Today’s quick review: The Family Man. Years ago, Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) gave up his relationship with Kate Reynolds (Tea Leoni) for the sake of his career. Now he has it all—a penthouse apartment, a lucrative job—but no one to share it with. That all changes when Jack bumps into a mysterious stranger (Don Cheadle) who offers Jack a glimpse of the life he could have had: a mundane job, a home in the suburbs, and a loving family with Kate.
The Family Man is a romance and comedy about a materialistic man who’s forcibly shown the other path he could have taken in life. Nicolas Cage stars as Jack Campbell, a Wall Street executive who’s dragged kicking and screaming into a world of diapers, marriage, and domesticity. Tea Leoni plays opposite him as Kate, Jack’s lost love and his anchor in an unfamiliar world. What follows is a solid if somewhat predictable tale of love and personal growth.
The Family Man’s strong suit winds up being its acting. Jack does not start the movie as a likable guy, but his struggles earn a measure of respect from the audience. Nicolas Cage handles both sides of the character well: the razor-edged businessman with a genuine talent for what he does, and the sappy family man he had the potential to become. Cage’s performance as Jack finally starts to get the hang of his new life is the highlight of the movie.
The downside is that The Family Man doesn’t have as much impacta s it could have. The story moves slowly, with a long time spent on setup and the early stages of Jack’s new life. The broad strokes of the plot are predictable, although that doesn’t stop them from being satisfying to watch play out. But the main issue is that the moments of emotional resonance are rare, making it hard for the movie to build a consistent connection wih the audience.
The Family Man is a solid pick for those interested in something simple and uplifting. It doesn’t play on the audience’s emotions with as much skill as some other movies in the same vein, but a well-constructed story and a few strong moments are enough to give it some value. Those looking for bigger laughs, an unconventional story, or a steamier romance may want to give it a pass.
For a more poignant comedy about a bitter man transformed by extraordinary means, try Groundhog Day. For a Christmas drama about a glimpse of another world, try It’s a Wonderful Life or the various adaptations of A Christmas Carol. For another movie about a man who lets success go to his head, try Rain Man or Wall Street. For an action comedy about rekindling a similarly loving marriage, try True Lies.
6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for a good premise and sound execution.