Stuart Saves His Family (1995) (Sensormatic)

Veteran 12-stepper Stuart Smalley (Al Franken) has a successful cable-access show until his worst nightmare comes true: He's moved to the dreaded 2:45 a.m. slot, a fate worse than death in the TV world. Eventually Stuart's show is canceled, and he must face unemployment with the help of his various 12-step sponsors. Just when he is as low as he can possibly get, he is forced to face his completely dysfunctional family for a funeral back home in Minnesota. This hotbed of addictive and compulsive behavior includes an alcoholic father (Harris Yulin), a passive mom (Shirley Knight), an overeating sister (Leslie Boone), and an all-around addict brother (Vincent D'onofrio). All of this bad behavior is almost too much for the recovered Stuart, as he is forced to face his family's weaknesses as they all battle to understand one another. Through a series of familial disasters and increasingly dysfunctional behavior, Stuart must decide whether his family is worth saving or if he must leave them all behind for good. Director Harold Ramis has successfully taken the popular SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE skit and turned it into a charming little movie that is littered with small surprises throughout.