The Family Stone Best

: Many family dinner scenes were filmed with minimal rehearsal to capture the natural, messy overlap of real family interactions. The "Family Stone" House

Critics were mixed on The Family Stone . Roger Ebert called it "a dysfunctional family drama that eventually murders the joy it seeks." But audiences have disagreed for nearly two decades. The Family Stone

What separates The Stone from a typical holiday rom-com is its willingness to shatter expectations. Just as Meredith is driven to a tearful retreat, her younger, more "authentic" sister Julie (Claire Danes) arrives as reinforcement. In a lesser film, Julie would win the family over and fix everything. Instead, the story takes a sharp left turn. : Many family dinner scenes were filmed with