The Family Man
Encyclopedia
The Family Man is a 2000 drama film directed by Brett Ratner
and starring Nicolas Cage
and Téa Leoni
. Cage's production company, Saturn Films
, helped produce the film.
The film centers on a man, who sees what could have been had he made a different decision 13 years prior. It is similar to It's a Wonderful Life
in that it begins on Christmas Eve
with a life-and-death situation, involving a supernatural being, who tries to convince the main character into taking an earnest look at his life. Moreover, in the end, the protagonists in both movies conclude that living a quiet family life is preferable to achieving success and wealth at work.
The film has also been compared to Charles Dickens
's A Christmas Carol
in that the protagonist is a greedy man who cares little about anyone except himself and then has his life outlook completely changed after a series of real-life "what if?" experiences.
The next morning, on Christmas Day, Jack wakes up in a suburban New Jersey bedroom with Kate and two children. Shocked and confused, he hurries back to his office and condo in New York, but not even his closest friends recognize him. Confused, Jack runs out to the street and encounters Cash, who is now driving Jack's Ferrari. Cash explains that Jack is experiencing a glimpse of an alternate universe in order to learn a lesson. What that lesson is unknown and is personal to Jack's life.
Jack realizes that he is living the life he could have had if he had not gone to London to study and become an investment banker but had stayed in the United States with his then girlfriend. He instead has a modest family life, where he is a tire salesman and Kate is a non-profit lawyer. Jack struggles to fit into the role of a family man, making many serious blunders such as missing opening Christmas presents, flirting with a married woman and forgetting his anniversary. Very soon, Jack's young daughter realizes his secret and decides to assist him in surviving his new life. He begins to succeed in his life, bonding with his children, falling in love with his wife and working hard at his dull job.
He suddenly finds himself being offered a contract to work at the very same investment firm from his real life, having impressed the Chairman of the firm with his business savvy when he came in for a tire change. His old mentor once again gladly offers him a job, while a formerly sycophantic employee is instead in Jack's old position, with an assertiveness he did not possess as a subordinate. While he is wowed by the potential salary and other complimentary extreme luxuries, Kate argues that they are very happy where they are and that they should be thankful for the life they have.
Just as Jack is finally realizing the true value of his new life, he sees Cash again (now a store clerk) and demands to stay in this life, but, though sorrowful of Jack's situation, Cash informs him there's nothing he can do. So, his epiphany jolts him back to his wealthy — yet as he now realizes, lonely and unfulfilled — former life on Christmas day. In desperation, he forgoes closing his $130 billion pharmaceutical acquisition deal to intercept Kate (who had left the message the day before). He finds her moving out of a luxury townhouse. Like Jack, she also focused on her career and became a very wealthy lawyer. Furthermore, she had only called him to give back some of his old possessions. Before she moves to Paris, he runs after her at the airport and describes the family they had in the alternate universe in an effort to win back her love. Shocked but intrigued, she agrees to a cup of coffee at the airport, suggesting that they might have a future after all.
and Cast Away
, which opened at the top spot.
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...
and starring Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and Téa Leoni
Téa Leoni
Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni , better known by her stage name Téa Leoni, is an American actress. She has starred in a wide range of films including Jurassic Park III, The Family Man, Deep Impact, Fun with Dick and Jane, Spanglish, Bad Boys, and Ghost Town.-Early life:Leoni was born in New York City...
. Cage's production company, Saturn Films
Saturn Films
-Productions:*Shadow of the Vampire *The Family Man *Gone in 60 Seconds *Sonny *Windtalkers *Adaptation *The Life of David Gale...
, helped produce the film.
The film centers on a man, who sees what could have been had he made a different decision 13 years prior. It is similar to It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
in that it begins on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
with a life-and-death situation, involving a supernatural being, who tries to convince the main character into taking an earnest look at his life. Moreover, in the end, the protagonists in both movies conclude that living a quiet family life is preferable to achieving success and wealth at work.
The film has also been compared to Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
's A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
in that the protagonist is a greedy man who cares little about anyone except himself and then has his life outlook completely changed after a series of real-life "what if?" experiences.
