This week at the movies, we have a giant ape {"King Kong"} and some yuletide dramedy ("The Family Stone"). Will the critics go bananas for these flicks?
It seems that virtually every holiday film is set in New England (where it snows), and revolves around the eccentric and conflict-prone but otherwise loving family members who are meeting the protagonist’s significant other for the first time. "The Family Stone," starring Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams and a host of other likeable actors, has all these elements, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. Rather, critics are split on the matter; some feel that "The Family Stone" is sly, sharp, and funny, but others say it’s a bit too clichéd to fully register. Like the Christmas turkey on the 27th of December, "The Family Stone" is currently fresh, but at 60 percent on the Tomatometer, it’s not the freshest.
Oh, and you may have heard about this movie involving a big ape, that was based on this other movie about a big ape that everyone likes. It’s called "King Kong," and it was directed by this guy named Peter Jackson, who did some movies you might have heard of. Anyway, "Kong" is Certified Fresh, at 84 percent on the Tomatometer, which means that a lot of critics think it’s really good. Just so you know.
Holiday Movies:
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4% — Christmas With the Kranks (2004)
8% — Surviving Christmas (2004)
84% — Elf (2003)
73% — Bad Santa (2003)
87% — It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
