Review of A Family Man (2016) by Loretta M — 30 Aug 2017

My mentor Roger Ebert taught me many things about what makes a great movie. The one factor or element that I always think of while watching a really good movie is "Do we care about the person (people) in the movie. While watching A Family Man, I not only cared I was rooting for all of them. The goid guy, the bad guy, the husband, the father, the son, the co-workers, the overaged unemployed worker. I wanted them all to win!

Gerard Butler, Alfred Molina, William DeFoe, Brie Larsen, Gretchen Mol, Anupam Kher...What a magnificently put together ensemble, yet as I watch more movies I come to realize tgat the talent of an actor is only as good as the writer and director make them out to be.

This is a case study of filmmaking. How do you take such a talented cast and make a great movie? How do you make someone cry and two minutes later your breast feels like it's burning?

Maxwell Jenkins, I'm not sure where or how they found this kid, but what a find. He was intelligent, moving, serious, charming, cute, and most importantly he made you feel things deep inside of you. Things that cause introspection about yourself and how you treat others  Does he do this on his own...? No! That is where a director comes in with a wand like in Harry Potter that casts his magic upon all who made this movie.

Gerard Butler, I've always liked him, but he outdid himself this time. Reminded me of Alex Baldwin in 'Glengarry Glen Ross.' The hardened man who would sell his mother to make a deal. Wow...his chemistry with Gretchen Mol was like mixing hydrogen with oxygen, neither element can one live without, either spouse could one do without. The time old tale of A Family Man who is weary of his life, his family only gets in the way, and he feels like he is the only one that matters.

We don't all get do-overs in this life...although we all wish we could. While finishing this movie my son came downstairs and when he left the room I said "Thanks for mowing the lawn." Was that so hard? Do we take the the time to acknowledge the simple things? Probably! What this movie does is help energize the part of our spirit that lies beneath our pride. The part that says "I love You" to someone we care about. It's the part of us that builds our character, that makes our Father in Heaven smile. When a movie moves me to be a better family man, than it is the best a movie can possibly be.