91Èȱ¬

It's the season of good will, but there's not much of it going round in yuletide comedy The Family Stone. Diane Keaton plays the head of the clan and leads the assault on Sarah Jessica Parker as the uptight New Yorker who threatens to marry her son (Dermot Mulroney). Although it sounds like a mean-spirited twist on Meet The Parents, writer/director Thomas Bezucha swaps the slapstick for a surprisingly tender if sometimes too cloying account of a family in upheaval.

Initially things aren't promising with Meredith coming across just as annoying as her spiteful in-laws. Only Luke Wilson exudes the Christmas spirit, playing the would-be brother-in-law who takes an inexplicable shine to her. "You have the freak flag," he explains. "You just don't fly it." Gradually though, the cracks in everyone's armour begin to show and with Claire Danes' arrival (typically soulful as Meredith's sister), an all-out bitch-fest becomes an engaging ensemble piece.

"TEAR-JERKING FINALE"

In a fearless and funny bit of writing, Meredith drops a clanger at the dinner table about the suitability of gay couples as parents. It's a testament to the skilful script that she still inspires sympathy without the crutch of being stereotypically kooky or cosy. Parker carries it off well and likewise Rachel McAdams (playing the youngest Stone) reveals an endearing vulnerability beneath her viciousness. It's Keaton, however, who anchors the story with a formidable countenance that becomes her character's greatest virtue. Bezucha hammers the point home a little too strongly in a tear-jerking finale, but despite its flaws, The Family Stone sparkles bright with originality.