Film / Stuart Saves His Family

♪ I want to be ha-ha-happy ♫
♫ But I won't be ha-ha-happy ♪
♪ Til I make you ♫
♫ Ha-ha-happy too ♪

"I Want To Be Happy", Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

Stuart Saves His Family is a 1995 Dramedy based on the Saturday Night Live character Stuart Smalley and his book I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!: Daily Affirmations. The film was written by Smalley's creator Al Franken and directed by Harold Ramis, fresh off directing Groundhog Day. Ramis approached Franken about doing a film adaptation based on the book Franken had published in his Smalley persona.

The film is an Adaptation Expansion of the sketch which ran eighteen times on SNL, taking a look at how Stuart became the mild, soft-spoken cable access host of Daily Affirmations, a twee self-help show encouraging taking twelve step programs. The film also co-starred Laura San Giacomo and Vincent D'Onofrio.

The film was a Box Office Bomb, being the second-worst grossing film based on an SNL character, beaten by It's Pat! (which would have been hard to do worse than; that film grossed $60,000.)

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Labels disable, but here are tropes found in the film:

• Abusive Parents: Not physically, but Stuart's father maliciously mocked Stuart as a child, calling him "Waste of Space" and "Sir Eats-A-Lot".
• The Alcoholic: The Smalley men, historically and present. Stuart went to Al-Anon (as well as Adult Children of Alcoholics), while Donnie added being The Stoner to the mix.
• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Though in this film's case, lethal idiocy. Smalley men die doing things while drunk, including Dad shooting Donnie with a hunting rifle, drunkenly thinking he's a deer.
• Ambiguously Gay: It's never directly mentioned in the film, but it's quite obvious that Stuart is gay. The only hint is Dad saying "You'd drink too if you had Liberace for a son!" His Good-Times Montage is accompanied by gay icon Ethel Merman singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses". Mick LaSalle wrote in his review:
  Not the least curious aspect is that Stuart is clearly gay. There's no overt mention of this fact, and only one oblique hint in that direction, but it is unmistakable.
  This is of interest for two reasons: 1) for the way the film handles Stuart's gayness (not at all); and 2) for the way, all the same (and however superficially), it handles something you never see in movies: The urbanized gay son returns home to visit his conventional small-town family.
• Arc Words: "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."
• Armor-Piercing Question: When a social worker talks to Mrs. Smalley about Staging an Intervention:
  Mrs. Smalley: If I do this and it doesn't work, he's going to make my life hell.
  Social Worker: (mildly) How's your life now?
  (Mrs. Smalley starts crying.)
• The Big Bad Shuffle: The film sets up the premise that it'll be about Stuart having to deal with Roz and her sabotaging his show. That quickly gets put off to one side and the entire film revolves around Stuart dealing with his toxic family.
• Big Brother Instinct: Adult Donnie is protective of Stuart, saving him from being forced to drink a beer by two boorish drunks.
• Big Eater:
  • Stuart was one, which is why he joined Overeaters Anonymous. One pic shows Stuart was morbidly obese, showing his current stocky frame is a marked improvement. When he has a panic attack, he gorges on Oreos and Fig Newtons.
    Stuart: I used to be afraid of my anger, and that's why I stuffed my anger and why I also stuffed my face, which is why I weighed nearly 300 pounds, you know, before I got into OA, Overeaters Anonymous.
  • Stuart's sister Jodie eats whenever she feels stressed — which is all the time, dealing with not only their parents, but having several vengeful ex-husbands, one who regularly slashes her tires.
    Stuart: Okay, Jodie, look. I would never ordinarily say this, but, um... is there any way you can get to a pound cake?
• Bittersweet Ending: Stuart is forever estranged from his parents, but he has a cable show that actually pays him, and Donnie finally breaks away from the vicious cycle of being The Stoner and comes to live with Stuart.
  Julia: We're going to have a great Christmas.
  (Stuart sees Donnie approaching him carrying a duffel bag.)
  Stuart: The best ever!
