Jon Hamm Shares His Hot Take About “Worst Movie” The Family Stone

Jon Hamm is ready to sink this stone.

John Slattery, known for his role in Mad Men, recently shared why he thinks The Family Stone, featuring Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Jessica Parker, and others, is the least enjoyable of all the films he’s appeared in.

Okay, so Jon just told Empire this, and I’m freaking out! Apparently, every holiday season it’s either Die Hard – which, duh, iconic – OR… get this… The Family Stone! I know, right? It’s such a strange pick, but he said they literally watch it every year. I’m already planning my holiday marathon now, obviously. It’s not complete without both, according to Jon himself!

He described the 2005 film – which featured Luke Wilson, Dermot Mulroney, and Claire Danes – as strangely captivating. Despite its impressive cast, he admitted to repeatedly thinking it might be the worst movie he’d ever seen.

The 54-year-old—who tied the knot with Anna Osceola in 2023—did start warming up to the Stone family.

He finally said he was starting to enjoy it. He described it as something you can’t fully understand, but he thought that’s what drew people to art – the need to revisit and reconsider it.

Jon might be starring in another film soon. Director Thomas Bezucha shared in November that he’s developing a sequel. The project has been particularly emotional because Diane, who played Sybil in the first movie, passed away in October at the age of 79.

Thomas told CNN in November that Sybil’s death had deeply affected him for months while he was working, and the news felt like a fresh wound. He explained that he’d been emotionally revisiting the place where he’d been grieving her loss.

The 61-year-old is willing to proceed with the project, but only if all the original actors agree to return. He explained that he wouldn’t want to do a reunion show without every member of the original cast, just like he wouldn’t want a Brady Bunch reunion without the original Jan.

Now, don’t dilly-dally. Keep reading for the coziest and most chaotic Family Stone secrets.

Okay, seriously, getting Diane Keaton for The Family Stone was EVERYTHING. I mean, she was the FIRST one to say yes to play Sybil Stone after reading Thomas Bezucha’s script – and honestly, that’s when I knew the movie was going to be amazing. Once she was on board, everyone else just had to join! It was like, if Diane Keaton thinks it’s good, it is good, and suddenly you had this incredible cast. She really made the whole thing happen, you know?

In a 2005 interview with Girl.com.au, the Oscar winner explained that Sarah Jessica Parker was the first to read the script and really liked it. However, for reasons no one could figure out, the project stalled. Once I agreed to star, they quickly assembled the rest of the cast, giving the impression they already had a film in development when, in reality, it hadn’t come together until then.

In 2025, Bezucha told CNN that Keaton “really took a chance.” He described feeling incredibly fortunate, comparing it to witnessing a shooting star and then being struck by a comet.

And on set, producer Michael London told CNN, “Diane was the mom to everybody.”

Keaton regularly surprised everyone with lottery tickets or bottles of wine, and he gave the entire cast and crew a beautiful, high-end wine opener – the nicest one anyone had ever seen.

Sarah Jessica Parker, best known for her outgoing and inquisitive character Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, intentionally chose a very different role as Meredith. Meredith is Everett Stone’s girlfriend who comes home for the holidays and is portrayed as someone strict, inflexible, and anxious.

The actress described her character as stubborn and unwilling to compromise. She explained that when the character is taken out of her comfort zone at the Stone house, she completely falls apart.

But, Parker explained, “I grabbed the opportunity to play Meredith.”

Honestly, I remember reading that interview and it just got me. She didn’t even care if people liked her character, which, let’s be real, a lot didn’t at first! But she told indieLondon back in ’05 that all she wanted was for people to believe in her, to think she was a real person. It was so amazing – she wasn’t focused on popularity, just on authenticity. It’s why I’m such a huge fan, you know? She wanted the character to live in our minds.

I’ve always been a big supporter of Meredith, and I remember when J.J. Abrams really stuck up for her back in 2018. He told Vulture he never found her unlikeable, and I completely agree! He made a great point about how romantic comedies often expect female characters to be ‘likable’ and ‘relatable,’ and how that actually does a disservice to all the wonderfully diverse women out there. It’s refreshing to see someone acknowledge that not everyone needs to fit that mold.

