n 1987, Jack Campbell (Cage) is about to fly to London to begin an
internship at Barclay's bank and is saying farewell to his college
girlfriend, Kate Reynolds (Leoni). It's only for a year, but Kate suddenly
has a bad feeling about it. She begs him to stay, but Jack boards the plane
anyway.
Thirteen years later, it's Christmas Eve, and Jack is the master of his
universe: swanky New York penthouse, Ferrari, $2,000 suits, beautiful women
and a multimillion-dollar job as president of a Wall Street investment
bank. He's even ready to blow off Christmas entirely to fly to Aspen to
hold the hand of a client, part of a billion-dollar merger deal. "I took
the road less traveled," he says.
But on his way home, he pops into a liquor store for some eggnog. Using
his negotiating skills, he thwarts a holdup by an enigmatic street person
named Cash (Cheadle). When he argues that Cash might consider a different
line of work, Cash suggests perhaps it's Jack who needs help. "I got
everything I need," Jack replies.
But when Jack awakes the next morning, he's not in his penthouse. He's in
the bedroom of a suburban New Jersey house, with Kate sleeping by his side.
A dog licks his face, and a young girl runs in squealing, "Wake up, Daddy!
It's Christmas!"
Cash shows up with an explanation: This a glimpse of how things might have
been. With horror, Jack realizes that he is Kate's husband and the father
of two young children. He works at Big Ed's tire store in Teaneck. He
spends his evenings bowling with his pal Arnie (Piven) and his weekends
barbecuing with his working-class neighbors. Only his daughter, Annie,
notices something amiss. "You're not my real daddy, are you?" she asks,
thinking he's some kind of alien replacement. "Welcome to Earth."
Stale as last season's fruitcake
The Family Man, from Rush Hour director Ratner, is the latest
in a long line of "what if ... ?" movies that started with the best of them,
Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. But though it tries to freshen
the holiday concept with some tart dialogue and modern humor, Family
Man ultimately feels as stale as last year's fruitcake.
There's nothing new in Family Man, which chronicles a self-centered
man's discovery of the joys of family and the love of a good woman. Jack's
single New York life is every bit as much a cliché as his New Jersey home
life. And the movie feels mean-spirited in the way it smugly makes fun of
Jack's neighbors and the details of suburban life.
Cage sleepwalks through most of the film, except in those moments when his
anger and indignation erupt hilariously. "You mean just because you think I
was cocky, now I'm on a permanent ACID TRIP??" Jack screams at Cash. It's
then that we catch a glimpse of the edgier actor of Leaving Las
Vegas. That Jack Campbell fits into this Disney-esque scenario like a
shark in a koi pond. More of that might have saved this predictable movie.
For her part, Leoni seems fresh and energetic after a long layoff following
1998's Deep Impact. She's a little too glamorous and athletic for a
New Jersey wife and mom, but otherwise glows with good cheer.
The film is at its best in the early scenes, as Jack struggles to fit into
his alternate life. But Jack's inevitable conversion to the titular family
man feels a little too pat and rushed, and the movie's ending is
unexpectedly melancholy.
