The Family Man

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is the quintessential Wall Street shark, scoring killer deals by day and shallow escort sex by night. His round-the-clock routine of empty luxuries is disturbed one lonely Christmas Eve when a gun-packing punk (Don Cheadle)—perhaps an angel of mercy—responds to an altruistic gesture from Jack by giving him “a glimpse” of the life he could have had. Could have, that is, if he had married the girlfriend (Téa Leoni) he’d abandoned 13 years earlier, raised two adorable children, worked in his father-in-law’s retail tire outlet, and lived happily ever after in suburban New Jersey. Thrust into this “glimpse” of the path not taken, Jack’s a single-malt man in a lite-brew world, wondering if he’ll ever return to his “better” life of callous wealth and solitude—or if he even wants to.

Carp all you want about this derivative premise, with its marginal stereotypes and biased embrace of domestic bliss and dirty diapers. The simple fact is, The Family Man works like a charm. Under the assured direction of Brett Ratner (Rush Hour), this holiday crowd-pleaser offers comedy and chemistry in equal measure, making the hilarity of Jack’s predicament a smooth catalyst for that rarest of movie romances: the marital love story. Leoni is Cage’s perfect match as Jack’s idealized but imperfect wife, and the movie’s appeal largely derives from its awareness that any life has its pleasures and pains. While it only flirts with the dark desperation that makes It’s a Wonderful Life a classic predecessor, The Family Man is an irresistible what-if fantasy, and even its debatable ending rides on a wave of genuine warmth and sentiment. —Jeff Shannon

Barnes and Noble

Ghosts of A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life haunt The Family Man, a 2000 comedy from director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour). Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage)—a wealthy, womanizing bachelor in Manhattan—wakes up one Christmas morning to discover that he is a suburban tire salesman and is married to the woman (Téa Leoni) he dumped 13 years earlier to pursue his investment-banking career. This alternate reality comes complete with two kids and a dog, and the comic potential of the situation is milked to its fullest, as Cage stumbles unhappily through nuclear-family routines. Changing diapers, making breakfast, and walking the pooch are clearly the stuff of Jack’s nightmares—until the upside of his new situation gradually becomes apparent to him. With a straightforward premise and few plot twists, The Family Man relies on the strength of its lead actors. While Cage is certainly more than effective, it is Leoni who anchors the film with smarts and sexiness, as a woman still madly in love with her husband of more than a decade. Don Cheadle adds some spice as the ersatz angel who gives Campbell this “glimpse,” and Jeremy Piven is solidly cast as Campbell’s suburban bowling buddy and best friend. For all those who’ve wondered what their lives would have been like if they had taken that other fork in the road, The Family Man is likely to kindle a few daydreams. Gregory Baird