list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Family Man on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/The_Family_Man/176715/default.aspx Title: The Family Man
Year: 2000
Director: Brett Ratner
Plot: In this whimsical romantic comedy that recalls It's a Wonderful Life, Nicolas Cage plays Jack Campbell, a workaholic bachelor who gets to see what his life might have been like had he stayed with his old sweetheart, Kate (Tea Leoni). Thirteen years before, Jack accepted a brokerage internship that marred his relationship with Kate, under the promise that they would only be separated one year. But much later, Jack has become an urban Wall Street exec with no wife or family of his own, and a mysterious proxy (Don Cheadle) offers him the opportunity to step into the life he left behind. After falling asleep in his posh New York apartment, Jack awakens to find himself in bed with his now-wife Kate, daughter Annie (Makenzie Vega), and a new baby, none of which he has ever experienced in his fast-paced single life. After discovering his "real" life has been eliminated, he begrudgingly tries to fit in with his newly appointed life as a family man. The Family Man also stars Saul Rubinek and Jeremy Piven. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 12
Number of Lists: 20
Number of blog posts: 2
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:28:26 GMTThe Family Man2000Brett RatnerIn this whimsical romantic comedy that recalls <a href=/films/17554/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>It's a Wonderful Life</a>, <a href="/players/P____10155/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Nicolas Cage</a> plays Jack Campbell, a workaholic bachelor who gets to see what his life might have been like had he stayed with his old sweetheart, Kate (Tea Leoni). Thirteen years before, Jack accepted a brokerage internship that marred his relationship with Kate, under the promise that they would only be separated one year. But much later, Jack has become an urban Wall Street exec with no wife or family of his own, and a mysterious proxy (<a href="/players/P____12587/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Don Cheadle</a>) offers him the opportunity to step into the life he left behind. After falling asleep in his posh New York apartment, Jack awakens to find himself in bed with his now-wife Kate, daughter Annie (Makenzie Vega), and a new baby, none of which he has ever experienced in his fast-paced single life. After discovering his "real" life has been eliminated, he begrudgingly tries to fit in with his newly appointed life as a family man. The Family Man also stars <a href="/players/P____61987/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Saul Rubinek</a> and <a href="/players/P____57008/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jeremy Piven</a>. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide12Tag Target (>10)2023http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t12060nq9g0.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Family_Man/176715/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/5/39117.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/5/2009 5:01:02 PM
Body: Out of all the cinematic staples, the so-called “magical negro” is the worst to define and discuss due to it being the mother of all loaded terms. A catch-all phrase used to describe how African-Americans in film tend to be superhuman physically, spiritually or both, it’s currently in the midst of the pop cultural zeitgeist thanks to a crappy song and New Year’s faux-pas. Anytime someone sees a black character used as a story tool in a film — in the case of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) originally didn’t exist in Fitzgerald’s story — there is a mild cry of “There! There! I see a magical negro in the distance! Yes! There!” One should wonder why Eric Roth deemed it necessary to suddenly introduce the character as a framing device for guiding the CGI Man-Child about, but that’s up to anyone who can be assed to sit through that three hour bore. So, we’ve taken it upon ourselves—and in full expectation of the eventual backlash that will come from one friend of ours, Odienator at Big Media Vandalism—to deconstruct the favorite crutch of Stephen King, the Wachowski Brothers and whoever else has a problem understanding just what makes the worst stereotype the worst stereotype. The “Morgan Freeman” As Seen In: Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, The Shawshank Redemption A controversial choice, sure, and quite possibly a lazy choice. But Morgan Freeman has so deeply inserted himself in our culture as the wise, old teacher that him playing a seductively raging pimp in Street Smart seems impossible. Yet his gravely, nurturing voice seems to soothe us into believing whatever he says. And for some reason, he’s now playing into the comfortable role that he’s been typecast as since Driving Miss Daisy–the wiry, coy helper who can do fine on his own, but decides to help the Lead instead. In a way, Freeman became unintentionally responsible for confusing any black actor in any role as falling under the “magic negro” cliché. The Angel As Seen In: The Family Man, The Legend of Bagger Vance, What Dreams May Come, The Preacher’s Wife Every so often, a Successful White Guy finds himself with an overwhelming problem: his girlfriend left him, he’s too rich and successful, he realizes he’s Robin Williams. And lo, a loosely defined but altruistic Black Man will appear with unknown powers to set the S.W.G. straight. Sometimes, he’ll appear as Don Cheadle. Other times, he’ll be Will Smith, emerging from the woods and help you get your (golf) game back. And rarely, he’ll be Cuba Gooding, Jr. (and later Max von Sydow) or Denzel Washington, who’ll help you re-connect with your loved ones. Best shown through the utter ridiculousness from Bagger Vance, The Angel provides a fresh start to our troubled lead character, who must pretend to have his angst quickly fixed by the folksy and whimsical lessons given by their winged friends. Ultimately, there’s a generic life lesson learned (”keep family close, don’t let work get in the way, learn golf”) that benefits both the Angel and the