Amy Stone, the youngest of the Stone siblings and played by Rachel McAdams, is now seen as the most down-to-earth and relatable character. However, she’s also a bit harsh – a somewhat unkind teacher living with her parents while she finishes graduate school.

Rachel McAdams told Variety in 2005 that she first read the script several years prior and vividly remembered the experience. She explained that it deeply resonated with her, particularly the complex character of Amy, who was both loving and fiercely protective of her family. McAdams found the character’s internal struggles and complicated relationships fascinating to explore.

Bezucha told me to go all out, explaining that ‘you can’t be too bad!’

The movie was originally going to be called “Fking Hating Her,” reflecting how much Sybil initially disliked Meredith. The title was later changed to “Hating Her,” and finally settled on The Family Stone.

Keaton adored Parker, but she gave her good-natured hell during filming.

Keaton shared with Girl.com.au that playfully teasing Parker during the photoshoot was something he really enjoyed. He explained that his father used to tease him a lot when he was growing up, and he sees what he’s doing now as continuing that tradition.

Parker understood Keaton wasn’t intentionally being unkind, recognizing that everyone has their own way of doing things. As Parker put it, “I’m not going to force my methods on her, but I want to create a comfortable working environment for her.”

Parker explained that being around a lot of men is something she’s used to, growing up with brothers and being married. She described the playful teasing as a kind of friendly banter, emphasizing that everyone involved understands the dynamic and accepts it as a lighthearted exchange – a sort of ‘verbal sparring’.

However, Bezucha shared with SFGate that Sarah Jessica Parker would occasionally leave the set after filming a scene with Diane, and would reportedly say, ‘I really think she’s still acting as her character.’

Luke Wilson broke a tooth and, hoping Keaton could suggest a good dentist, she surprisingly gave him the number for a psychologist instead.

As Dermot Mulroney told SFGate back in 2005, Diane Keaton was very direct. He recalled that on the first day of rehearsals, she asked him, “Is that really what you’re planning to wear to every rehearsal?”

According to Keaton, director Bezucha made them practice a lot, which Keaton disliked. ‘I hate to rehearse,’ he said in a behind-the-scenes interview with Fox Movie Channel.

Looking back, she realized Tom was really clever to suggest we all hang out, like inviting us to dinner. It was a much gentler way to start something than the usual awkward question of, ‘So, dinner?’

Wilson said he thought it was wonderful to share meals and play charades, just like the band does in the movie.

The ensemble, Bezucha explained, could then “act without having to perform.”

To ensure realistic communication, an ASL coach collaborated with the actors playing characters who needed to sign, specifically when interacting with Thad Stone, played by deaf actor Ty Giordano.

Keaton confessed she struggled to learn the ropes, describing herself as a “slow learner” in a behind-the-scenes video about the film.

She admitted to making a serious mistake. She was meant to initial a document with ‘OK,’ but instead, she accidentally signed something inappropriate.

Keaton recalled a scene where her character, Sybil, firmly responds to Meredith’s insensitive remarks about her son Thad and his partner Patrick. She told SFGate that this moment—while her children, Dexter (age 10) and Duke (age 4), were present—felt particularly meaningful. Keaton described it as one of her proudest moments in the film, explaining she was passionately defending her son, whom she loves and supports completely. She identified as a progressive mother and appreciated the values she embodied in that scene.

Food stylist Valerie Aikman-Smith was brought in to ensure the scenes showing the Rolling Stones preparing and enjoying food, like their Christmas Eve feast, looked genuine and appealing.

Although the Stone family’s home is meant to be located in a New England college town, the show was actually filmed in Madison, New Jersey. A blizzard that happened during filming actually made the location look even more beautiful and fitting for the story.

The outside of the house in the movie was filmed at a location in Greenwich, Connecticut, but the inside scenes were shot on comfortable sets built in Hollywood.

Keaton described the Stone house as “fabulous” for filming, but jokingly added that he wouldn’t want to live there, even if someone offered him money.

It wasn’t an accident that Sybil Stone styled her outfits after Diane Keaton. The overcoat she wears throughout the movie looks so much like Keaton’s classic menswear style that you might mistake it for one – even though it’s actually a comfortable bathrobe.

