stone (Diane Keaton) are getting ready for the arrival of their eldest son Everett (Dermot Mulroney) and his new girlfriend Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Everett is the most traditional member of a family that takes great pleasure in being independent thinkers that are willing to consider any possibility.
But they are completely unprepared for Meredith, who is a strung up career lady from New York City with a very strict set of preferences around what they like and don’t like.
Everett’s more outspoken younger sister, Amy Stone, played by Rachel McAdams, has previously interacted with Meredith and holds a very negative impression of her.
The Family Stone: Review
Amy has informed her family about Meredith’s bothersome nervous tic, which consists of clearing her throat out loud and frequently.
Meredith’s other siblings, Susannah, played by Elizabeth Reaser, and Thad, played by Ty Giordano, who is both deaf and gay, have stated that they will not pass judgment on her until they have met her.
The same is true for Patrick, who is Thad’s companion (Brian White). Ben Stone, played by Luke Wilson, is the most carefree member of the Stone family.
He works as a film editor in California and has about the most chill attitude one could imagine.
When Everett first introduces Meredith to his suspicious family, there is a tangible sense of tension throughout the house.
Even though they are all fluent in sign language and have a great appreciation for different ways of living, it does not appear that they have mastered the holiday spirit of being welcoming to those who are unfamiliar with the customs.
When Meredith moves into Amy’s room rather than agreeing to share a space with Everett, she causes Amy a great deal of frustration.
Because of the increasingly hostile environment she is experiencing, she makes the decision to leave the Stone home and check into one of the area’s inns instead of remaining there.
Meredith phones her younger sister Julie, played by Claire Danes, and asks her to come provide her with some moral support because she is convinced that Everett’s family can’t stand anything about her.
It turns out that this was a poor choice because the Stone family fell instantly in love with Julie, a laid-back and kind woman who worked for a foundation that provided financial support to creatives.
When Meredith comments on her opinion that lesbian couples shouldn’t be able to have children, she puts herself in a difficult position.
Even Everett is taken aback by her statements, and the only person who comes to her defense is Ben, who appears to have an innate understanding of what it is like to be an outsider who is simply unable to measure up.
This well-acted family drama is packed to the brim with memorable and instructive scenes that are filled with true emotional vivacity.
Bezucha demonstrates the joy that people get from judging other people and lowering them a peg or two in their own estimation.
However, he also acknowledges the significance of cheering people up and making them feel good about themselves.
This Yuletide morality play is packed with comedic reversals and surprises that open us up to the wisdom of the well-known Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, who is credited with saying: “A good way to emulate God is to avoid focusing on the flaws and vulnerabilities of other people.
After that, you will have a harmonious relationship with everyone.” What a wonderful way to bring the genuine spirit of Christmas to life!
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