Plot
Jack Campbell is a single, wealthy Wall Street Executive living the high life in New York City. He is in the midst of putting together a billion dollar merger and has ordered an emergency meeting on Christmas day to ensure its success. Family clearly has no meaning for him. In his office on Christmas Eve, he is surprised to hear that his former girlfriend, Kate, tried to call him after many years. After reminiscing a bit, he walks into a convenience store where a lottery contestant, Cash, barges in saying that he has a winning ticket. The store clerk believes that Cash is lying and refuses to give him his winnings. Cash pulls out a gun and is about to shoot the clerk before Jack offers to buy the ticket from him, thus averting disaster. He and Cash settle their business deal outside and he arrogantly offers to help Cash before going to sleep in his penthouse.The next morning, on Christmas Day, Jack wakes up in a suburban New Jersey bedroom with Kate and two children. Shocked and confused, he hurries back to his office and condo in New York, but not even his closest friends recognize him. Confused, Jack runs out to the street and encounters Cash, who is now driving Jack's Ferrari. Cash explains that Jack is experiencing a glimpse of an alternate universe in order to learn a lesson. What that lesson is unknown and is personal to Jack's life.
Jack realizes that he is living the life he could have had if he had not gone to London to study and become an investment banker but had stayed in the United States with his then girlfriend. He instead has a modest family life, where he is a tire salesman and Kate is a non-profit lawyer. Jack struggles to fit into the role of a family man, making many serious blunders such as missing opening Christmas presents, flirting with a married woman and forgetting his anniversary. Very soon, Jack's young daughter realizes his secret and decides to assist him in surviving his new life. He begins to succeed in his life, bonding with his children, falling in love with his wife and working hard at his dull job.
He suddenly finds himself being offered a contract to work at the very same investment firm from his real life, having impressed the Chairman of the firm with his business savvy when he came in for a tire change. His old mentor once again gladly offers him a job, while a formerly sycophantic employee is instead in Jack's old position, with an assertiveness he did not possess as a subordinate. While he is wowed by the potential salary and other complimentary extreme luxuries, Kate argues that they are very happy where they are and that they should be thankful for the life they have.
Just as Jack is finally realizing the true value of his new life, he sees Cash again (now a store clerk) and demands to stay in this life, but, though sorrowful of Jack's situation, Cash informs him there's nothing he can do. So, his epiphany jolts him back to his wealthy — yet as he now realizes, lonely and unfulfilled — former life on Christmas day. In desperation, he forgoes closing his $130 billion pharmaceutical acquisition deal to intercept Kate (who had left the message the day before). He finds her moving out of a luxury townhouse. Like Jack, she also focused on her career and became a very wealthy lawyer. Furthermore, she had only called him to give back some of his old possessions. Before she moves to Paris, he runs after her at the airport and describes the family they had in the alternate universe in an effort to win back her love. Shocked but intrigued, she agrees to a cup of coffee at the airport, suggesting that they might have a future after all.
Cast
- Nicolas CageNicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
as Jack Campbell - Téa LeoniTéa LeoniElizabeth Téa Pantaleoni , better known by her stage name Téa Leoni, is an American actress. She has starred in a wide range of films including Jurassic Park III, The Family Man, Deep Impact, Fun with Dick and Jane, Spanglish, Bad Boys, and Ghost Town.-Early life:Leoni was born in New York City...
as Kate Reynolds / Kate Campbell - Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
as Cash - Makenzie VegaMakenzie Vega-Personal life:Vega was born in Los Angeles, California to a Colombian father and an American mother. She is the younger sister of actress Alexa Vega. Vega currently lives in New York with her mother Gina Rue , and three siblings...
as Annie Campbell - Jake & Ryan Milkovich as Josh Campbell
- Jeremy PivenJeremy PivenJeremy Samuel Piven is an American film producer and actor best known for his role as Ari Gold in the television series Entourage for which he has won three Emmy Awards as well as several other nominations for Best Supporting Actor....
as Arnie - Lisa Thornhill as Evelyn Thompson
- Saul RubinekSaul RubinekSaul Rubinek is a Canadian actor, director, producer and playwright, known for his work in TV, film and the stage.-Early life:...
