| The Family Man |
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| 1/2 |
| Rating: Mixed Distributor: Universal Pictures MPAA Rating: PG-13 Running Length: 2 hours, 6 minutes Genre: Drama, Holidays, Fantasy Release Date: December 22nd, 2000 (wide) Director: Brett Ratner Cast: Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven, Amber Valletta, and Harve Presnell. |
| picture above from www.family-man.com |
| Plot: A hard nosed Wall Street bussiness man (Nicolas Cage) is living a life of enormous luxury. However, when an angelic man (Don Cheadle) gives him a chance to see a life that our protagonist could have lived, with the woman (Tea Leoni) he almost married this bussiness man must grow to accomodate the new fantastic circumstances. He learns how to let go of material things, how to let go of money especially. He learns how to take care of children, with the two children that he and his girlfriend, or wife in his new world, could have had, and did in this fantasy. The catch that allows him to let go of material things is that both of them had to give up their ambitions, and possibly rich jobs. Our corporation executive must lead his life as a tire salesman, and his wife as a lawyer who works for no payments. |
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| Critique: The Family Man has its moments of good humor and genuine emotion. However, whenever the films digs deep and tries to go for the gold in key scenes, it fumbles badly. It's a film that comes up very close to being recommendable, but obviously does not quite get there. Everybody gives something but comes up short. The director finds some feeling within the film, with some interesting styles, but lacks the conviction and extra power the film needed to push it over the hill, into the recommendable area. The screenwriters apply some intriguing fantasy ideas, but are unable to give anything more than stale dialogue in key scenes between characters that they are unable to give depth too. They especially give Cage a difficult time in charging his character back and forth through radically good and bad moves, without any clear motives. Even the cast isn't always consistent; Nicolas Cage, an actor known for being much more than just capable is very average and mundane, although he has his moments where he does well, and Tea Leoni, an actress who I can't really judge as being a good or bad performer quite yet blunders in a few key scenes, although she shines here and there. The premise is thought provoking, but the film cannot iron out the wrinkles in its morals, what it's trying to explain. Should we dump everything to do a spur of the moment marriages, even for our futures, at a young age? No, but it's not a bad idea to put family values, and living a furfilling live over excessive material items and money. Anyway, the film has trouble being specific, and can't control its own ideas quite right. Additionally, If this angel played by Don Cheadle is so wonderful, why is he going around threatening people with guns (don't worry that's not a spoiler, it happens very early in the film)? Surely he is so wise that he is merely testing everybody, I guess that's what we are supposed to guess. Although his ambiguous identity isn't a bad idea, his character is too weird to not give extra details. However, the angel has some good jokes and good lines, he's a mixed bag. The whole film is a mixed bag; I don't recommend mixed bags. The Family Man is ambitious in its premise, but cannot sort through its own thoughts. It's an internal struggle, the morals are provoking, but the film can't hold on and explain them properly. It means well, but that's not enough. The Family Man is very far from a poor film, not one aspect is poor. It's not really a bad film. Nonetheless, it was average, and I don't recommend average films. The Family Man didn't have enough good moments to make it worthwhile. review by supernothingman |