(Possible spoilers and a rant on Teaneck ahead)
Brett Ratner's The Family Man has things going for it that many people wont know (or maybe just not care to know). I remember about a year ago, right near my house, this film was being made. True, it isn't much of importance, but knowing this, it made watching this film even more enjoyable. And while other people probably won't give a hoot when I say that, hey, I know where that Bloomingdales is or, hey I've seen that house without the fake snow or even, hey that's not the Teaneck public library. I just want to say that in case people wonder why this film gets such a grade it gets, and how that location setting can be a big boost instead of in a studio.
Because, as a film, The Family Man bears striking resemblances to It's a Wonderful Life, except when you substitute Jimmy Stewart for Nic Cage, there can be a drop off. Even so, Cage does do a good job in this film, and making it almost shine as a rich guy who finds everything he worked for in 13 years disappears into Jersian suburbia, thanks to Don Cheadle. Then, he discovers that his life could've been different if it had only been for one choice.
The conventiality and often corniness spoils the film like a under-roasted turkey, but it is saved (slightly) by the performances by Cage, Cheadle, and especially Tea Leoni as a loving yet often confused wife (that and the New Jersey locations). One of the better romantic dramedies of the year. B+
Brett Ratner's The Family Man has things going for it that many people wont know (or maybe just not care to know). I remember about a year ago, right near my house, this film was being made. True, it isn't much of importance, but knowing this, it made watching this film even more enjoyable. And while other people probably won't give a hoot when I say that, hey, I know where that Bloomingdales is or, hey I've seen that house without the fake snow or even, hey that's not the Teaneck public library. I just want to say that in case people wonder why this film gets such a grade it gets, and how that location setting can be a big boost instead of in a studio.
Because, as a film, The Family Man bears striking resemblances to It's a Wonderful Life, except when you substitute Jimmy Stewart for Nic Cage, there can be a drop off. Even so, Cage does do a good job in this film, and making it almost shine as a rich guy who finds everything he worked for in 13 years disappears into Jersian suburbia, thanks to Don Cheadle. Then, he discovers that his life could've been different if it had only been for one choice.
The conventiality and often corniness spoils the film like a under-roasted turkey, but it is saved (slightly) by the performances by Cage, Cheadle, and especially Tea Leoni as a loving yet often confused wife (that and the New Jersey locations). One of the better romantic dramedies of the year. B+