• Book Ends: The film begins and ends with Stuart doing his show. The ending has him doing his show for a real cable channel.
• Borrowed Catchphrase: Stuart gets some of his SNL catchphrases told back to him. Julia tells him "That's just stinkin' thinkin'," in a heartwarming manner. One of his sponsors tells him, "You're in a shame spiral, buddy!"^note Stuart: Tell me something I don't know!
• Broken Pedestal: Donnie has a case of this with Dad after his father, mistaking him for a deer, shoots him while drunk. It isn't the shooting that gives him an epiphany, however. He tells Stuart, with some shock, that Dad snuck in a bottle of Jack Daniels for him while he was in his hospital bed.
• The Cameo:
  • Phil Hartman introduces Stuart's cable access show, as he did on SNL.
  • Julia Sweeney, fresh off It's Pat!, plays Mea C.
  • Joe Flaherty as Cousin Ray.
• Captain's Log: Stuart's narration is him writing in a journal to document his return home. It comes back to bite him in the ass when the family members read his criticisms.
• Catchphrase: Only a few of his sketch catchphrases make it to the film, but those that do include "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me", "I am a worthy human being", "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!", "Trace it, face it, and erase it", and "I don't know what I'm doing. They're gonna cancel the show. I'm gonna die homeless and penniless and twenty pounds overweight and no one will ever love me." All of them, however, are not treated as catchphrases, but as genuine statements and worries.
• Central Theme: Julia keeps trying to tell Stuart — from experience — that you can't solve problems you have no control over, especially when it comes to family. Stuart finally admits it in the end.
  Julia: Stuart, we all want to go home and save our families, but we can't. We're not that powerful.
• Characterization Marches On: Along with Adaptational Attractiveness, Stuart is far more nuanced that his early appearances.
• Clashing Cousins: The Smalleys do not get along with Cousin Ray and his family, such as burying one of their own family members in Aunt Paula's cemetery plot.
  Jodie: You know, my aunt Paula paid for that plot!
  Ray: With money she could have used to help my family after my father fell off the roof!
  Mrs. Smalley: I made a ham for your father!
  Ray: That was not a quality ham!
• Continuity Nod: In his St. Patrick's Day episode of SNL, Stuart calls his father a "big, stinking drunk", which he calls him in his diary in the film.
• Darker and Edgier: Unlike the goofy SNL skits about Stuart's maudlin self-help shows, the movie's focus is on Stuart's dysfunctional family and the lives of his friends, touching on less than comical topics like alcoholism, Abusive Parents, and (in Julia's case) attempted incest.
• Does Not Like Men: Julia, self-admittedly, because her stepfather beat her, which led to bad relationships, and it wasn't helped when her biological father made a pass at her when she met him for the first time. She knows it isn't a healthy attitude, and is trying to conquer her resentment.
• Dramedy: Unlike other SNL skit adaptations that were straightforward farces, this movie has a great deal of Mood Whiplash between Stuart's campy ridiculousness and its often realistic portrayal of his dysfunctional, alcoholic family.
• Dream Sequence: Stuart admits near the end of the film that he always has a dream that his father falls trying to change the storm windows, and he saves his life by catching him.
  Fantasy!Dad: I'm sorry I'm so helpless. Thank you for saving me. I love you.
• Drives Like Crazy: Stuart is forced to ride backseat on Donnie's motorcycle because he totaled the car. Donnie is no better on the bike.
  Stuart: I THOUGHT MINNESOTA HAD A HELMET LAW!
• Everyone Has Standards: As ridiculous and pathetic as Stuart can be, even he finds his mother and Mea pitiful. Lampshaded in the case of Mea, who is introduced by Stuart as someone with even lower self-esteem than his own. All but lampshaded in the case of his mother as well, when Stuart joins his brother in laughing out loud after his mother absurdly threatens to "spend less time taking care of [Mr. Smalley] and more time pursuing [her] own interests."
• Flyover Country: Where Stuart's hometown is in Minnesota, which he fled to live in Chicago.
• Gay Best Friend: Stuart is probably this to Julia. A big clue is that even though Julia has a crippling distrust of men, she's open and friendly towards Stuart, because he's not interested in her sexually.
