Product Details

• Actors: Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven, Josef Sommer
• Directors: Brett Ratner
• Writers: David Diamond, David Weissman
• Producers: Marc Abraham, Zvi Howard Rosenman, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1), French (Unknown)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: July 17, 2001
• Run Time: 126 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (355 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005JCCC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,990 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Family Man (Widescreen Collector's Edition)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Product Description

Hot-shot investment banker Nicolas Cage is transported to an alternate reality by guardian angel Don Cheadle, a world where he married college girlfriend Tea Leoni, works as a tire salesman, and has two kids. Cage, who thought his fast-paced world was perfect, starts to grow fond of his new lifestyle in this compassionate romantic fantasy. Jeremy Piven, Harve Presnell, Mary Beth Hurt also star. 126 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.1.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Romantic Fantasy That Works August 2, 2001

By Reviewer

Format:DVD

In the tradition of the best films that Hollywood ever had to offer comes this refreshingly honest movie that isn't afraid to say that you don't have to be rich, hip and cynical to be successful and happy with your life. "The Family Man," directed by Brett Ratner, stars Nicolas Cage as Jack Campbell, a man who took the "road less traveled," and turned his back on love for a career on Wall Street, and thirteen years later still doesn't realize how empty and shallow his life has become. Then something happens; on Christmas Eve, Jack does a good turn to the right person at the right time. His name is Cash (Don Cheadle), and he just happens to be a guy with, well, connections. And the next thing Jack knows, he's getting a "glimpse" of what his life would have been had he made a different choice all those many years ago. When he wakes up on Christmas morning, he's not in his bed in his penthouse apartment, but in a house in the suburbs, sleeping next to Kate Reynolds (Tea Leoni), the woman he once loved, but abandoned. Wall Street is history; he's now a crackerjack tire salesman at "Big Ed's," and he and Kate have two kids, Annie (Makenzie Vega) and Josh (Jake and Ryan Milkovich).

Needless to say, Jack is confused; and the enigmatic Cash isn't about to let him in on what's going on-- that's for Jack to figure out on his own. So Jack has no choice but to go on living his life-- even if it's not really "his" life. And it becomes a journey of discovery; not only for Jack, but for the audience, as well. And what follows may be fantasy, but it's fantasy with a message, from some filmmakers who aren't afraid to tell it like it is, and they do it well.

What director Roth presents you with is an examination of what life is really all about, and what-- in the final analysis-- is really important.... And make no mistake, this isn't a film that aims for the head, it aims for the heart, scores a bullseye and doesn't apologize for it. Is it pure, true, realistic, riveting drama? Of course not, and it never pretends to be. What it is, is a film that stays true to what it's all about and says some things that need to be said in this fast-food, cybersaturated world of the here and now. It's a poignant, well made and well acted film that appeals to the universal sensibilities that in one way or another reside within even the most jaded, modernized and "New Aged" individuals. Because it's an entreaty to the most basic of human needs and concerns.

Cage was the perfect choice to play Jack; he's got a natural, sympathetic look that makes him easy to like, and combined with the emotional aspect he brings to the character it makes Jack someone to whom it is so easy to relate. it's a performance that allows you to feel something; and that's really what this movie is all about, capturing that sense of humanity that is so often lacking in people's lives today. Cage makes it work, and he makes it work beautifully, because he lets you share Jack's frustration, his loss, his fears and, most importantly, the hope and the love he ultimately realizes has been missing in his life. It's a challenging role that Cage not only met, but surpassed with just the kind of exacting performance that was needed to put this story across.

Tea Leoni gives an excellent performance, as well, as Kate. It's a sensitive, sympathetic portrayal that serves the character and the story with great effectiveness. Leoni makes something special out of a character that could've been just the "female lead," with the purpose of being nothing more than the means of moving the story of Jack's self-discovery along. Instead, she makes it her story as much as his by making Kate an endearing, truly integral part of the film, and she fairly sparkles on the screen.

