more corny than corn (The Family Man (DVD))

Member Name: roger_smith

Product:	The Family Man (DVD)
Date:	05/02/01 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good acting

Disadvantages: corny storyline

You ever find yourself trying to like a movie more than it deserves? Like, certain plot turns or lines of dialogue will ring false, yet you'll still muddle through, thinking happy thoughts and giving the subject a break? Not me. I did come close, though, while I was sitting through the saccharine falseness that was The Family Man. I wanted to like it, and that strained my objectivity a bit. But that's all over now.

Nicolas Cage is a very likeable actor, at least as far as I'm concerned. He's proven that he can handle comedy with confidence (Raising Arizona or Honeymoon in Vegas, anyone?) and also can wrap himself into a good dramatic role (Leaving Las Vegas and Kiss of Death spring to mind.) In his more recent films, he's also shown an affinity for wacky gunplay and explosions as well. (Any Cage fan must sit through his Hero trilogy: The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off). So it's a safe bet with Nick on hand that you'll at least get a solid performance, and in this area The Family Man does not disappoint at all: Cage is as strong as ever here.

In what can best be described as It's a Wonderful Life meets Trading Places, Cage plays Jack Campbell, a heckuva nice guy who also happens to run a hugely successful brokerage. His pleasant yet selfish ways are put to the test one evening when he intervenes in a convenience store hold-up and meets a mysterious guy named Cash. (Clever name there, huh? Stop me when the symbolism starts drowning you.)

Anyway, when Jack wakes up the next morning, he has two screaming kids and is lying next to his long-lost girlfriend from 8 years ago. It seems Jack has been offered a 'glimpse' of how his life could have been, had he not be so selfish all those years back and gotten himself a job! From this point on, Jack behaves all manic and retarded, as if he's never ONCE seen a 4-year old child. His best buddy is played by the always welcome Jeremy Piven, but his character serves
no real purpose in the movie, except as a mouthpiece for spouting unnecessary plot expositions. ("OK Jack. You KNOW you have TWO kids, right? Your wife KATE is so pretty and you guys are MADLY in love....etc.")

His wife Kate is played with a shockingly display of skill by Tea Leoni (Bad Boys, Deep Impact). Aside from her ridiculously long legs, I've never been too impressed with Leoni onscreen, but she easily holds her own with Cage and almost makes the movie watchable. Almost.

It's unlikely that director Brett Ratner was the right guy for this kind of movie. His last film was Rush Hour, for crying out loud. That movie failed at being merely awful, so what made anyone think he was the right guy for a feel-good romance comedy? Was it Ratner who thought a scene of Jack and Kate smooching through some fecal-looking cake was cute? It was disgusting!

While I must admit that The Family Man is an attractive looking film, a director's job is not merely to drop fake snow everywhere and scout cool interiors. His ham-handedness is most evident in a scene where Jack is looking for some clues into his 'new' past. As he's looking through some videotapes, he sees one clearly marked 'Jack Singing', yet the videotape is comprised of a KATE'S birthday party! In this new world, Jack singing is apparently more important than Mom's own birthday. It was a little detail, but it annoyed me. (P.S. Hearing Nicolas Cage sing reminded me of his nasal whine in Peggy Sue Got Married, and that's not exactly a compliment.)

It's just that everything in this movie is spelled out so clearly, that I was expecting big block letters to flash on the screen. (Being married is good! Money can't buy happiness! Don't be selfish!) What's particularly disturbing is the underlying messages, as if working hard at your job and becoming rich and successful is something EVIL. I doubt that any of the millionai
re producers behind this movie would be willing to give up their mansions, just so they could nuzzle with some old college girlfriend! I don't know if this movie means to say "Hey there, Middle Class America. Don't strive for more. Don't reach the next tax bracket. Just be happy where you are and don't complain," but that's the impression this guy got.

It's certainly not the worst option out there, but this is the kind of 'feel-good-but-don't-think' movie that Hollywood parades out constantly, so I can't really recommend it with a clear conscience, although I really did want to. If you're looking for a movie that can best be summed up as 'nice', here you go. If I want nice, I'll pet my dog.

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