The Family Stone

I saw The Family Stone on Sunday. I give it an OK. I think this movie did not have a lot to work with. Unlike Casanova, which I recently saw and reviewed, this story was fairly ordinary. A normal holiday kind of movie. Guy takes girl home to meet family, family gives girl hard time, borthers and sisters get involved, people figure out who they like, everybody lives happily ever after. Pretty ordinary. There were some good performances, however. I thought Craig T. Nelson was very good as the understanding fatehr caught up in the mess. I also thought Luke Wilson did a very good job of playing the laid back little brother. He seems to be able to play that role much straighter and easier than his ?brother? Owen. I think he is a bit more skilled. I also like Rachel McAdams. I have liked her in all that I have seen her in, in fact. I thought Diane Keaton was a bit too manic for her role. I think she went a bit too far. I also thought Paul Schneider was a bit too goofy, although maybe that is the extent of his range. One notable positive was the role of the deaf, gay brother, in a mixed-race relationship, adopting a child, being played as an ordinary part of an ordinary family. Seems like progress and a pretty good performance and role. I also thought Sarah Jessica Parker was average. Though, come to think of it, she always seems to be pretty average. All in all, an ordinary movie with some better than average acting.