''The Family Man'' is a 2000 American
romantic fantasy
Romantic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric romance genre.
One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships, social, ...
comedy-drama film directed by
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the ''Rush Hour'' film series, '' The Family Man'', '' Red Dragon'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and ''Tower Heist''. He is also a producer of several film ...
, from a screenplay by
David Diamond and
David Weissman. The film stars
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...
and
Téa Leoni
Téa Leoni (; born Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni; February 25, 1966) is an American actress. In her early career, she starred in the television sitcoms '' Flying Blind'' (1992–93) and '' The Naked Truth'' (1995–98). Her breakthrough role was in ...
, with
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also earned nom ...
,
Saul Rubinek
Saul Hersh Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a German-born Canadian actor, director, producer, and playwright.
He is widely known for his television roles, notably Artie Nielsen on ''Warehouse 13,'' Donny Douglas on ''Frasier'', Lon Cohen on ''A N ...
, and
Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series '' Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the Britis ...
in supporting roles.
''The Family Man'' was theatrically released in the United States on December 22, 2000, by
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $124.7 million worldwide against its $60 million budget. At the
27th Saturn Awards, it was nominated for
Best Fantasy Film and won
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
for Leoni.
Plot
Jack and Kate, who have been together since college, are at
JFK Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New ...
, where he is about to leave to take up a twelve-month internship with
Barclays in London. She fears the separation will be detrimental to their relationship and asks him not to go, but he reassures her, saying their love is strong enough to last, and he flies out.
Thirteen years later, Jack is now a
bachelor
A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". ().
Etymo ...
living a carefree life as a
Wall Street executive in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. At work, he is putting together a multi-billion dollar
merger and has ordered an emergency meeting on Christmas Day. In his office, on Christmas Eve, he gets a message to contact Kate, but, even though he remembers her, he dismisses it, apparently uninterested.
On his way home, Jack is in a convenience store when a young man, Cash, enters claiming to have a winning lottery ticket worth $238, but the store clerk refuses him, saying the ticket is a forgery. Cash pulls out a gun and threatens him, so Jack offers to buy the ticket and Cash eventually agrees.
Outside, Jack tries to help Cash, to which he responds by asking Jack if anything is missing from his life. Saying he has everything he needs, Cash enigmatically remarks that Jack has brought upon himself what is now going to happen, and walks away. A puzzled Jack returns to his penthouse and sleeps.
On Christmas Day, Jack wakes up in a suburban
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
bedroom with Kate and two children. He rushes out to his condo and office in New York, but both doormen refuse his entrance and do not recognize him. Jack runs out into the street and encounters Cash driving Jack's
Ferrari. Although Cash offers to explain what is happening, all he says is a vague reference to "The Organization" and that Jack is getting "a glimpse" that will help him to figure out for himself what it's about.
Jack slowly realizes that he is living the kind of life he might have had if he had stayed in the United States with Kate as she had asked. He has a modest family life, where he is a car tire salesman for Kate's father and she is a non-profit lawyer. Jack's young daughter, Annie, thinks he is an alien but a friendly one and assists him in fitting into his new life. With a few setbacks, he begins to succeed, bonding with his children, falling in love with Kate again and working hard at his job.
Taking advantage of a chance meeting when his former boss, chairman Peter Lassiter, comes in to have a tire blowout fixed, Jack uses his business savvy to impress Lassiter, who invites Jack to his office, where Jack worked in his 'other' life.
There, after a short interview, Lassiter offers him a position. While he is excited by the potential salary and other perks, Kate argues that they are very happy and they should be thankful for the life they have.
Having decided that he now likes this 'other' life, Jack again sees Cash, now a store clerk. He demands to stay in this life, but Cash tells him there is no choice: "a glimpse", by definition, is an impermanent thing. That night, Jack tries to stay awake, but fails and wakes the "next day", Christmas Day, to find himself in his original life.
