The Family Man

This film is essentially a dual (mirror image for the non mathematicians) of "It's a Wonderful Life". We see less of the angel, but we are treated to the bell motif. I went with my wife, brother and two sons. We all hated it. There is very little to like in this film. Perhaps most irritating to me was when Jack manages to land a job at Lassiter and Company, but his wife objects. She doesn't want to leave the hovel in New Jersey, but will ("I chose us, Jack") if it is necessary for their relationship. Jack wimps out. He subordinates his desires and the welfare of his family to the desires of his wife. Ah, noble poverty...

One of my guilty favourite movies that always sucks me right in. Cage plays a rich, ruthless business man who is shown the life he might have led (by guardian angel Don Cheadle )if he'd made a different choice. In A Wonderful Life kind of way he wakes up in suburbia with a mini van, bad suits and a couple of kids, but he also has true love with ex-girlfriend (Tea Leoni). I love the relationship here between Jack and his daughter -its so sweet, she sees through him and thinks he's an alien that's replaced her father. Cage is, Cage but this was made back before he stopped caring so he has some great moments. Leoni makes me smile in every one of her scenes, she's so genuine and happy and goofy amidst the chaos of their life. One of those warm-fuzzy movies.

This movie is always on around Christmas, and it always makes me angry and/or nauseated. Nicolas Cage is a successful business man who is given a look at an alternate life for himself. Apparently, despite his success in his career and the fact that he was fine that way, what he really needs is marriage and 2.5 kids to be happy. Never mind that he doesn't like his job in this life and isn't crazy about the neighborhood, all you need is marriage and babies. Very predictably, he decides he loves his new life and doesn't want to go back, but of course he has to. Then he decides everything he spent his entire life working for means nothing without marriage and babies, and runs away to find his old girlfriend. She is also single and successful, and for some inexplicable reason decides that she too is unfulfilled and needs marriage and 2.5 kids. In short, this movie sends the message that you need marriage and kids to be happy, and no matter how fulfilled you are in your career, it will never truly be enough. It's absolutely sickening.