The Family Stone (2005) - LightShed 10

Good movie.  Very easy case for a LightShed 10.

Here, Sarah Jessica-Parker plays an uptight conservative bitch who spends Christmas with her boyfriend's family (the boyfriend is played by Dermot Mulroney.).  The family is liberal and nice, and can't get along with Sarah Jessica.  They all think she is the wrong one for Dermot.

I always cry in comedies, they always have some short sad part that gets to me, and this is very much the case for The Family Stone.

Our gay content is present throughout the movie and it's outstanding.  Our main gay is Dermot Mulroney's brother, played by Tyrone Giordano.  Tyrone has a steady relationship with Brian White (pic on the right), and they are trying to adopt a baby.

The Stone family could not be more supportive.  Craig T. Nelson, who plays the father, hugs and kisses both Tyrone and Brian, Tyrone sits on brother Luke Wilson's lap and Luke holds him tight. All really heart warming and just super normal. 

In one scene, mother Diane Keaton even says, at the dinner table, that she hoped all of her sons were gay.  Luke Wilson is asked if he is gay and he just says: "I'm queer, I'm here, Get used to it!"  You tell them girl!  Luke is not gay in the movie but has no problem playing with it.  Awesome. 

In that dinner scene though, we have a big discussion, because Sarah Jessica is all like "I can't believe that, what parent would want their kids to be that challenged, every parent should want their kids to be normal and live an easy life."  Then Sarah Jessica even tries to get sympathy and support from Brian White -- in the logic of Sarah's character Brian should know how difficult it is to grow up black and gay.  Shame on Sarah Jessica.

Anyway, the discussion brought up by Sarah was actually very good for us gays.  Sarah is all wrong all the time and she is portrayed like a crazy racist bigot Bedford bitch (and she even acknowledges it).  Awesome.  I love it when they throw in the two traits (racism and homophobia) in one person -- I really believe the two traits belong together.  We also saw a racist homophobe in The Break-Up, remember?

Go rent this movie right now!

UDPATE ON JUNE 17, 2006: check out the views and comments on The Family Stone at Rod and Oh La La!

Comments

[Alfred]

Despite what was being said about SJP I still think that it was a brilliant movie with a brilliant cast and being a sucker for tear-inducing movie (not love stories) I just cried watching this. I just think parents, many people not realising, are so important (besides supplying the 1,000,000 and 1 cells with the DNA) in every child's life, esp gay child. Well done.

[Henry]

I agree. I know what they were trying to do with SJP - but it was very forced and seemed unrealistic.

[Myackie]

I didn't love the dinner scene...thought it was way too unrealistic. The character that SJP played was very sophisticated and well-read. Living in Manhattan, she would have been the type to have many gay male friends - she wouldn't have been so clueless.

Also, desperate to impress her boyfriend's family, she would have been on her BEST behavior and would not have said anything offensive - ESPECIALLY at the dinner table.

But I did think the gay couple was cute and necessary. I wish there had been a gay sibling in Parenthood. It would have been more realistic.