The Family Man (2000)

3 out of 4

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven, Harve Presnell, Saul Rubinek, Josef Sommer

Director: Brett Ratner

Time: 125 mins

On the surface, The Family Man is an extended reworking of Frank Capra's 1946 classic (and Christmas re-run perennial) It's A Wonderful Life. Both films are about a hardworking man who is given a glimpse at what his life might have been had he taken a different route many years ago. This premise occupied the final half hour of the Capra film, but is the foundation for the whole of The Family Man. While not as heartwarming, the newer film does have an unexpectedly romantic streak underlining its story, capped by gentle touches of humour and drama, that make it a worthwhile (if slightly too long) two hours.

Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is a successful corporate professional working on Wall Street. He left his girlfriend Kate (Tea Leoni) many years ago for an internship overseas in London, and hasn't seen her since. A chance meeting with the mysterious Cash (Don Cheadle), who looks like a street bum, proves fateful for Jack. He wakes up the next morning to find he is now married to Kate, living in suburbia with two kids, and working as a tyre salesman for Kate's father Big Ed (Harve Presnell). It seems Cash is giving him a "glimpse" at what might have been had he not gone overseas all those years ago. While resentful at first at having lost his riches, his downtown apartment, and his Ferrari, he soon finds that having a beautiful wife, great kids, and living the suburban life is not as bad as he thought. But soon, time, and Cash, are about to catch up with him.

While sharing many similarities with It's A Wonderful Life, the film is certainly more romantic, with the relationship between Jack and Kate warmly developed. There's some nice humour as Jack discovers parenthood for the first time, and some drama as Jack contemplates adultery as well as a move back to New York City, but Kate stands by him throughout. It's surprising to find the film was directed by Brett Ratner, the man behind many rap music videos and the recent Jackie Chan hit Rush Hour. At first thought, it doesn't seem possible that someone of his background and experience could pull off a gentle, feel-good Christmas film, but it's a credit to him that he does. The film does start to overstay its welcome by the end, so a fifteen minute trim in the editing room could have done wonders.

That the relationship in The Family Man works is due mainly to the perky and appealing performance of Tea Leoni (aka Mrs David Duchovny). I always thought she was quite good in the TV series The Naked Truth, and here she shows why someone like Jack could fall in love with her once, and fall in love with her again years later. Cage is fine as the obsessed yuppie who has little regard for anything except the pursuit of money, until the glimpse given to him by Cash precipitates his change into a "family man". Cage's soulful eyes are employed effectively to reflect his initial bewilderment and subsequent softening. Support in the form of Jeremy Piven (from TV's Ellen), as Jack's best friend in his "glimpse" life, and Don Cheadle, as the angel-like Cash, is also good, though Cheadle's role is somewhat of a cameo.

The Christmas season (this was released just prior to Christmas in North America) regularly throws up feel-good films that attempt to warm one's heart as the festivities approach. Some can be so saccharine they're liable to make one wince, but The Family Man combines the right amount of humour, warmth, and romance to fit the bill. With fine performances by Cage and, especially, Leoni, The Family Man is worth a viewing.

(c) Joe Wong (26 January 2001)