The Family Man
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Movie Reviews of The Family Man
Movie Review: "It's A Wonderful Life!" Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love dogs and those who don't.
That's the only way to make sense out of why there exists folks who do not absolutely love this movie. I have a Masters in Communications - Cinema (shameless plug, sorry), and this is said only for perspective on my forthcoming comments.
You see, you don't need another review describing the storyline or the incredible performances turned in my Mr. Cage and the other perfectly cast players (Tea Leoni is stunning; Jeremy Piven is a hoot).
What is needed is a statement of why there exists in the world people who may not like this film. And it's for the same reasons they would not like "It's A Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story" and any other film that requires being vulnerable and honestly admit that deep down you are broken, hurting, and are truly not in control of your universe and you're (maybe) made at God about it.
The honest folks (i.e., the "dog lovers") simply get it. The other ones ("non-dog lovers") have to survive by never getting in touch with deep emotion and pain inside and will, tragically, never experience what is truly important and purposeful and genuine in life.
This is not an indictment of these folks. Just an observation.
Artistically and technically, this is one of the most flawlessly executed films I know of. It rates with director Martin Brest's 1988 "Midnight Run" in terms of obtaining the delicate balance of laughter and tears, outlandish scenario made believable, characters so lovable because of their vulnerability in admitting they are messed up and need help, etc ... (the casting of De Niro opposite Grodin in 'Run' is a masterstroke, and, with the talented hand of director Brest, both completely understand their characters "makeup" and interaction).
The same can be said of Cage in 'The Family Man.' It's difficult to think of anyone else being able to capture so peculiarly a dispositioned dude who is caught in a dichotomy of realities. (And few others besides Cage have the sensibilities to capture the peculiar character traits needed to star next to Shirley MacLaine in 'Guarding Tess.') Director Brett Ratner exhibits the same understanding of story and character in his handling of this delicate setup. In fact, Ratner's complete understanding of this material is evidenced by his statement (in accompanying interview) that he would accept no one other than Cage to play this role.
He was right.
'The Family Man,' like all of the aforementioned films, is timeless, classic, masterful work because it is honest enough to deal (cushioned with humor) with the pain that is so deep within all of us, and do so with finely-honed technique.
Dog lovers--UNITE!
Movie Review: This movie surprised me!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Who could imagine a movie directed by Mr. Brett Ratner (Rush Hour), among all directors in the world, can be a subtle and moving experience? There's no stereotypical situation. Even the stock suburban Jersey characters are handled with normalcy. Every situation is portrayed with realism and honesty. The story line is solely based on Mr. Cage's character's view point. It feels real because he's not immediately embracing his family lifestyle. Through out the better part of the movie, he wanted to go back to his high-flying life as a single Wall Street player. The change of heart is so subtle and skillfully handled by the screenwriters that you are totally convinced by the time he realized what he missed from his 'glimpsed' life with Miss Leoni and the kids. Miss Leoni is very believable in wardrobe and demeanor as an Ivy-league educated attorney turned into a Jersey wife. She's not perfectly made-up, not a stick, and has a real glow and happiness as a wife and a mother (could it be the happy marriage with Mr. Duchovney and having two kids in real life?). And the chemistry between Mr. Cage and Miss Leoni is palpable to say the least.
Watching the movie and listening to Mr. Ratner and his producer's commentary really enforced my belief in making movies with passion. The passion expressed by Mr. Ratner and the producer was so heart-felt, it gives me hope for greater things to come from them.
To me the realness of this movie is in its ending. Mr. Cage, after his blissful 'glimpse' of what could have been, tried to track down Miss Leoni in real life, who is a successful attorney also on a fast track, to give the love they once shared one more try (did I spoil the movie by revealing this?). Like what the filmmakers said in the making-of documentary, Mr. Cage only asked Miss Leoni for a cup of coffee and they left the audience there imagining the possible outcomes. They, as filmmakers, did not try to turn this story into a fairy tale. Today's movie goers are sophisticated enough to know when a story is manipulative or not. :)
It may be too late for Mr. Cage and Miss Leoni's characters to develop a life together like in Mr. Cage's glimpse. But it's never too late for us viewers to take stock of our life and determine what really matters.
Movie Review: A Christmas Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband and I took our then 2-year-old son to see "The Family Man" in the theater when it first premiered in 2000. We loved it then. We love it now. In fact, this film has been added to our collection of Christmas films that we watch every year, along with "Love Actually," "Die Hard," "The Holiday," "Trading Places," "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," "A Christmas Carol," "Home Alone," "The Stepmom," and "Little Women." (The list is growing).
