Steineded
How sad is this?
Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
Cristal
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
orindad
This movie is so much better than anything you'd expect. Needless to say, most of the films based on SNL characters are pretty lame, and this one slipped under the radar so quickly, you might assume it's another "It's Pat". It's not! If you like the Stuart Smalley character, you'll of course be more disposed to liking the film. But even those previously unfamiliar with the 12-step junkie will find a sweet and surprisingly honest story here -- one that both pokes fun at self-help groups and acknowledges that they can work. There are plenty of laughs; and in its treatment of Stuart's highly dysfunctional family of origin, this film achieves something near-great. Watch and see. And "get yourself to a pound cake!"
John Wayne Peel
I didn't see this movie in theaters. Truthfully, unless it is a huge blockbuster I've been waiting for for a long time, I generally don't shell out the high ticket prices these days, but I remember a very funny Stuart Smalley skit where Al Franken's usually easygoing character was p.o.'d that his movie did so badly. Now, after having seen it and really loving it, I feel kind of guilty for letting Stuart down. Just for the character actors alone (like the much underrated Harris Yulin as Smalley's angry alcoholic dad) this picture is a true gem. while I cannot relate personally to a so completely dysfunctional family or 12 step programs, I have run across such people in my old neighborhood growing up. The cast is letter perfect, and the laughs are non-stop. Normally, I'm a little uncomfortable with the Smalley character and his lisping speech patterns, but it all makes sense when you see the people who make up his life. This is a truly confused guy. And like the title says, Stuart does indeed save his family and the movie. I am hoping that in the future, this will become what is considered a truly classic comedy.
haroldnmaude
I was channel-surfing one afternoon and "Stuart Saves His Family" was on HBO. Being a bit of a masochist, I thought I'd stay and see how embarrassingly bad it was going to be (as most SNL-character-inspired movies are) and was pleasantly surprised. Anyone who is or knows someone who is in any of the 12-step programs will appreciate this movie and show it to all your friends. It has a stellar cast and Al Franken is an underrated genius.
bob the moo
Stuart Smalley is a new-age self help guru with a line in catchphrases `I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and dog-gone it, people like me!'. When his show on public-access cable is cancelled he falls into a depression, however a family death brings him back to his home town where he finds that his family have enough issues to keep him busy for months.Stuart Smalley was created by Al Franken for Saturday Night Live. In the UK we've never seen this so I can only imagine that Stuart is used to poke fun at self-help, therapy etc - and I imagine that in 3 minute sketches that he can be very good. However stretched out to 90 minutes it doesn't cut the mustard. The story allows for some funny moments - mainly the flashback scenes where Stuart recalls instances in his family life. However the majority of the film is given over to drama and sentiment as the family deal with their issue. This sentiment is poorly handled and doesn't sit well at all. Even if this was a normal film, which it isn't, it wouldn't work, however building this drama round a spoof character makes it even less workable.I really wanted to like this but I'm afraid that it just wasn't very funny. From Saturday Night Live I expected much more laughs - even of the hit and miss style. However I chuckled 3 or 4 times and that was it. Franken plays Stuart like a mockery of himself and does manage to squeeze some jokes out of the material, but he can't make the character do drama at all. The rest of the cast are filled with plenty of well-known faces (Laura San Giacomo, D'Onofrio, Harris Yulin) and a great comedy director in Ramis, but none of them can really do much with the material.As much as I wanted to like this, this is just yet another failed movie project to come from the occasionally successful Saturday Night life stable.
