As Christmas is almost upon us once more I’ve decided to review another Christmas movie. I’m taking a look at the Nicolas Cage / Téa Leoni film The Family Man (2000). Unfortunately it’s not yet been released on blu-ray in the UK. However you can get hold of the German version and switch it into English on the menu screen. Let’s find out if this one really does deserve a UK release, so without further ado here’s The Family Man blu-ray review.
- The Family Man (2000) – Import
- Genre: Christmas Romantic Comedy
- Directed by Brett Ratner
- UK Rating N/A
- Discs: 1
- Blu-ray Released: N/A
Plot
Jack and Kate are very much in love and have been since college. However Jack (Nicolas Cage) has just been offered a job with Barclays bank in London meaning he will be gone for a whole year. At the airport Kate (Téa Leoni) urges him to stay but Jack decides the opportunity is too big to give up. Thirteen years later Jack is now a highly successful Wall Street executive who lives New York City. He is single and seems to take delight at being able to afford anything he wants.
Is Jack really happy? One Christmas Eve Jack stops off at convenience store and witnesses a man threatening the shop owner to take his alleged winning lottery ticket. Jack intervenes offering to buy the ticket off the man and therefore defusing the situation. Following this incident the man tells Jack he is going to give him a glimpse of what his life could have been like if he had chosen a different path.
Jack goes home and awakens on Christmas Day in a strange bed alongside his now wife Kate. Furthermore he now has two children. How will Jack cope with this new lifestyle and what will he learn from the experience?
Style / Direction
The film is directed by Brett Ratner while the cinematography is handled by Dante Spinotti. Don’t worry the film has plenty of snowy scenes to really get you into the Christmas spirit. The story is really well told and held my attention throughout. There’s plenty of laughs to be had and it really is a feel good Christmas movie. What more could you want?
Music / Audio Effects
The music is provided by Danny Elfman and fits the Christmas romcom genre perfectly.
Acting / Characters
Nicolas Cage as Jack Campbell, a Wall Street executive delivers a fabulous and at times funny performance that really does strike the right tone. Meanwhile Téa Leoni as Kate Reynolds provides the perfect co-star delivering a warm, kind and caring personality and perfect counter perspective to Jack’s money driven desires.
Makenzie Vega plays Annie, Jack and Kate’s adorable daughter and is the only one to realise that something is not right with her father. She really works well in the scenes with Nicolas Cage and is a joy to watch.
Cast
- Nicolas Cage as Jack Campbell
- Téa Leoni as Kate Reynolds / Kate Campbell
- Don Cheadle as Cash
- Makenzie Vega as Annie Campbell
- Jake and Ryan Milkovich as Josh Campbell
- Jeremy Piven as Arnie
- Lisa Thornhill as Evelyn Thompson
- Saul Rubinek as Alan Mintz
- Josef Sommer as Peter Lassiter
- Harve Presnell as Ed Reynolds
- Mary Beth Hurt as Adelle
Conclusion: The Family Man (2000) Film Review
The Family Man has that Its A Wonderful Life feel. It shows what life could have been or will be like. I suppose it’s also like Mr Destiny (1990) starring James Belushi and Michael Caine. And of course it has the A Christmas Carol road to redemption as well.
In the end all that matters it The Family Man is a thoroughly entertaining heart-warming Christmas movie that I would recommend to everyone this festive season.
If you enjoyed my The Family Man blu-ray review so far you may want to check out the following films:
Conclusion: The Family Man Blu-ray Review
As I mentioned at the beginning of the blu-ray movie review, The Family Man (2000) has currently not had a UK blu-ray release meaning if you want it on that format you need to obtain a foreign version that plays on UK players.
The picture quality on the German Blu-ray I’m reviewing here is excellent with no issues to report. It comes with a nice clean and sharp picture.
Popcorn Cinema Rating: The Family Man (2000)
MOVIE RATING: PERFECT CHRISTMAS MOVIE
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
POPCORN CINEMA: RECOMMENDED
The Family Man (2000) is available on Blu-ray via Import. Please check before purchasing that it will play on UK players
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The Family Man (2000) Film Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Other Trailer
Clip may not representative of the blu-ray version
That concludes my The Family Man blu-ray review, I’m aiming to review more Christmas movies soon. What’s next? Check back soon…
Summary: The Family Man (2000) Blu-ray Review - Import
Movie title: The Family Man (2000)
Movie description: Nicolas Cage plays a man given a chance to see what could of been had he made different choices, set at Christmas
Duration: 126 mins
Director(s): Brett Ratner
Actor(s): Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven, Lisa Thornhill, Saul Rubinek, Josef Sommer
Genre: Christmas, Romance, Comedy
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
Summary
A heart-warming Christmas romantic comedy starring Nicolas Cage & Téa Leoni
