Several Christmases ago, I went with a couple of friends to see The Family Stonesoon after it hit theaters. The movie had gotten mixed reviews–I remember one critic called it “The Family Groan”–but my girlfriends and I liked it. Would I have enjoyed it as much if it hadn’t taken place in this beautiful old house, however?
Probably not.
The Family Stone is about a family gathering at Christmas. There are five grown children, and Everett (Dermot Mulroney) is bringing his girlfriend Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) home to meet everybody for the first time. The casual, fun-loving, close-knit family takes an immediate dislike to uptight Meredith, who wouldn’t know a sense of humor if it knocked her across her tightly-coiffed head.
Hilarity, family bonding, and an unexpected romance between Meredith and Everett’s brother Ben ensue. Oh, and someone knows this is her last Christmas and dies before the end. I dare you not to mist up a little bit.
The family gathers for Christmas:
The kitchen:
The set designer says she carefully chose every photo for the fridge to make it look like a real family lived there.
Sybil has a desk in the kitchen. It’s truly her domain:
Elizabeth Reaser (the matriarch of the Cullen family in Twilight–you can see my post about it here) played the nice sister.
The dining room:
Everett’s room, which is much neater and cleaner than the others in the house and matches his buttoned-up personality.
The parents’ bedroom:
Amy’s attic bedroom:
The family room:
The side door that leads to the kitchen:
UPDATE: A reader tells me that this house is located in Watertown, Connecticut(thanks, Carol!).
When Diane Keaton, who plays the mother, saw the interior of the house for the first time, she says she told the director it was “disgusting.” She couldn’t stand all the clutter “and all of the stuff everywhere.” But she admitted that it suited the family’s personality: “For them it was perfect.” The set designers were careful about every little detail, down to the magnets on the fridge.
(Psst! If you like this house, then you’ll probably love the one from Stepmom, too.)
Visit my TV/Movie Houses page to see more, from Baby Boom toSomething’s Gotta Give, or check out Diane Keaton’s Beverly Hills mansion.
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