Of course "It's a Wonderful Life" was a touchstone for this film. And, like its predecessor, this film is sure to grow in popularity over the years. Nearly every frame in this film is a gift. Nicholas Cage and Téo Leoni are at their best. The child actors are adorable. Yes, it is a feel-good movie. So what? Isn't that why we watch movies like this, especially around the holidays? Part of the joy of watching a film is the suspension of belief. The giving over of ourselves to enjoying a certain experience.
Those of us who are married and are parents can relate to many of the themes in this movie. I could be wrong, but I think a lot of the naysayers here are folks who don't have families, are not married, and regularly eschew the family lifestyle, especially if it involves the suburbs. Oddly enough, many critics of the suburbs are themselves the products of the suburbs, and seem to have knee-jerk reactions to anything that even slightly appears to show a positive side to life away from the city. They seem to be projecting a lot of their own insecurities and unhappiness onto this film. In fact, I think bashing the suburbs has become an American cliché, too. It's a sign of unoriginality to dismiss the lives of millions of Americans who are raising their families in diverse places that have nothing to do with city centers. It's a cliché to assume that anyone who lives in a suburb has never lived anywhere else or experienced any other culture or way of life.
If you can let go and enjoy a feel-good film without over-thinking it; if you are a big Nicholas Cage fan; if you want a good film for the holidays; and if you are intrigued by the idea of seeing an updated version of "It's a Wonderful Life," this film is for you.
Movie Review: I have a confession to make
Summary: 5 Stars
My fiance and I snuck into this movie. We had certificates for Jim Carrey's "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", but we weren't in the mood for that, so we snuck into the theater that was playing this. I have no regrets as this movie made me hold my fiance a little bit tighter that night. Life is about choices, and Jack Campbell has to make that decision when his girlfriend tries to talk him out of going to Oxford University to pursue a financial scholarship, and begin life with her then and now. Kate is a beautiful girl, and Jack is caught between a rock and a hard place, and ends up leaving her at the airport, and goes onto success on Wall Street, but his life is lonely, and he has no one to love him in that special way. He's made aware of this when one night on the way home he is acosted by a gun toting criminal, and more or less Jack is made to review his life, and Jack just blows him off, and goes home to bed, and then he wakes up married to Kate, and is a father of 2. They live in a house in Jersey, and Jack works for Kate's uncle at a tire store. Jack is not sure of how to deal with this, and at first he doesn't believe this is happening, but as time goes on he begins to love Kate, and his children. However, the dream ends and Jack wakes up alone. He got a note from Kate to see him again, and now he wonders what's up. It turns out that Kate has done well for herself, and she just wants Jack to pick up his stuff before she moves to her new home.....Jack can't believe how beautiful Kate looks, and now feels like he has to make a move somehow, however, this time he makes the right decision, and stays with Kate. I am not much into romantic movies, but this is one of my 5 favorite romantic movies, and as I said I held my fiance a little bit tighter that night. This was overlooked, and should be considered a classic as Nicholas Cage and Tia Leone turned in good performances. I know that this movie also taught me that the best way to go was with dvd as when I first wanted to buy this movie, and I was going to buy it!!!!However, the VHS copy was fifty bucks, and the dvd was a lot less. I still watch this to this day, and hope I will be remarried again someday.Movie Review: The Decisions we make in life!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderfully moving film that has Nicolas Cage as a Hotshot Wallstreet Broker who has everything a bachelor could ever want, a penthouse apartment, killer job, women at his disposal, a farrari, & for the most part enjoys his solitude, that is until he meets a would-be robber who turns out to be an angel in disguise, Don Cheadle does a wonderful job here as he reminds Cage that his life is empty & gives him a glimpse into what his life might have become had he not ditched his girlfriend some 13 years earlier, Cage awakens the next morning only to discover that he is now married to his girlfriend(Tea Leoni)& that they have children, at first he is in shock, & desperately flees back to his life that he knows only to discover that it no longer exist, faced with this new reality, he goes back & discovers that his life is that of a modern married man, as he tries to ajust, he realizes it is not so bad after all, & begins to realize that down deep he still loves Leoni, soon he is wrapped up in his new life & in a way does not want his old life back, but Cheadle appears & reminds him that it is just a glimpse, as Cage desperately pleads for him not to send him back, soon after he awakens only to discover his old life is back, & totally ignores his female escort & goes in search for Leoni, when he finds her she too is successful & still single & moving on to a more privleged life, this is where the heart of the movie takes place as we see that there is still love between them, as Cage desperately realizes the mistake he made in letting her get away 13 years ago, although it ends with them having coffee, it leaves the viewer with notion that they may rekindle their love for one another, but it leaves it to the viewer, athough one could argue that this movie shows how selfish some of us are, I think it handles it pretty well, that being single & independent is not all bad, & that being married is not all bad, that there are good & bad in both roads of life, being single & independent has its advantages & disadvantages, & that married life has both its advantages & disadvantages, there is no right or wrong way to live, just the decisions we make in life!!