More drama than romantic comedy (The Family Man (DVD))

Member Name: poet831

Product:	The Family Man (DVD)
Date:	31/05/09 (0 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well acted, interesting movie .

Disadvantages: Too intense and heavy for a romantic comedy

Although billed as a romantic comedy, this movie was much more intense and had deeper undertones than one was led to expect from the trailers. It was not what I had expected and left me feeling quite depressed, and I have no idea why. Having said that, it was definitely worth watching.
The premise is basically a cross between "Scrooge" and "It's A Wonderful Life", a glimpse of what might have been. As Cage's character says to a colleague, he "took the road less travelled".

Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is a go-getting Wall Street wheeler-dealer who has a life where he can afford to buy anything he wants, go anywhere he wants and whose world revolves around himself and his achievements. He drives a Ferrari and is so driven that he looks down on those who work for him, and who have family commitments.
The movie begins with a young Jack Campbell leaving his girlfriend, Kate (brilliantly characterized by Téa Leoni), to go to London for a new job, the first rung in his career ladder. Kate pleads with him not to go, but he flies off anyway.

Then we comee to present day. It is Christmas Eve and the firm that he is President of, is in the final stages of a deal. Ignoring the wishes of his colleagues, he pushes a meeting until almost 8pm, telling them they can have the time off with the family once the deal is closed. The company is not family-friendly in any way.
On his way home, he stops at a little convenience store. Whilst purchasing egg nog, he witnesses an altercation between an angry young black man and the assistant over a lottery ticket. He offers to purchase the ticket from the young man for $200, telling the young man that it solves the problem for everyone and makes him (Nicolas Cage) $38 in profit. As they leave the store, he is encouraging the young man to turn his life around. When the young man challenges him about wanting everything, Jack tells him he has everything he needs.

Jack goes home to his immaculate suite, lies down on his bed ... and wakes up next morning next to his childhood sweetheart. Apparently they have been married twelve years. Two kids come into the bedroom, and they are supposedly his. It appears that he did not take that flight to Lonmdon after all, but instead got married and settled down. He is sickened to find that in this life he is nothing but a lowly tyre salesman.
The little girl, Annie (played by Makenzie Vega), later becomes his aide, asking him plaintively one day "you're not really my dad are you?" She accepts that he is not, and is just like an "alien" in her dad's body. She gives him directions of the daily routine, where she goes to school, where he works, etc.

The movie then follows Jack in his "new" life until the twist in the tale ending.
This was an excellent movie, Téa Leoni has come a long way since her first years of rather ineffectual acting. She complemented Nicolas Cage well, and played the part of his wife, brilliantly. The little actress playing Annie was marvellous. She is definitely a future star.

My only disappointment was that this was such a HEAVY movie. I wasn't in the mood for heavy when I watched it, and had expected some light hearted frolic. This was like a punch in the stomach, and left me feeling very morose. I feel it needs to be billed as something more serious than it has been.

Summary: More drama than romantic comedy