as Alan Mintz - Josef SommerJosef SommerJosef Sommer is an American film actor.He was born Maximilian Josef Sommer in Greifswald, Germany and was raised in North Carolina, the son of Elisabeth and Clemons Sommer, a professor of art history at the University of North Carolina. He studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology...
as Peter Lassiter - Harve PresnellHarve PresnellHarve Presnell was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid 1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States...
as Ed Reynolds - Mary Beth HurtMary Beth HurtMary Beth Hurt is an American actress of stage and screen.-Personal life:Hurt was born Mary Supinger in 1946 in Marshalltown, Iowa, the daughter of Delores Lenore and Forrest Clayton Supinger. Her childhood babysitter was actress Jean Seberg, also a Marshalltown native...
as Adelle - Francine York as Lorraine Reynolds
- Amber VallettaAmber VallettaAmber Evangeline Valletta is an American actress and model. She began her career as a model for fashion agencies, and appeared on cover pages of internationally recognized magazines. She made her film debut in Drop Back Ten . She then starred in the hit film Hitch...
as Paula - Ken LeungKen LeungKenneth "Ken" Leung is an American actor best known for his role as Miles Straume in the ABC television series Lost and roles in such films as Shanghai Kiss, Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Saw.-Early life:...
as Sam Wong - Kate Walsh as Jeannie
Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 52% based on 126 reviews.Box office
The film opened at #3 at the North American box office making $15.1 million USD in its opening weekend, behind What Women WantWhat Women Want
What Women Want is a 2000 American romantic comedy film, directed by Nancy Meyers and starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The movie was a box office success with a domestic gross of $182,811,707 and a worldwide gross of $374,111,707, against a budget of $70 million.-Plot:Nick Marshall, a Chicago...
and Cast Away
Cast Away
Cast Away is a 2000 drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks as a FedEx employee stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific. The film depicts his successful attempts to survive on the island using remnants of his plane's cargo, as well as his...
, which opened at the top spot.
Shared themes
Similar works include:- A Christmas CarolA Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
, the Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
classic novel. - Click, in which a man who often puts work before his family is shown a life in which work finally wins out and his family leaves him.
- It's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
, in which a man is able to see how things could have been if he'd never lived. - Mr. DestinyMr. DestinyMr. Destiny is a 1990 comedy film starring James Belushi. Other actors in this film included Linda Hamilton, Jon Lovitz, Michael Caine, Courteney Cox, and Rene Russo.-Plot:...
, in which an angel-like being shows a man how his world would have been if an event in his past happened differently. - Me Myself IMe Myself I (film)Me Myself I is a 2000 Australian comedy film.-Plot:Pamela Drury is single and works as a serious journalist. She spends her birthday alone and becomes lonely and reflects upon her life and the choices she made. In a box of photos of old boyfriends, she reflects upon why she broke up with one in...
, in which a career-focused, unmarried woman finds herself in an alternate universe in which she is married and has children. - Sliding DoorsSliding DoorsSliding Doors is a 1998 British-American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Howitt and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah, and featured John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Virginia McKenna. The music was composed by David Hirschfelder...
, in which a woman at a crossroads in life experiences two different possibilities, one in which she stays with her boyfriend, one in which she leaves him to focus on her career. - A Family ThanksgivingA Family ThanksgivingA Family Thanksgiving is a 2010 Hallmark Channel Original Movie directed by Neill Fearnley.- Plot :Claudia is a very successful attorney who was once graduated at the top from Harvard Law School. Nowadays, she is working hard to become the first female partner within a high-powered firm. Her life...
, A career-driven female attorney who is prepared to work through the holiday on a big case meets a mysterious woman who magically transforms her into a minivan-driving mom with a husband and two kids. - What If...What If... (film)What If... is a 2010 Christian/drama film directed by Dallas Jenkins. It stars Kevin Sorbo, Kristy Swanson, Debby Ryan and Pixar's John Ratzenberger. The film was released to theaters on August 20, 2010...
, A very similar but faith-oriented film where the alternate 'family' lifestyle is as a small-town pastor.