The Family Man is one of my favourite films. Just watched it again on Boxing Night (Ok - I'm British!) and it delivered again. This is one of the GREAT Christmas films!
There are so many things that go into The Family Man; Cage is the pushy Wall Street broker who is at root a good man. Precisely because he is a good man he ends up getting a "glimpse" of a life he could have had. This completely unmoors him and we see how that plays out. Leoni is - as Cage rightly describes; beautiful - inside and out! Her character is just lovely in every respect; the perfect mom and life partner. The chemistry is warm and terrific even though Cage is hugely confused and conflicted with the "other man" still inside of him. One of his best perfomances. Shout out for the little girl "Annie" and her cameo - she's brilliant too.
This film works well on the deeper levels because the story is strong; why did we make the choices we made? How might things have played out if different paths had been taken? The Family Man invites us to look at ourselves and ask these questions in a charming and disarming way.
However, there is a necessary central sadness in The Family Man; that Cage & Leoni have not, as a matter of fact, had that life together. But actually this sadness powers the film in very positive ways. Because the story is so strong and the characters so well portrayed, we feel for Cage and for Leoni at the end scenes. This is where the story lands. Cage does the right thing, it is Leoni's turn to make a big decision - and the symmetry is complete.
There are so many things that go into The Family Man; Cage is the pushy Wall Street broker who is at root a good man. Precisely because he is a good man he ends up getting a "glimpse" of a life he could have had. This completely unmoors him and we see how that plays out. Leoni is - as Cage rightly describes; beautiful - inside and out! Her character is just lovely in every respect; the perfect mom and life partner. The chemistry is warm and terrific even though Cage is hugely confused and conflicted with the "other man" still inside of him. One of his best perfomances. Shout out for the little girl "Annie" and her cameo - she's brilliant too.
This film works well on the deeper levels because the story is strong; why did we make the choices we made? How might things have played out if different paths had been taken? The Family Man invites us to look at ourselves and ask these questions in a charming and disarming way.
However, there is a necessary central sadness in The Family Man; that Cage & Leoni have not, as a matter of fact, had that life together. But actually this sadness powers the film in very positive ways. Because the story is so strong and the characters so well portrayed, we feel for Cage and for Leoni at the end scenes. This is where the story lands. Cage does the right thing, it is Leoni's turn to make a big decision - and the symmetry is complete.