Barnes & Noble

Ghosts of A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life haunt The Family Man, a 2000 comedy from director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour). Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) -- a wealthy, womanizing bachelor in Manhattan -- wakes up one Christmas morning to discover that he is a suburban tire salesman and is married to the woman (Téa Leoni) he dumped 13 years earlier to pursue his investment-banking career. This alternate reality comes complete with two kids and a dog, and the comic potential of the situation is milked to its fullest, as Cage stumbles unhappily through nuclear-family routines. Changing diapers, making breakfast, and walking the pooch are clearly the stuff of Jack's nightmares -- until the upside of his new situation gradually becomes apparent to him. With a straightforward premise and few plot twists, The Family Man relies on the strength of its lead actors. While Cage is certainly more than effective, it is Leoni who anchors the film with smarts and sexiness, as a woman still madly in love with her husband of more than a decade. Don Cheadle adds some spice as the ersatz angel who gives Campbell this "glimpse," and Jeremy Piven is solidly cast as Campbell's suburban bowling buddy and best friend. For all those who've wondered what their lives would have been like if they had taken that other fork in the road, The Family Man is likely to kindle a few daydreams. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

In this whimsical romantic comedy that recalls It's a Wonderful Life, Nicolas Cage plays Jack Campbell, a workaholic bachelor who gets to see what his life might have been like had he stayed with his old sweetheart, Kate (Tea Leoni). Thirteen years before, Jack accepted a brokerage internship that marred his relationship with Kate, under the promise that they would only be separated one year. But much later, Jack has become an urban Wall Street exec with no wife or family of his own, and a mysterious proxy (Don Cheadle) offers him the opportunity to step into the life he left behind. After falling asleep in his posh New York apartment, Jack awakens to find himself in bed with his now-wife Kate, daughter Annie (Makenzie Vega), and a new baby, none of which he has ever experienced in his fast-paced single life. After discovering his "real" life has been eliminated, he begrudgingly tries to fit in with his newly appointed life as a family man. The Family Man also stars Saul Rubinek and Jeremy Piven. Jason Clark

Product Details

• UPC: 025192094125
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 2:06:00
• Sales Rank: 910

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