Let me tell you a Christmas story. ’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house…

Actually, it was the day before Christmas Eve 2020, and it wasn’t a house so much as a cramped shared flat in north London where the mice in the floorboards battled the pigeons in the ceiling for dominance, but that’s besides the point.

I was sitting alone, the last one to go home for the holidays, whiling away the hours until I had to catch my train. Digging through the streaming platforms, I was searching for something quick and festive to get stuck into when I came across something that I thought I would never find: a Christmas film that I had never seen before.

The film in question? The Family Stone.

It’s no exaggeration to say that watching this film was an out-of-body experience. The highs and lows, the awkward silences, the farcical physical comedy… This movie is so out of balance, it could have given me whiplash.

But make no mistake — it is a Yuletide treasure, and one that not many people seem to know about. So here I am, ready to make the case that you simply cannot let this holiday season pass without sitting yourself down and watching the most unhinged Christmas film ever made.

 Let’s get to it.

The cast

It’s entirely unfathomable that this 2005 dramedy would fly under anyone’s radar, considering the almost biblical number of famous faces that bring this maddening story to life.

Sarah Jessica Parker stars as Meredith, an uptight businesswoman who struggles with the big family Christmas that her boyfriend Everett (Dermot Mulroney) has invited her to. The family in question consists of judgemental mother Sybil (Diane Keaton), fiery sisters Amy (Rachel McAdams) and Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser), stern-voiced father Kelly (Craig T Nelson), and loveable brothers Ben (Luke Wilson) and Thad (Tyrone Giordano). And not to forget Meredith’s kooky sister Julie, who she enlists to join her as an ally, played by Claire Danes. 

See? I wasn’t joking about the star power behind this flick.

What’s more, everyone is firing on all cylinders in this tale of first impressions gone wrong. I’ve never seen such commitment to a Christmas comedy, with each and every performer surpassing expectations. I didn’t know Sarah Jessica Parker could make me feel more uncomfortable than I ever had in my whole life with her unbearably cringeworthy awkwardness, nor that Rachel McAdams could bring to screen a character perhaps even more unlikeable than Regina George. And I didn’t know that Luke Wilson would ever bring me to tears (we’ll get to that). 

The vibe

This film is officially categorised in the ‘comedy’ and ‘drama’ genres. Yes and double yes. But there’s another element that warrants a whole new genre: ‘cringe’. 

The Family Stone will floor you with its discomfort, born out of the embarrassing situations that our characters, particularly Meredith, find themselves in.

It has an unbearably blundering essence that matches that of Meet The Parents, but with a Christmas twist. Meredith, who is stunted and overly formal, clashes with the easy-natured and relaxed Stone family. They in turn, particularly Sybil and Amy, find it difficult to be welcoming and friendly when they misread Meredith’s awkwardness for coldness.

There are moments that are so truly uncomfortable, that one almost has to look away. Not because it’s grandiose or gruesome, but because we all know how it feels to be in a room where we don’t feel even the slightest bit included or at ease.

And Everett, the secret villain of the film, does nothing to calm Meredith’s anxieties, despite the fact that he planned to ask her to marry him. Instead, he gets distracted by her younger and quirkier sister, Julie. On top of all this, his ne’er-do-well brother Ben finds himself attracted to Meredith’s off-putting nature. 

That’s right, we’ve got a sibling-swap situation developing here.

But the source of the amazing unease comes mostly from Keaton and McAdams, whose characters have a delicious no-holds-barred approach to Meredith’s presence, calling her out to her face and feeling free to insult her at any opportunity. It’s a sharp and wildly entertaining conflict.

The mmotion

I’ve waxed lyrical enough about the crushing discomfort in The Family Stone. Now it’s time for me to put my hands up in defeat and admit the truth: this film is an emotional knockout.

Just when you might feel so mortified with second-hand embarrassment that you simply cannot go on, this film knocks you for six with an emotional heart that turns everything around.

One of the main subplots behind The Family Stone is the return of Sybil’s cancer diagnosis, with leaves the viewer wondering if this might be her last Christmas. There are some surprisingly tender moments that come out of this, most notably when Nelson and Wilson exchange a heartfelt conversation while sitting on bleachers.

I never wanted to see Luke Wilson cry. I didn’t know Luke Wilson could cry. And mostly, I never wanted Luke Wilson to make me cry. But alas, there I was, bubbling like a baby.

Another moment that has potential to top this takes place when Meredith hands out her gifts to the Stone family, a scene that must elicit a small blubber from even the most stoical Christmas film viewer. And to anyone who has ever had to go through the festive period after the loss of a beloved family member, it will likely resonate deeply.

The Christmasness of it all

This film doesn’t just get bonus points for its Christmas aesthetic, it wins the game.

Set amongst the Connecticut wilderness (which also happens to be the setting for my all-time favourite unknown Christmas movie, Christmas In Connecticut, but we really don’t have the time to get into that masterpiece right now), this film is built on imagery of pines and snow. The house itself is a Nora Ephron-style haven, with vintage wallpaper, warm rugs and cosy nooks to bless our senses.

This is the house that we all dream of spending Christmas in. The cast are permanently wrapped up in warm coats or thick knits or walking through the doors with perfectly wrapped presents in their arms. Most of the film seems to take place in the kitchen, the room that everyone knows is where Christmas is made. If nothing else, watch The Family Stone for some serious real estate envy.

I could talk about The Family Stone every year until the end of my days. It’s a film that left me shaken, both from its excruciating chaos and unexpected sincerity. In many ways, this film is like Father Christmas. Some people need to see it to believe it.

And see it you must, because when it comes to family comedies that make your Christmas gathering look like a blissful walk in the park, it doesn’t get much more effective than this.

The Family Stone is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Images: 20th Century Studios