THE FAMILY MAN

Year: 2000
USA: Universal Pictures
UK: Entertainment Film Distributors
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni, Jeremy Piven, Don Cheadle, Troy Hall, Harve Presnell, Josef Sommer, Paul Sorvino, Lisa Thornhill, Francine York, Saul Rubinek
Director: Brett Ratner
Country: USA
USA & UK: 125 mins
USA Rated: PG-13 for sensuality and some language
UK Certificate: 12 contains one use of strong language, and mild language, nudity and sexual references
USA Release Date: 22 December 2000
UK Release Date: 22 December 2000


Synopsis

High powered Wall Street investment banker, Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is at the top of his professional game and he has the luxurious lifestyle to prove it. It would be hard to argue with the fact that life is just about perfect; that is until one snowy Christmas Eve night when Jack unwittingly stumbles into the middle of a grocery store hold-up and in a bold display of self-preservation disarms the gunman, Cash (Don Cheadle).

The next morning is Christmas but instead of calmly waking up in his beautiful penthouse apartment, Jack wakes up because a couple of kids are bouncing on his bed. He is in suburban New Jersey, lying next to his college sweetheart, Kate Reynolds (Tea Leoni), who he left 13 years ago in order to pursue his high-finance career. Their two kids, Annie and Josh, and family dog gleefully pester Mum and Dad. A confused and horrified Jack runs out of the bedroom and speeds back to Manhattan. A disconcerting visit to his apartment and office building confirm the worst...his former life no longer exists.

Cash suddenly appears on the scene driving Jack's prized Ferrari 550M and explains to him that he is destined to stay in New Jersey to get a firsthand accounting of what his life could have been had he chosen not to have left Kate many years ago.

For Jack there is suddenly no where to go except back to family, his New Jersey family. It's more than a few miles from his cosmopolitan Manhattan life to his alternate universe of diapers, Tuesday night bowling league with his best friend Arnie (Jeremy Piven) and the nine-to-five grind of selling auto supplies at Big Ed's Tires. Despite himself, Jack begins to adjust to the role of husband and father of two children. However, a chance encounter with Wall Street titan, P K Lassiter (Josef Sommer), Jack's former mentor, rekindles his professional and financial ambitions. Jack impresses Lassiter so much with his confidence and business savvy that Lassiter presents him with an irresistible offer that would place Jack on the fast track at his high profile firm. Jack jumps at the chance to return to investment banking and the accompanying lifestyle. Kate is both stunned and heartbroken at Jack's announcement to uproot the family from their life in New Jersey to assume one in New York City. Yet she reluctantly agrees to the extraordinary change but only after asking Jack to seriously consider the ramifications on their young family.

Once again, Jack finds himself at the crossroads where he must choose between a high-powered job and the woman he loves.