• Genre Savvy: Stuart's fantasies about saving his family are too idealistic, and decides to settle for small victories. And that's before his brother shows up to get away from a toxic situation.
  Stuart: All this pain I caused everybody else was caused by my need to fix everything, and I realized that if I'm going to be any good to anybody else, then I have to work on Stuart because that's the only person I can really fix: Me. Because what they say is really true. It is easier to put on slippers than carpet the whole world.
• The Glasses Gotta Go: Inverted with Mea. When Stuart suggests taking her glasses off, she looks the same — but squinting badly. He quickly suggests putting them back on.
• Gosh Darn It to Heck!: Stuart simply can't swear. When describing Roz, he struggles to describe her, and finally settles on calling her a "cootie". He finally gets mad enough at her to call her... "a vagina!" He then flees in shock at his crude verbiage, even though Roz is unaffected.
• Hereditary Curse: Every Smalley male apparently dies by getting drunk and changing the storm windows — save one, who got drunk and pruned the branches and accidentally cut the power line. Lampshaded by Donnie who asks his Dad if they want to get drunk and change the storm windows. Donnie nearly dies when both get drunk and go hunting and Dad mistakes him for a deer.
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: Stuart's Tranquil Fury rant begins with him saying that the person who moved his show to 2:45am "shall remain nameless", and won't judge them... then immediately names Roz Weinstock and how she has a hideous haircut and is fat.
• Inciting Incident: The death of Stuart's beloved Aunt Paula is what forces him to travel to Minnesota to attend her funeral, and gets him caught up in his family's general craziness.
• Irony:
  • Stuart being a fat kid saves him from being seriously injured when he gets hit by a car because his father insisted on having them take a pic with the Hollywood sign in the background.
  • Stuart is aghast at one his family puts him in.
    Stuart: So basically, the strategy is: you get me to lie because if I don't, everyone goes to jail for perjury?
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Donnie. By his own admission, he liked to pick on Stuart because he's such an easy target, and he's a perpetually unemployed alcoholic and stoner who still lives at home. However, he makes a genuine effort to get his life together, get away from his drunken father's malign influence, and a couple of scenes show that he really cares about and even respects his brother.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Roz has no redeeming qualities. She just despises Stuart (and everyone else it seems), and seems to torment him For the Evulz.
• Let Us Never Speak of This Again: A serious version: no one in the family ever brought up young Stuart being hit by a car because his father woke up late and wanted to have his family visit all of the Hollywood landmarks despite having to fly home that same morning ever again after the incident. He muses it's the origin of the family's "No Talk" rule.
• Maiden Aunt: The only adult relative Stuart and Jodie loved unconditionally was their Aunt Paula, who never married up through her death.
• Minnesota Nice: Stuart's mother tries a bit too hard to fulfill this trope.
• Mood Whiplash: Anyone expecting something like It's Pat! or A Night at the Roxbury were not prepared for Stuart being a fleshed out human being and not a walking catchphrase spouter and the serious issues brought up by the film.
• My Beloved Smother: In the most passive-aggressive way, basically being the sort of Mom who would remind you that she knew you'd fail, but you should have listened to her.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Stuart is the eternal Nice Guy, but every time he tries to help his family, it goes wrong because his family is extremely dysfunctional.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Stuart's mother overcompensates by being an American hausfrau, but after Donnie is shot, she explodes at Stuart when he says she must be cooking up a storm.
  Mrs. Smalley: (increasingly angry) This may come as a shock to you, but I have not had the easiest life. I know that you think when I'm working around the house, cooking and cleaning and breaking my back, that I do it because it's fun. WELL, IT IS NOT FUN! IT IS NOT FUN FOR ONE SINGLE MINUTE!