Jack forgoes closing the acquisition deal to intercept Kate, finding her moving out of a luxury townhouse before flying to Paris. Like him, she has focused on her career, and has become a very wealthy corporate lawyer. She had only called him to return a box of his old possessions. Jack chases after her to the airport and, in an effort to stop her leaving, describes in detail their children and family life.
Intrigued, she eventually agrees to go with him for a coffee. From a distance, they are seen talking inaudibly and laughing over their coffees.
Cast
*
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...
as Jack Campbell
*
Téa Leoni
Téa Leoni (; born Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni; February 25, 1966) is an American actress. In her early career, she starred in the television sitcoms '' Flying Blind'' (1992–93) and '' The Naked Truth'' (1995–98). Her breakthrough role was in ...
as Kate Reynolds / Kate Campbell
*
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also earned nom ...
as Cash
*
Makenzie Vega
Makenzie Jade Vega Norfolk (born February 10, 1994), known professionally as Makenzie Vega, is an American actress. She is known for her role as Grace Florrick on ''The Good Wife'' and as the 11-year-old counterpart of Nancy Callahan in ''Sin Ci ...
as Annie Campbell
* Jake and Ryan Milkovich as Josh Campbell
*
Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series '' Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the Britis ...
as Arnie
*
Lisa Thornhill
Lisa Thornhill (born September 30, 1966) is an American actress.
Early life
On September 30, 1966, Thornhill was born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky. Thornhill's parents are J.C. Thornhill and Lynda Beauchamp Thornhill. Thornhill has a sister. Thornh ...
as Evelyn Thompson
*
Saul Rubinek
Saul Hersh Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a German-born Canadian actor, director, producer, and playwright.
He is widely known for his television roles, notably Artie Nielsen on ''Warehouse 13,'' Donny Douglas on ''Frasier'', Lon Cohen on ''A N ...
as Alan Mintz
*
Josef Sommer
Maximilian Josef Sommer (born June 26, 1934) is a retired German-American stage, television, and film actor.
Early life
He was born in Greifswald, Germany, and raised in North Carolina, the son of Elisabeth and Clemens Sommer, a professor of Art ...
as Peter Lassiter
*
Harve Presnell
George Harvey Presnell (September 14, 1933 – June 30, 2009) 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.
His career re ...
as Ed Reynolds
*
Mary Beth Hurt
Mary Beth Hurt (''née'' Supringer; born September 25, 1946) is an American actress of stage and screen. She is a three-time Tony Award-nominated actress.
Notable films in which Hurt has appeared include '' Interiors'' (1978), ''The World Accord ...
as Adelle
*
Francine York
Francine York (born Francine Yerich; August 26, 1936 – January 6, 2017) was an American actress and model. She also used the name Francine Yerick.
Early life
Francine Yerich was born to Frank and Sophie Yerich in the small mining town Aurora, ...
as Lorraine Reynolds
*
Amber Valletta
Amber Evangeline Valletta (born February 9, 1974) is an American model and actress. She began her career as a fashion model, landing her first of sixteen American ''Vogue'' covers at the age of eighteen. During the 1990s, Valletta reached the st ...
as Paula
*
Ken Leung
Kenneth Leung (; born January 21, 1970) is an American actor. His roles include Sang in '' Rush Hour'', Miles Straume in ''Lost'', Admiral Statura in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and Eric Tao in HBO's ''Industry''.
Early life
Leung was ...
as Sam Wong
*
Kate Walsh as Jeannie
*
Gianni Russo
Gianni Vito Russo is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Carlo Rizzi in the 1972 film '' The Godfather''.
Life and career
Russo was born in Manhattan in 1943 and raised in Little Italy and Staten Island. After repri ...
as Nick
*
Tom McGowan
Thomas McGowan (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He first became known for his stage career both on and off Broadway. In 1991, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in ...
as Bill
*
Joel McKinnon Miller
Joel McKinnon Miller (born February 21, 1960) is an American actor who is best known for portraying Don Embry on ''Big Love'' and Detective Norm Scully on ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine''.
