Stuart Saves His Family (1995)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

One of many Saturday Night Live spinoffs, Stuart Saves His Family follows Stuart Smalley (Al Franken), as he attempts to deal with the disaster he calls his family. Alcoholics, narcissists, and more plague Stuart’s existence, and it’s his job to make things right. In this comedy turned dramedy, “you’ll laugh because it isn’t your family, but you’ll cry because it is.”

Having never particularly enjoyed Saturday Night Live or most of the films that were born from it, I anticipated that Stuart Saves His Family would be the inevitable first failure of colleague Greg Vorob. This would certainly be the first time that he steered me wrong, that I failed to see the allure of a film that he threw my way. After my initial viewing, I was still sure of this. Then we sat down with fellow cinephile Rachel Frend and discussed the film on Reel Reactions with Greg & Kyle. By the end of that conversation, the frustration that I had once felt in regard to Stuart Saves His Family turned to frustration for not initially realizing the importance (and emotional success) of the film. By the end of our conversation, the relevance that existed within this film, that was initially overshadowed by the ineffective comedy, dawned on me. 

The first three quarters of Stuart Saves His Family is shallow and tedious. Full of exposition and frumpy, seemingly unrelatable characters, the film moved along at a snail’s pace, aggravating me, and forcing me to watch it in multiple sittings–rather than all the way through. Caricatures of real life, Stuart’s parents and siblings make the film increasingly frustrating. Then there’s Stuart, a sardonic slug that plagued the screen for far too long. He antagonistically chews up scenery in, steals from what little there was to like about the film in the early going, and had me on edge in the worst ways. Stuart Saves His Family is something of a travesty in the early going–the majority of the film really. Emotion is evasive, comedy is flawed, and what Director Harold Ramis has initially hoped to transition this SNL sketch into was effectively a hot, fiery piece of garbage until just over the hour mark. 

Suddenly the film transitions to something far more powerful–a narrative that began to aggressively reel me in and hold on tight. Stuart Saves His Family found its way in its final act. Each of the main (and secondary) characters in this film progress in unique ways–each of which feels genuine and accessible. Some double down on their trying behaviors, and others turn a new leaf, understanding the necessity of change in their lives (not only for their own benefit, but for those around them). Had Stuart Saves His Family been a far more condensed version of itself, I feel that it would have found more success in the long run. There’s something here, something emotionally relevant, but so bogged down by the disastrous comedy strewn throughout. I needed more of that drama, the emotion, the suspense that built in the final thirty minutes or so of the film–yet it eluded me for so long. 

Stuart Saves His Family is a film that both entertains and frustrates (though I feel the latter is unintentional). The first seventy-five minutes drag on, antagonizing viewers–and it feels that, for what feels like eternity, Stuart can’t save this film, let alone his family. Around that seventy-five-minute mark, however, the tone of the film shifts drastically, and all the things that needed to be in the early going come to be. I was floored by the film’s final act, enough that it shifted my opinion on the film as a whole. Stuart Saves His Family is far from a success, but just as much, it’s not a failure. There’s something to this–an emotional journey for the taking, but you’ll have to wait for the payoff. 

I don’t know if Stuart Saves His Family is good enough. I don’t know if Stuart Saves His Family is smart enough. But, doggone it, I like this film!

Directed by Harold Ramis. 

Written by Al Franken. 

Starring Al Franken, Laura San Giacomo, Vincent D’Onofrio, Shirley Knight, Harris Yulin, Lesley Boone, etc. 

6.5/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE