Entertainment

11:05 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 2, 2006

The Family Stone

B

Starring Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Luke Wilson. Directed by Thomas Bezucha. PG-13 (sexual content, including dialogue and drug references). 103 mins. $29.99

A THICK PLOT: Sarah Jessica Parker's Meredith Morton is tightly wound and in love, at least on the surface. She goes home with her fiancé, Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney), at Christmas to meet the family. The quirky Stones are close and don't readily take to unnatural types. They hate her. Trailers gave a sense this effort was largely a feel-good laugher, but a surprisingly sad undercurrent creates tension and sneaks up on you in the end.

STRONG ENSEMBLE: In included interviews, writer and director Thomas Bezucha and others behind the scenes attest to the difficulties in getting this film made and conclude that the ensemble cast gives the final product its quality standard. For sure, a seasoned Ms. Keaton is delightful as the sharp-tongued matriarch, and Ms. Danes feeds the high anxiety with her bratty younger sister antics.

BEST EXTRAS: In the gag reel, Sarah Jessica Parker fans can expect to gain a greater appreciation of the challenge it must've been for the actress to pull off uptight Meredith. If you, like me, loved the riotously funny scene involving Meredith's family holiday dish and wondered how to make it, the special features include the recipe.

BOTTOM LINE: The unorthodox story themes make this movie not your predictably sappy holiday movie, but that is its appeal.

Jean Nash Johnson