The supporting cast includes Jeremy Piven (Arnie), Saul Rubinek (Alan), Josef Sommer (Peter), Lisa Thornhill (Evelyn), Harve Presnell (Big Ed), Mary Beth Hurt (Adelle) and Francine York (Lorraine). There's no doubt that personal experience and frame of reference is going to play a big part in the way "The Family Man" is received by the audience. But Ratner, Cage, Leoni and everyone else connected with this project are to be commended for making an honest, heart-felt film with an important message about life in today's world. It's a film that says success isn't just being the guy at the top of the heap, that it's okay to just "be" whomever or whatever you are, as long as it's what makes you happy and content. It's a bold statement for a filmmaker to make today, and we can only hope that more artists will have the guts to make more movies like this in the future. Read more ›

72 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood gets it right for a change! August 11, 2001

By thecastlebookroom

Format:VHS Tape

If, like me, you find most Hollywood "love" stories about as warm and romantic as a cold sleepless night in Seattle, then you're in for a surprise. Not since Casablanca have I enjoyed a love story as much, and though they both end at the airport, the similarity ends there. This one is about marriage, family, and the connections and sacrifices that make marriage, parenthood and yes, love, worthwhile.

Nicolas Cage plays a harried but driven Wall Street executive playboy who wakes one day to find himself trapped in a life he never wanted, married to the woman he abandoned years ago. It's a living nightmare at first, but the harder he tries to escape it, the more he begins to see that there are values and rewards that he somehow missed in his previous executive penthouse lifestyle. By the end of the movie, he's learned a lesson he will never forget.

An unexplainable fantasy in the tradition of "Groundhog Day", you soon find yourself accepting the unexplainable, even as the protagonist himself realizes there is no easy escape from his new reality, and learns to work within it's framework. After all, life throws all of us some unexpected "curves", and like the protagonist in this modern day Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Suburban Bowling League, we can become better people by accepting and embracing the crazy things life puts us through in the name of love. Chalk one up for old-fashioned family values in a feel-good movie with a message, served up without the sappy cliches.

Put the kids to bed early (The Family Man deals with some adult issues, and much as I enjoyed it, it would need a little editing before I would consider it a family film!), and just the two of you watch this one together with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine - you'll be glad you did!

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL May 10, 2001

By Andy Radke

Format:VHS Tape

I saw this movie in the theatre just after Christmas and I have to say it is one of the best romantic drama/fantasy movies I've ever seen. Nicolas Cage proves once again that his acting skills are second to none, and I don't think I've seen Tea Leoni in a better role.

Cage's character, a rich, hard-working businessman with no time for a real relationship comes across his ex-finacee's phone number after he chose to leave her in order to accept a job offer years before.

A 'guardian angel' of sorts gives him the chance to take a glimpse of how his life would be if he didn't get on that plane. And the result is phenomenal. This is a movie for anyone who has ever wondered, "What if I made different choices in life."

Why this movie wasn't nominated for an Oscar is beyond me, but it is indeed a great film which the whole family will surely enjoy.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Really Engrossing Film June 29, 2004

By Michael A. Newman VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

This movie borrows from It's a Wonderful Life and the book Replay, where a man can go back and see how his life would be if he made a different choice.

In this movie, Nicholas Cage says goodbye to his girlfriend (Kate) at the airport. He is going to London for a job. We next see him years later as a successful head of a large corporation, unmarried and basically involved in one-night stands. We are later to find out that when Cage went to London, he forgot about Kate and she went her own way, never to be heard from again.

Cage is on the way home from the office during a snow-storm and thwarts a robbery. The audience expects the robber to shoot cage but instead Cage seems to convince the robber that he would be a better man if he didn't shoot Cage. It turns out that the robber is not really a robber but a type of Angel (similar to Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life) who will give Cage a glimpse of what life would be like if he hadn't stayed in London but instead came back and married Kate.

Cage goes to sleep in his luxury apartment and wakes up the next morning in a bed with an older Kate. Cage slowly learns that he is really a married man with a family and instead of a big time corporate president, he is a tire salesman in his father-in-law's store.

There are several hilarious scenes and some very touching ones. His "new" life looks like a nightmare at first turns out to be the life he will eventually prefer (Some of this is reminiscent of Goldie Hawn in Overboard). Only until he realizes this, he will not be returned to his prior life by the Angel.

The director does a great job in giving us an ending that is different than what you seem to expect. I won't say what but I think it was well done....

One thing that is not explored is that when Cage's glimpsed life finishes, he will lose his two children from that glimpsed life. The director never touches on Cage's feelings about that, unlike the novel Replay where the main character is torn apart because a child he had in an alternate life no longer exists when he is in a different reality.

The movie is well cast and Don Cheadle is excellent as the "angel." Read more ›