Life and career
Joel McKinnon Miller was born in Rockford, Minne ...
as Tommy
*
Robert Downey Sr. as Man in house
*
Paul Sorvino
Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law.
Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...
(''
deleted scene
A deleted scene is footage that has been removed from the final version of a film or television show. There are various reasons why these scenes are deleted, which include time constraints, relevance, quality or a dropped story thread. A similar o ...
s'') as Sydney Potter
Production
Development
Producer
Marc Abraham
Marc Abraham is an American film producer, director, and former president of Strike Entertainment, a production company he launched in early 2002 with a multi-year, first look arrangement with Universal Pictures.
Career
Abraham began his care ...
first became aware of the project when veteran producers
Alan Riche, Tony Ludwig and
Howard Rosenman brought the idea to him as a pitch. He was charmed by the uplifting and universal appeal of the premise, which was reminiscent of many of his favorite films of the 1930s and '40s. With a solid screenplay by
David Diamond and
David Weissman in hand, the filmmakers began to look for a director who could properly present the funny, poignant and somewhat quirky elements of the material while maintaining a tone of sincerity throughout. It was essential to everyone involved that the story not pass judgment on either of the two different lifestyles of Jack Campbell presented. "''The Family Man'' is not about "good choice vs. bad choice" but rather about the nature of choices themselves" said co-writer Weissman. "The idea was about the path not taken."
Before
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the ''Rush Hour'' film series, '' The Family Man'', '' Red Dragon'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and ''Tower Heist''. He is also a producer of several film ...
signed on to the project, the film was originally offered to director
Curtis Hanson
Curtis Lee Hanson (March 24, 1945 – September 20, 2016) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His directing work included the psychological thriller '' The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'' (1992), the neo-noir crime film ''L. ...
, who accepted. Ratner was in the middle of directing ''
Rush Hour'' when his agent kept offering him scripts to consider directing. Ratner told his agent he was more interested in completing '' Rush Hour'' but near the end of the shoot for the film, his agent recommended that he read the script for ''The Family Man''. Ratner originally wasn't interested in directing the film, but after he read the script, he immediately pursued it, saying "It reminded me of the classic films I grew up watching, except it didn't end the way most movies end and that was exciting. I felt this one in my gut. I always follow my instincts and I realized this was something that I really had to do." Ratner was convinced that he was the right choice to direct the film and set his sights on convincing the producers, mostly Abraham.
Abraham, however, wasn't sure about Ratner initially. Meanwhile, Hanson left the project to direct ''
Wonder Boys
''Wonder Boys'' is a 1995 novel by the American writer Michael Chabon. It was adapted into a film with the same title in 2000.
Plot summary
Pittsburgh professor and author Grady Tripp is working on an unwieldy 2,611-page manuscript that is mean ...
'' instead. According to Abraham, "It just didn't seem like his kind of film. But after getting to know him during the entire year he stalked me, I finally figured that maybe he was the right guy for the job. He brought something really original and vibrant to the material". Ratner was officially signed on as the director after the success of ''Rush Hour''.
Like director Ratner, star
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...
originally wasn't interested in doing a lighthearted romantic comedy drama, as he had already done ''
8mm'' and ''
Bringing out the Dead
''Bringing Out the Dead'' is a 1999 American psychological drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader, based on the novel of the same name by Joe Connelly. It stars Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman, V ...
'' and also finished filming ''
Gone in 60 Seconds'', but after he saw ''Rush Hour'' with his father, he accepted the part of Jack Campbell as he was inspired to do so after seeing Ratner's enthusiasm for the project. With Cage and director Ratner in place, the filmmakers needed to cast the role of Kate Reynolds, which was the most sought-after role for the film but a difficult one to cast. Both the filmmakers and Cage were impressed with
Téa Leoni
Téa Leoni (; born Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni; February 25, 1966) is an American actress. In her early career, she starred in the television sitcoms '' Flying Blind'' (1992–93) and '' The Naked Truth'' (1995–98). Her breakthrough role was in ...
