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Other big names include Craig T. Nelson as the low-key professor Dad (Nelson is best known for his television roles on Coach and The District) and Claire Danes as Meredith's down-to-earth sister, who is currently turning heads with her Shopgirl role opposite
Steve Martin.

Perhaps the most “normal” characters in the whole bunch are Thad Stone (Ty Giordano), who happens to be deaf, and his partner, Patrick (Brian White), who happens to be African-American. Shown strolling happily hand-in-hand through the snow, and expressing a desire to adopt a child, the couple has been described by the openly gay director as the “Ozzie and Harriet” of the family. The Stones have no beef with these guys at all—it's the conventional, uber-capitalist Meredith they can't abide.

Kudos to Bezucha for his no-big-deal portrayal of gay men in a committed relationship who aren't clowns or axe murderers. And for his similarly sensitive depiction of a deaf person (family members often sign in the movie, but their gesticulations are not at all intrusive).

So how did the virtually unknown director manage to snag such a stellar cast, anyway? After all, he only had one feature under his belt, a GLBT film festival fave a few years back called Big Eden. The flick, which centered on a man-to-man romance that was championed by residents of a small town in the Northwest, generated enough buzz to put Bezucha on the map, so when he wrote his next script, attention was paid.

Strangely enough, the filmmaker intended the work to be another indie, but producer Michael London, of Sideways fame, had other designs. Bezucha was stunned when Keaton, fresh from her Academy Award nomination for Something's Gotta Give, jumped on board, attracting top-quality talent and ratcheting up the project to a whole new level.

Amazingly, The Family Stone, distributed by Fox Pictures, leapfrogged over the film festival circuit entirely, and is now doing battle with King Kong and other Oscar contenders for the holiday audience, with a release on over 3,000 screens. According to Bezucha, he felt lucky when Big Eden was released in about 20 theaters.

Unfortunately, his lack of experience as both a writer and director peeks through at times. The imbalance with the Meredith character surely lies with Bezucha, not Parker. As written, her role is so large it's overkill, and the star-struck director could have reined her in a tad. Did he write a few extra scenes on the spot to give his idol more screen time?

Just this week, Parker picked up a Golden Globe nom for her performance, the only recognition The Family Stone received.

Despite a charming story, winning performances, and realistic set, the film serves up a few contrived moments that are more eye-rollingly silly than heartwarming. The Claire Danes character falling flat on her face when exiting a bus, a ring that won't come off, family members rolling on the floor in dropped breakfast casserole, are such scenes that spring painfully to mind.

That said, the film's coda, fast-forwarding one year later to reveal a both joyous and tragic family re-assortment, is a true tearjerker. Yeah, it's steeped in schmaltz, but if you're not moved, you are a scrooge of the lowest order.

Perhaps another flaw, surely beyond Bezucha's purview, is the wrongheaded marketing campaign, featuring a hand with an outstretched finger, sporting a diamond ring, which at first glance resembles an obscene gesture. The hard-edged effrontery of this image belies the genuine warmth, and soul, of this well-meaning, old-fashioned holiday confection.

With a few choice cuts and a bit more polish, this Family Stone could have been a gem.

Get more info at the official website

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