Leoni is a revelation. Vibrant and gorgeous, she plays her role of the determined mother in love with teasing, salty charm, providing just enough grit to save the film from Ratner's slushy direction.
Comment
09/19/08
The Family Man (2000)
53
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:126
Fresh:67
Rotten:59
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: Despite good performances by Cage and especially by Leoni, The Family Man is too predictable and derivative to add anything new to the Christmas genre. Also, it sinks under its sentimentality.
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Nicolas Cage stars as Jack Campbell, a career-driven workaholic who has everything: an exciting job, a Ferarri, a closetful of Zegna suits, and the attention of any woman he wants. His life changes... [More]
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven
Director: Brett Ratner
Reviews for The Family Man
Top CriticIt's rare that an American movie lets slip such a snobbish distaste for the humdrum lives of its blue-collar audience base, but of course it doesn't last.
01/26/06
Top CriticPerfect feel-good Christmas-period family entertainment. Highly recommended.
10/30/02
Thoroughly engaging yet nothing new.
12/10/01
A pleasant change of pace for both Cage and director Ratner.
04/16/01
Top CriticIf a movie is going to operate in such an obvious structure, it should do it well. The Family Man does not.
02/07/01
Click to read the article
10/18/08
Top CriticClick to read the article
12/30/06
Top CriticA hunk of sentimental fluff that boasts an often-overstated performance by Cage and an annoying turn by Leoni.
12/30/06
I voted for the happy ending, thusly, my enjoyment was diminished.
12/31/05
If you're looking for a heartfelt, feel-good holiday movie, just give in and enjoy.
12/06/05
One of the few films this season able to offer something likely to entertain almost everyone.
12/06/05
The makers of The Family Man were trying to do a kind of reverse It's a Wonderful Life without ever realizing that it doesn't work on paper, much less on the screen.
06/05/03
Redeems itself with raw emotion and the evocative force of love.
05/14/03
A holiday film Joe Lieberman could love, unembarrassed by its wholesome, sugary pro-family message.
03/10/03
Cage's delivery of the Big Final Speech is strained and uncomfortable, and the film's ending is unsatisfying, offering a conflicted message and only a meager chance of hope.
02/08/03
Succeeds because of a combination of great performances (Tea Leoni is a real standout), a solid script and an ending that is not exactly what you would expect.
12/08/02
Not much more than a contemporary remix of Scrooged, but it's different enough to keep you awake and hipped-up enough to make you like it.
12/08/02
Cage and Leoni are cute together and struggle mightily, but they can't overcome this sinking ship of a script by David Diamond and David Weissman that telegraphs the ending in the first 20 minutes.
10/21/02
There is not a lot wrong with The Family Man, except for an almost total lack of surprise and a nasty attitude toward exactly the people who are supposed to pay money to watch it.
10/15/02
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