's ability to convey the intricate subtleties of the role.
Filming
Principal photography began on November 19, 1999 in
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...
and
Sleepy Hollow, New York, where fall foliage was still in evidence.
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-winning special effects supervisor
John Richardson, and his team had to transform the neighborhoods into a winter wonderland to set the snowbound Christmas scene. Filming finished on March 14, 2000. ''The Family Man'' was the first collaboration between Ratner and
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-nominated cinematographer
Dante Spinotti
Dante Spinotti, A.S.C., A.I.C. (born 22 August 1943) is an Italian cinematographer and a member of the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is known for his collaborations with directors Michael Mann, Michael A ...
. They later worked together on ''
Red Dragon'', ''
After the Sunset
''After the Sunset'' is a 2004 American heist action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and starring Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, a master thief caught in a pursuit with FBI agent Stan Lloyd, played by Woody Harrelson. It was shot in the Bah ...
'', ''
X-Men: The Last Stand'', ''
Tower Heist
''Tower Heist'' is a 2011 American heist comedy film directed by Brett Ratner, written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson, based on a story by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Griffin and starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy with Casey Affleck, A ...
'' and ''
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the ...
''.
Release
Box office
''The Family Man'' opened at #3 at the North American box office making $15.1 million in its opening weekend, behind ''
What Women Want
''What Women Want'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy film written by Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, and Diane Drake, directed by Nancy Meyers, and starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt.
The film earned mixed reviews from critics but wa ...
'' and ''
Cast Away
''Cast Away'' is a 2000 American survival drama film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Nick Searcy. Hanks plays a FedEx troubleshooter stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes in ...
'', which opened at the top spot. After 15 weeks in release, the film grossed $75,793,305 in the US and Canada and $48,951,778 elsewhere, bringing the film's worldwide total to $124,745,083.
Critical reception
''The Family Man'' received mixed reviews from critics. ''
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
'' gave the film a score of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's consensus states: "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." ''
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
'' reports a 42 out of 100 rating based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Chris Gore
Christopher Patrick Gore (born September 5, 1965) is an American speaker and writer on the topic of independent film.
Life and career
Gore was born in Big Rapids, Michigan and attended Kimball High School in Royal Oak, Michigan. Gore is the hea ...
from ''
Film Threat'' said: "If you're looking for a heartfelt, feel-good holiday movie, just give in and enjoy." Matthew Turner from ''ViewLondon'' said: "Perfect feel-good Christmas-period family entertainment. Highly recommended."
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. rated it 4 out of 5 stars. Movie guide.org rates it four of four stars, noting "''The Family Man'' is a heart-rending movie. Very well written, it makes you laugh and cry. Better yet, it’s an intentionally moral movie. It wants to prove that everyone needs love..."
Emma Cochrane from ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' in 2015 wrote: "This is exactly the kind of adult fantasy you want to see at Christmas and, as such, it's highly enjoyable entertainment", and gave the film 3 stars out of 5.
See also
*
List of Christmas films
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Family Man
2000 films
2000 romantic comedy-drama films
2000s romantic fantasy films
American Christmas comedy-drama films
American fantasy comedy-drama films
American romantic comedy-drama films
American romantic fantasy films
Alternate timeline films
Films scored by Danny Elfman
Films directed by Brett Ratner
Films produced by Marc Abraham
Films set in 1987
Films set in the 2000s
Films set in New Jersey
Films set in New York City
Films shot in New Jersey
Films shot in New York (state)
Beacon Pictures films
Saturn Films films
Universal Pictures films
Films distributed by Disney
2000s Christmas comedy-drama films
2000s fantasy comedy-drama films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films