Review of The Family Man (2000) by Rafael C — 26 Jan 2010

It's a Wonderful Life with a touch of A Christmas Carol though I don't consider this to be a Holiday film as I can watch this all year long.

Wall Street big-shot, Jack Campbell (Nick Cage) is at the top of his professional game with little time for anything or anyone but himself. His high - profile,fast-paced lifestyle drastically changes one snowy Christmas night when he unwittingly stumbles into the middle of a grocery store holdup and in a bold display of self-preservation disarms the gunman (Don Cheadle) who ends up being an angel on a mission to show Jack what his life would've been like had he chosen love instead of fortune. The next morning he wakes up in a suburban New Jersey bedroom lying next to Kate, his college sweetheart (Tea Leoni) who he left in order to pursue his career, and to the horrifying discovery that his former life no longer exists. As he stumbles through this alternate middle class suburban life, Jack begins to feel strangely comfortable in this new role of loving husband and father to two children. Jack finds himself at a crossroad, where he must choose between his solitary high-powered career or a lower income life with the woman he loves. Also starring Harve Presnell and Jeremy Piven.

One of my favorite movies of all time!

The acting was really good. This to me is one of the few films in which Nicholas Cage really shines and shows his true acting skills which we usually don't see in his other films (probably because of his poor choice of roles). The supporting cast was wonderful. Tea Leoni looks exceptionally beautiful in this film and Director Brett Ratner did a great job.