Jeremy Piven Movie:

Editorial Review:
Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is the quintessential Wall Street shark, scoring killer deals by day and shallow escort sex by night. His round-the-clock routine of empty luxuries is disturbed one lonely Christmas Eve when a gun-packing punk (Don Cheadle)--perhaps an angel of mercy--responds to an altruistic gesture from Jack by giving him "a glimpse" of the life he could have had. Could have, that is, if he had married the girlfriend (Téa Leoni) he'd abandoned 13 years earlier, raised two adorable children, worked in his father-in-law's retail tire outlet, and lived happily ever after in suburban New Jersey. Thrust into this "glimpse" of the path not taken, Jack's a single-malt man in a lite-brew world, wondering if he'll ever return to his "better" life of callous wealth and solitude--or if he even wants to.

Carp all you want about this derivative premise, with its marginal stereotypes and biased embrace of domestic bliss and dirty diapers. The simple fact is, The Family Man works like a charm. Under the assured direction of Brett Ratner (Rush Hour), this holiday crowd-pleaser offers comedy and chemistry in equal measure, making the hilarity of Jack's predicament a smooth catalyst for that rarest of movie romances: the marital love story. Leoni is Cage's perfect match as Jack's idealized but imperfect wife, and the movie's appeal largely derives from its awareness that any life has its pleasures and pains. While it only flirts with the dark desperation that makes It's a Wonderful Life a classic predecessor, The Family Man is an irresistible what-if fantasy, and even its debatable ending rides on a wave of genuine warmth and sentiment. --Jeff Shannon

The Family Man [Region 2] Reviews:
Great despite weak ending.
2009-12-30 - First of all, if you love It's A Wonderful Life, you'll enjoy this film immensely. It's a glimpse into the life of a typical middle-class family and a terrific love story. The ending could have been a lot better, they should have had the couple meet for coffee to rekindle the old romance as a scene preceding the finale and it would have made more sense. As it is, Jack sounds like a lunatic. But, hey, it's not perfect but it's damn good. If you are bored with your marriage, or family life in general, or questioning your commitment, you need to watch this film, especially around the Holidays.

Family Man
2009-12-26 - Family Man is another romantic comedy that is well worth viewing. Nicholas Case and Tea Leoni are both excellent actors and worked well together. A must see movie!!

Family Man
2009-12-20 - Loved this movie. Both Nicholas Gage and Tea Leoni were so great. The child who played Annie was awesome. While there are seldom second chances in life, this story made you think while some may think they have it all maybe not.

comfort food, er, film...
2009-12-09 - Instead of slopping on the pounds by eating tons of comfort food, when I'd like to cozy up to reassurance for life choices made, I'm glad for this flick. I compare it to having my mom read me my favorite bedtime story.

Massive dosage of love (aka pot)
2009-12-09 - There are two aspects in the review. One is of love and another is of analysis, i.e. heart vs head.

The gist of the movie: No matter how powerful/rich you are, it is futile if you don't have a family. That the ultimate purpose of life lies in family and procreation.

Most of the movie can be considered a dream, so the movie itself may not portray unrealistic events (without which not many movies exist) as long as one considers that Cage goes into sleep and dreams the whole "family life" up, wakes up and finds a purpose in life.

I can think of few movies which made me more emotional. So on that aspect this movie is wonderful. The message is that no matter how many differences people may have their instincts always point towards procreation and finding the ultimate purpose in the process, in an otherwise purposeless life.

I do not agree with the preaching of family values against ambition in this movie. However I understand(a bit) how people as masses believe and behave I can not express anything but sympathetic love towards the short stint of existence which many seem to believe to be a blessing.

Love is the drug of these times of materialism (which I don't disapprove) and the movie serves well as a potent drug. As people are running out of problems/suffering such as hunger, infant mortality, disease and war, people, both as individuals and as a part of the society will begin asking questions about the purpose of their lives and at societal scale this may lead to decay(in numbers and/or economy). So it is nice to have movies that make people feel purposeful.