Stuart Saves His Family

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably funny.
Review: I almost didn't watch it because I thought the skit was only moderately funny on SNL. But I have to say, the movie is just hysterical. I've seen it 5 times and I thought it was just as funny the 5th as the 1st.

Rating:
Summary: Funny and real
Review: I both laughed and cried while watching Stuart go through life in recovery. This is a movie any 12 stepper can relate to. I liked his determination and humor while getting through life on life's terms. I loved Stuart on SNL. I have been looking for this video for a while. Thanks Amazon.com! I found it on my first try!

Rating:
Summary: Worthy of Sharing With Your Therapist!
Review: I first saw this movie on HBO right before 'going home for the holidays!' Grateful for the timing is an understatement! If you need a sure way to find some guaranteed comic relief before facing the folks, this one's for you! I have just shared it with my therapist...she's such a good one, I wanted her to have the pleasure, too!

Rating:
Summary: Huge Al Franken Fan Assesses This Film As A Turkey
Review: I generally love everything Al Franken touches. I believe he is a rare comic genius and an excellent comedic actor. Going into the viewing of "Stuart Saves His Family," I was an enthusiastic fan of the effeminate emotional-basket-case turned self-help coach Stuart Smalley, and this movie didn't ruin him for me. In fact, one of my chief beefs with this movie is that there is very little of Stuart's trademark material, i.e. gazing into a mirror and declaring: "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it, people LIKE me!" Instead, this soggy screenplay devolves into a poor soap opera about Stuart's family, who unfortunately are all portrayed by actors and actresses who give miserable thespian performances devoid of believability and absent of chemistry. Here is a more precise explanation why this movie disappoints so badly given its great potential:
(1) Casting: Not one actor besides Stuart is well cast for their roles, in fact, this is one of the most artless casting jobs I've ever seen, and the resulting ensemble acting is some of the most tedious and artificial I've sat through in a very long time.
(2) Location and Sets: The overall production design fails to capture the appearance and vibe I'd expect from a world where Stuart Smalley lives, and it just feels all wrong from start to finish. Stuart's apartment and his family's house are particularly poor fits for the characters and the action, but at least Stuart's TV studio sets are true to the originals from Saturday Night Live, and don't disappoint. How could Franken have settled for this to showcase one of his premier characters?
(3) Music: I should have listed the music first. This is quite possibly the worst musical score I've ever heard in a movie. Every time it plays it interferes with the story, cloying at us mercilessly with its clumsily-written and cliche-infested notes from crashing chords and every obvious way to indicate "action," to sappy violin melodies at the first sign of an "emotion" on display, all of which conspire to steal our attention away from the screen, and in every instance exaggerating the atmosphere of a scene beyond all bounds of decency. This score is so bad that for the first time in years it reminded me of the horrific movie "Down Periscope" starring Kelsey Grammar and its amazingly terrible music score.
In summation, I went into this movie eagerly anticipating a few hours of fun commiserating with Stuart Smalley and soaking in his hilarious brand of self-esteem counselling, but instead got a drab tedious movie about these OTHER people with Stuart milling around the edges. Worst of all, much of this film tries to get serious on us, and given the factors I've mentioned above, this even MORE unbelievable dose of contrived theatrics makes getting to the movie's finish line, in a word, exasperating.

Rating:
Summary: Good enough, smart enough, and doggone it it was funny!
Review: I had extremely low expectations for Stuart (probably lower than those of the self-help addict Stuart Smalley himself). Normally I can't tolerate much of Al Franken and the later 90s SNL spinoff movies, but Stuart had way more good than bad going for it. I thought Harris Yulin, Shirley Knight, Lesley Boone and Vincent D'Onofrio were perfectly cast as Mom, Dad, Sister Jodie and Big Brother Donnie. The script could have been better, and the laughs could have been more plentiful but there were enough of them to keep me watching. Stuart's no Blues Brothers or Wayne's World but you may find you like it well enough if you give it a try.

Rating:
Summary: Watch With Friends, And A Box of Tissues
Review: I showed this movie to my support group last year during a holiday retreat. We laughed till we cried, and then just plain cried. Stuart (Al Franken) touches many deep hurts inside of us. It's OK to laugh while we get better.

Rating:
Summary: This is my 3rd copy of this movie!
Review: I think it is interesting that you either love this movie or think it is ridiculous. When you see how sincere Al Franken plays Stuart, you know he had to have been "there" with the rest of us therapy-bound human beings. The other copies I have bought I gave to friends on the condition that if they liked it, they kept it, if not, give it back to me. If there was a Stuart Smalley show airing on TV, just think how us needy people would love it. Signed, Large and Lovely in Redmond, WA

Rating:
Summary: Poking Fun at Recovery
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this spoof of the recovery movement, especially because it blended the serious aspects of addiction and dysfunctional families with the often morbid humor that is also within these topics. As a social worker who has worked with many who have "walked the walk", I have tremendous respect for them but also know that humor is one of the key ways they chose to cope with their situation. Al Franken does a wonderful job of reminding us that, indeed, you can't just "talk the talk", you do have to put your money where your mouth is and eventually step out of the cliches and twelve step mumbo jumbo and just be who you are. Very appropriate for most ages, this is actually important viewing for children or adolescents who might be growing up in an alcoholic home. Thanks, Al Franken.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: I've rarely see a movie that i quote like this one. It deals with some serious issues in a light hearted way. Those of us from less than perfect families can REALLY relate. I loved it, a rare gem.

Rating:
Summary: Great Great Movie
Review: If you're ever been or are now a member of a 12-Step Program you'll find this movie wildly entertaining. Sadly, the humor so evident in this film is so common amongst many familes struggling with relatives of addictions. Key words here are : affirmations, 12-Step, intervention, codependency, and many others to mention here.