• Papa Wolf: Despite being a horrible father, he was also very protective of his kids. When a neighbor steals his sons' football, he marches over and demands the ball back with one hell of a Badass Boast.
  Dad: You going to give me the ball, or would you like me to shove it up your ass? (Technically a Smile) You want to hear my preference? (gets the ball back, disappointed) Nuts.
• Parental Incest: Julia tells Stuart about the time she contacted her biological father, and finally got to meet him. And then he made a blatant sexual advance at her, ruining her fantasy of having a relationship with her "real" dad.
  Julia: So I am moving past the family stuff and putting the focus where it belongs — on me, and my inability to trust men.
• Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Mrs. Smalley is an expert at this as its her main trait as My Beloved Smother. When she finds out Stuart lost his job, she mildly tells him she always told him it would fail.
• Precision F-Strike: As Stuart's three other sponsors try to coax him out with platitudes, Julia goes for a more direct tactic.
  Julia: Stuart? OPEN THE GODDAMNED DOOR!
• Shrinking Violet: Mea, mixed with Apologises a Lot. She gets better with Stuart's help.
  Mea: I HATE YOU, MOM!
• Silk Hiding Steel: Late in the film, Donnie says he thinks this of Stuart because he was able to get away from his toxic family, something neither he nor Jodie could do.
  Donnie: Over the years, I've always picked on you... which is a pretty easy thing to do. You're such a dork.
  Stuart: Thank you.
  Donnie: But I think a lot of it was because I was jealous.
  Stuart: Of me?
  Donnie: You were always trying to do something with your life, and I thought I was tough, man... and you're the tough one.
• Staging an Intervention: One of the biggest Mood Whiplashes of the film. It is played deadly serious. It's even sadder that it utterly fails when Stuart's mother isn't able to go through with it when pressured by Dad.
• Stepford Smiler: Stuart's mother pretends to be a chipper housewife, while for years if not decades she resented cooking and cleaning for an alcoholic husband and ungrateful children.
• The Stoner: Donnie, who also lives at home. Rather than being played for laughs, Donnie's life is a mess, and he's aware of it, and keeps telling himself and Stuart he's going to leave his parent's house. He doesn't have Stuart's resolve, however, until his father shoots him in a hunting accident.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Despite the tone of the film, long-standing issues never go away quickly, if at all.
• Tropaholics Anonymous: Stuart belongs to four, including Al-Anon, Adult Children of Alcoholic Parents, Overeaters Anonymous, and Debtors Anonymous. While his father bitterly snarks that Stuart is addicted to 12-Step programs, it becomes clear that Stuart genuinely needs help and is dealing with a very screwed up family life. When Stuart has a panic attack and barricades himself in his apartment, all four sponsors show up at his doorstep and introduce themselves to each other.
• Unnamed Parent: Neither Stuart's mother or father are given first names. They're only "Mom", "Dad", or "Mrs. Smalley".
• Unwanted Assistance: Stuart is a very pushy waiter, such as suggesting to a customer have lo-cal salad dressing because he's concerned about the customer's weight and cautioning that the osso buco is extremely fatty.
  Customer: And I'd like another double scotch.
  Stuart: (smiling graciously) No. (leaves)
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: The main thrust of "Daily Affirmations". Stuart suffers serious self-esteem issues, and has to constantly remind himself "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me". In the end, he finally realizes he can't help anyone unless he helps himself first.
• You Can't Go Home Again:
  Stuart: Or in my case, you're crazy to go back home again.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Young Stuart's reaction that the contest winning entry of the "Name the Knight" contest that beat his entry "Sir Clean-A-Lot" was... "Sir Lancelot".

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Roger Ebert: I not only enjoyed Stuart Smalley, doggone it, I liked him, and that attitude of gratitude ain't just a platitude.