Where's the Love Story? A Refreshingly Honest Review of 'The Family Man'

I'd heard about the movie 'The Family Man' for ages. It's a Christmas tale about love and family values, starring Nicolas Cage. So, I finally thought, why not give it a try?

The plot is pretty straightforward, but that's what you'd expect from a film like this. It's not meant to be original or full of unexpected twists.

Jack's fate takes an interesting turn when he encounters a black Santa Claus. He's forced to make a tough choice: be a successful businessman, living in a luxury apartment, driving a Ferrari, and remaining single – or become a family man, working as a tire salesman, buying clothes at the supermarket, and driving a minivan.

I'm a fan of movies that explore alternative realities and what could've been. I'm usually willing to overlook logic for the sake of the story. However, as soon as the 'family man' storyline started developing, I found myself raising an eyebrow and thinking, 'I don't believe it.' I was waiting for that moment when I'd finally get swept up in the atmosphere and feel like this was the life worth living and sacrificing a successful career for. But it never happened – except for a couple of scenes.

I just couldn't buy into the idea of Jack and Kate's happy family life. They have two kids and a dog, but there are hardly any scenes where the whole family is together. I mean, if not for the first scene where Jack wakes up, and the kids rush into the room, with the dog jumping onto the bed, I wouldn't have seen much of the family dynamic. Why not show Jack and Kate going for a walk with the dog or spending time with the kids – playing, having breakfast together, or just hanging out?

Plus, I couldn't understand why Jack loves Kate. I'm not criticizing Tea Leoni's performance – it's more about the character's behavior. Maybe I'm just not cut out for family life, but to me, Kate seemed like she was constantly eating Jack's brain with a teaspoon. There are so many petty complaints, grievances, and insults for no reason. Although, after 13 years of marriage, it's not entirely surprising, I guess.)

I have to say, the ultimate drama queen moment was when Kate freaked out on Jack after he told her he got a well-paying job offer in New York. No way, I don't want to leave our little home. And to top it off, our daughter would have to switch schools. No way, I don't want you commuting to work from home - it's a long way, and we'd be spending less time together. I mean, come on, we're already sacrificing everything to save up for the kids' college fund. And the summary:

We're already envied by everyone

The curtain falls!

Then Kate, of course, agrees: yeah, if you really want to do this, I'll go along with it... I'll swallow my pride and accept your decision.

If you really want to, Jack, if you really want to do this, we'll make sacrifices. We'll leave this house, where we've been so happy, and go wherever you say.

I swear, without context, I'd think she's the wife of a Decemberist who has to leave her servants and head to Siberia with her husband to live in a wooden hut and do her own laundry in a hole in the ice. Not move to a luxurious apartment in New York, which is a 90-minute drive away.

And, by the way, no one's forcing us to sell the house. You want to spend your golden years tending to the garden while your husband fixes the porch - what's the problem? One thing doesn't have to exclude the other. And Kate doesn't have to sacrifice her career - she doesn't really love her job and gets paid peanuts. So, in reality, she's just not willing to give up her comfortable lifestyle.

At this point, I want to say: 'Run, Jack, run. This isn't the woman who'll be your reliable partner, who'll support you and give you the chance to grow. She'll just drag you down, and her own desires will take priority over the family's interests.' This version of Kate is a chronic loser who's afraid of change for the better.

Why do we need this cardboard, artificial dichotomy: either family, but in poverty and without self-realization, or a career, but in loneliness? Especially since Jack's trying to find a way to combine both. Plus, he really enjoys working in finance - it's his thing. Selling tires is okay, but it's definitely not his passion.

To be honest, Jack wants to get back to his favorite job, which would also allow him to provide for his family. But Kate's already got everything under control - she lives by the motto 'We didn't live high on the hog, so we don't have anything to start with.' I could understand it if she'd been burned before, but there's no negative backstory in the 'family' version that would suggest the worst. So Kate's reaction looks illogical and selfish. Besides, she's practically a blank slate as a character. There's nothing to say about her, and she's cute, I guess, but completely unremarkable. The successful, confident businesswoman from the end of the movie is way more memorable and likable.

The one person I did like in the movie was Jack and Kate's daughter, Annie.

She's a wonderful kid - lively, kind, and wise. She immediately noticed that something was off with her dad, and her kid's imagination came up with a pretty logical explanation: aliens had switched him out. But after getting a promise that the aliens wouldn't kidnap any other family members, she starts giving Jack advice and helping him adjust to his new reality.- Promise you won't kidnap us and our brother, and you won't bug us.

- I promise.

- Hi from the humans.

That looks adorable, touching, and natural. If there were any moments in the 'family' part of the movie that made me willing to sacrifice my career and spend the rest of my life selling tires, it was the scenes of Jack interacting with his daughter.

But overall, I just didn't connect with this movie, and I didn't believe that a family like this would give up a loved job and a successful career. Maybe I'm a heartless cynic, but the movie 'The Family Man' - full of cliches and stereotypes, with ambiguous relationships between the main characters - didn't convince me. It's not that the option 'I'd rather have a family and a home life than a career' seems unrealistic to me in principle. But I didn't see a real family in this movie. I didn't see what Kate was lovable for, except for her cute face and charming smile (Tea Leoni's got that going for her, at least). But that's not enough! There's no chemistry between the actors, and between the characters - no shared interests, goals, or dreams...

But to be honest, you could almost write off Jack's lack of connection with his family as just a bunch of home movie footage from their 13 years together. But during the days he spent with his family, there was still no real connection between him and his wife. And let's be real, the whole 'you're so beautiful and sexy' thing isn't exactly a compelling argument. I didn't see enough scenes where Kate talks about how she thinks her life would've turned out if she hadn't gotten married, and how she has no regrets and wouldn't trade her family for anything. I believe Kate feels that way, but I don't think Jack had a chance to feel the same way in just a few days.

There are plenty of movies that prioritize family values and where the characters choose relationships. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking of 'The Bridges of Madison County' with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood, 'You've Got Mail', and 'The Crossroads' by Astakhov. But even if the characters seem like romantic weirdos, you believe in their choice. You understand why they made it.

In 'The Family Man', I think there's not much to hold onto here and now. Except for the relationship with his daughter, which I wrote about earlier. And as for the past that's worth fighting for, despite the daily grind and financial struggles, Jack doesn't have any. There are no warm memories, no tenderness, no small but significant events that every family has and that really bind two people together. Although I did believe that Jack wanted to love his kids and dogs.

For me, 'The Family Man' isn't the best Christmas rom-com and not the best rom-com overall. Or maybe my rose-tinted glasses just aren't rose-tinted enough.