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i did n't really expect very much when i rented stuart saves his family .
the movie bombed at the box office , and i had never really liked the saturday night live sketch on which the movie was based .
my real concern , though , was the general reputation of snl - related movies translating to the big screen with less - than - stellar results ( half - baked , anyone ? )
i was surprised to discover a truly entertaining , often hilarious yet also touching little film .
it is an al franken production through - and - through , who not only created the title character but also wrote and starred in the picture .
for those of you who do n't know , al franken plays a guy named stuart smalley , who has a really annoying show on a public - access station about increasing your self - esteem , etc .
although not a licensed therapist , stuart smalley is , as the program proudly boasts , " a graduate of several 12-step programs .
" stuart is doing well enough with his tv show , but he keeps getting distracted by family troubles .
stuart 's relatives are a mess : his dad and brother ( harris yulin and vincent d'onofrio , respectively ) are alcoholics , his sister is overweight and getting over another divorce , and his mom is in constant self - denial and solves all perceived problems by baking .
then , disaster strikes .
stuart accidentally insults the manager of the station and gets his show revoked .
he is forced to move back in with his family after he can no longer support himself , and there the comedy truly picks up .
franken wrote all of the characters not just as cliches or stereotypes , but as sharply - drawn , real people .
although smalley 's dad has always imbibed too much , stuart can still recall times when his father seemed like an okay guy .
also , after an accident towards the end of the movie , both stuart and the audience learn that there is more to his mother than previously thought .
although filled with small , very funny scenes , stuart saves his family also has its share of dramatic moments , especially towards the conclusion .
for a lightweight comedy , it handles these scenes especially well , often better than
many so - called " serious dramas " of today . all the more amazing is that such a movie comes from a saturday night live sketch that is essentially a one - joke bit . if you feel like renting a comedy , and you have n't seen this film
, i definitely recommend you try this one out .
you 'll laugh . . .
you 'll cry . . . .
it 's all there .
filled with small , very funny scenes a truly entertaining , often hilarious yet also touching little film all the more amazing it handles these scenes especially well often better than