‘The Family Stone’ Deleted Scenes Reveal Amy Isn’t Actually Evil
What To Know
- Deleted scenes and production notes reveal that Amy’s hostility toward Meredith in The Family Stone stems from her deep resistance to change.
- Rachel McAdams, who plays Amy, explains that her character’s actions are motivated by a rejection of the corporate values Meredith represents.
- Unseen moments from the DVD show Amy’s vulnerability and insecurity, suggesting she struggles with letting outsiders into her close-knit family.
Since its 2005 debut, the funny yet heartbreaking The Family Stone earned a place among modern holiday classics thanks in large part to its stacked cast featuring Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, and Claire Danes, just to name a few. With a sequel now in development, the film’s impressive lineup only becomes more noteworthy, as it helped cement the original as a must-watch Christmas staple. But despite its standout cast, the film has always sparked a divided response.
The tale of Everett (Mulroney) bringing home his fiancée, Meredith (Parker), to a less-than-thrilled family has become a seasonal staple for many. Some viewers connected with its portrayal of messy, chaotic, emotionally charged holiday gatherings, seeing their own families reflected on screen. Others, however, found the Stones insufferable, viewing them as self-righteous jerks perched atop their own pedestal — well, except for Ben (Luke Wilson).
20th Century Fox / Everett Collection
Granted, Meredith isn’t exactly a peach, but the family puts her through hell, and it’s daughter Amy (Rachel McAdams) who proudly leads the charge
A schoolteacher pursuing her master’s at UMass Amherst, Amy met Meredith once before and took an instant dislike to her. McAdams plays her with biting precision, chipping away at Meredith’s already fragile self-esteem while strutting around in pajamas like battle armor. Amy’s malicious streak is delivered with scathing brilliance, but to many viewers it feels like overkill. Aside from being uptight and prone to a few nervous twitches, Meredith doesn’t seem that bad at first (her more controversial views don’t surface until the dinner scene). So why did Amy hate her so much?
As it turns out, there were reasons that audiences were not privy to.
20th Century Fox / Everett Collection
In the original production notes, McAdams stated, “I was drawn to the dramatic arc that Amy goes through, which eventually brings her full circle,” said McAdams. “Amy sees herself as honest, not mean, and expresses that uncensored candor in her sardonic wit.”
According to McAdams, Meredith stands for everything Amy rebels against: She is a symbol of corporate culture at its worst, and in her mind, there is no way she will allow that into her family.
20th Century Fox / Everett Collection
“Amy instantly rejects Meredith as unsuitable for her brother, because Meredith represents a whole way of living – fashionable yuppie success – that Amy has worked hard to reject,” McAdams continued. “Eventually, she comes to realize that she would reject anyone who was brought into the family from outside, because outside is about change. Amy wants everything to stay the same.”
Furthermore, a deep dive into the deleted scenes on the DVD shows a softer side to Amy.
In the deleted scenes, Susannah’s daughter, Elizabeth (Savannah Stehlin), bluntly asks Amy why she’s so alone, a comment that hits harder than Amy expects. She ends up crawling to her parents for comfort, and audiences get a rare glimpse of the vulnerable side the film rarely shows with Amy curled up beside Sybil and Kelly like a little girl, desperate for everything to be made right again.
In another deleted scene, Amy tends to her brother Ben’s wounds when he delivers a pointed truth: “Look, Amy, you can’t be so in love with us. Okay? You have to give people outside the family a chance.” He nails her core issue. Amy builds walls so high that only her family ever gets access, shutting everyone else out before they even have a chance to prove themselves. It’s a small moment, but one that perfectly explains why Meredith never stood a chance with her.
Perhaps with these moments and explanations, Amy might have been a bit more understood by fans, giving audiences a clearer sense of the insecurity and fear hiding beneath all that hostility.
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