Interestingly, the bathrobe Keaton wore was actually her own, paired with her favorite pajama bottoms, socks, and slippers.

Okay, so I was obsessed with getting details about the strata scene, you know, the breakfast casserole Meredith makes? I HAD to know how many times poor Meredith actually dropped it – covered the floor in eggy goodness, but finally connecting with Sybil and Amy! Parker, bless her, just said, ‘Many times.’ MANY TIMES! It’s just… perfection. I live for these details!

We rehearsed it extensively because we explored it from many perspectives,” she remembered. “We always have detailed conversations before filming those scenes about how they’ll play out… But the goal is for it to appear totally chaotic, impulsive, and unplanned.

Parker ended up completely soaked, and had to remain covered in the substance. It was impossible to clean up because the crew needed to film close-up shots, and they couldn’t replicate the way it had originally splashed on him. He spent hours and hours stuck wearing the messy outfit.

As a huge fan, I was so fascinated to hear that Meredith’s little throat-clearing habit – you know, the one she does when she’s stressed – wasn’t just something the actress added! Apparently, the writers included it in the script right from the start. It’s such a subtle detail, but it really adds to her character, and it’s amazing they planned it all along.

Director Bezucha shared Victorian Christmas cards with costume designer Shay Cunliffe, describing their warm, golden-red tones. Bezucha asked Cunliffe to carry this color scheme into the film’s overall look and specifically requested that the costumes avoid any blue shades, according to production notes.

Cunliffe thought Wilson’s character, Ben Stone, who had traveled from Berkeley, California for the holidays, really needed to be wearing jeans. However, she ended up using corduroy pants instead, which she felt still suited the laid-back image of a West Coast film editor who smokes marijuana.

Keaton wore headphones, Parker told Vulture, “basically until they call action.”

She added that it’s a really engaging method for maintaining concentration, explaining that the environment is wonderfully unpredictable.

Parker said the scene where Meredith gets drunk and lets loose was the most challenging she’d ever filmed. She explained she doesn’t drink and rarely dances in her personal life – she doesn’t go to clubs or parties. ‘I’m happy watching others enjoy that,’ she told indieLondon, adding that the acting felt ‘really embarrassing’ because it was so outside of her comfort zone. She appreciated the opportunity to show a more relatable, human side to Meredith beneath her typically reserved demeanor.

Meredith finally makes a thoughtful gesture by giving each member of the Stone family a framed black and white photo of Sybil while she was pregnant with Amy.

As a lifelong fan, I was fascinated to learn the story behind that famous photo of Sybil! It turns out it wasn’t a staged pregnancy picture at all. It was actually taken by her mother, Dorothy Deanne, when Sybil was just 27 years old, and it came straight from Keaton’s personal collection. While it was later edited, the original image was a candid moment captured by someone who loved her.

“That scene really resonated with me – it meant more than anything else in the film,” Keaton shared with Girl.com.au. “For me, the whole movie was about my relationship with my mother.”

Looking at that picture—and I really dislike that picture—I was overcome with a strange feeling. It felt like the most genuine acting I’ve ever done. It’s a portrait my mother took, and in that moment, the themes of motherhood and honoring your mother really struck a chord with me. I think Tom Bezucha beautifully captured that feeling of life continuing, and it remains my favorite moment in any film I’ve been a part of, simply because my mother was the one who took the photograph.

Parker told CNN that Keaton was known for asking very personal and often provocative questions, covering topics like finances and other surprisingly humorous subjects.

The actress explained, “I believe it was her genuine interest in people.” She loved learning unique things about them and was fascinated by what made each person special.”

And, Parker noted, Keaton was the first person she ever saw put ice cubes in a glass of Pinot Noir.

The director explained to the Wall Street Journal in 2023 that viewers are entitled to their own reactions to The Family Stone. While the film has comedic moments, it ultimately ends on a very sad note. “Everyone experiences the movie differently,” they said. “I understand why someone might dislike it—not just the characters, but the entire film—and even feel it’s unbelievable. But to me, it always felt like a classic Hollywood musical, just without the musical numbers.”

2026-02-17 23:48

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