S.W.G. (and in case of Preacher’s Wife, Courtney Vance.) The Innocent As Seen In: The Green Mile, Radio We’re pushing it with Radio here, but hold on. The Innocent is normally portrayed by a large, intimidating figure (Michael Clarke Duncan) or, if you’re Cuba Gooding Jr., a “full retard.” Everything is child-like to them and they’re incapable of controlling their own strength–or knowingly acting as if they have mental problems for critical acclaim. And they posses a great inner spirit that seems almost magical. Not to mention their sympathetic white friends (Tom Hanks, Ed Harris) feel pity for them based on their short-comings, but are won over by their child-like sympathy–and curing their tract infections. The Teacher As Seen In: The Matrix Trilogy, The Secret Life of Bees, The Shining Whether they’re telling Keanu to free his mind, teaching Dakota Fanning about the blues and selling her precious honey, or demonstrating how to talk with your index finger–The Teacher is there. While the role could be played by anyone, here we’re given figures that seem to have all the knowledge in the world, yet all they can be is a foil to pass that onto another character–normally the dopey white guy or gal. As Spike Lee once asked, “How is it that black people have these powers but they use them for the benefit of white people?” Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:01:02 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/5/2009 5:01:02 PMOut of all the cinematic staples, the so-called “magical negro” is the worst to define and discuss due to it being the mother of all loaded terms. A catch-all phrase used to describe how African-Americans in film tend to be superhuman physically, spiritually or both, it’s currently in the midst of the pop cultural zeitgeist thanks to a crappy song and New Year’s faux-pas. Anytime someone sees a black character used as a story tool in a film — in the case of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) originally didn’t exist in Fitzgerald’s story — there is a mild cry of “There! There! I see a magical negro in the distance! Yes! There!” One should wonder why Eric Roth deemed it necessary to suddenly introduce the character as a framing device for guiding the CGI Man-Child about, but that’s up to anyone who can be assed to sit through that three hour bore. So, we’ve taken it upon ourselves—and in full expectation of the eventual backlash that will come from one friend of ours, Odienator at Big Media Vandalism—to deconstruct the favorite crutch of Stephen King, the Wachowski Brothers and whoever else has a problem understanding just what makes the worst stereotype the worst stereotype. The “Morgan Freeman” As Seen In: Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, The Shawshank Redemption A controversial choice, sure, and quite possibly a lazy choice. But Morgan Freeman has so deeply inserted himself in our culture as the wise, old teacher that him playing a seductively raging pimp in Street Smart seems impossible. Yet his gravely, nurturing voice seems to soothe us into believing whatever he says. And for some reason, he’s now playing into the comfortable role that he’s been typecast as since Driving Miss Daisy–the wiry, coy helper who can do fine on his own, but decides to help the Lead instead. In a way, Freeman became unintentionally responsible for confusing any black actor in any role as falling under the “magic negro” cliché. The Angel As Seen In: The Family Man, The Legend of Bagger Vance, What Dreams May Come, The Preacher’s Wife Every so often, a Successful White Guy finds himself with an overwhelming problem: his girlfriend left him, he’s too rich and successful, he realizes he’s Robin Williams. And lo, a loosely defined but altruistic Black Man will appear with unknown powers to set the S.W.G. straight. Sometimes, he’ll appear as Don Cheadle. Other times, he’ll be Will Smith, emerging from the woods and help you get your (golf) game back. And rarely, he’ll be Cuba Gooding, Jr. (and later Max von Sydow) or Denzel Washington, who’ll help you re-connect with your loved ones. Best shown through the utter ridiculousness from Bagger Vance, The Angel provides a fresh start to our troubled lead character, who must pretend to have his angst quickly fixed by the folksy and whimsical lessons given by their winged friends. Ultimately, there’s a generic life lesson learned (”keep family close, don’t let work get in the way, learn golf”) that benefits both the Angel and the S.W.G. (and in case of Preacher’s Wife, Courtney Vance.) The Innocent As Seen In: The Green Mile, Radio We’re pushing it with Radio here, but hold on. The Innocent is normally portrayed by a large, intimidating figure (Michael Clarke Duncan) or, if you’re Cuba Gooding Jr., a “full retard.” Everything is child-like to them and they’re incapable of controlling their own strength–or knowingly acting as if they have mental problems for critical acclaim. And they posses a great inner spirit that seems almost magical. Not to mention their sympathetic white friends (Tom Hanks, Ed Harris) feel pity for them based on their short-comings, but are won over by their child-like sympathy–and curing their tract infections. The Teacher As Seen In: The Matrix Trilogy, The Secret Life of Bees, The Shining Whether they’re telling Keanu to free his mind, teaching Dakota Fanning about the blues and selling her precious honey, or demonstrating how to talk with your index finger–The Teacher is there. While the role could be played by anyone, here we’re given figures that seem to have all the knowledge in the world, yet all they can be is a foil to pass that onto another character–normally the dopey white guy or gal. As Spike Lee once asked, “How is it that black people have these powers but they use them for the benefit of white people?” Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/moviebabe/archive/2007/2/26/5808.aspx Post By: MovieBabe
Post To: MovieBabe Blog
Post Date: 2/26/2007 1:19:00 PM
Body: You're either a house-in-the-suburbs kind of person or you're not (though I have witnessed -- God help me -- the tragic conversion of die-hard city slickers into Wal-Mart-loving moms and pops once some alleged biological clock starts ticking). The Family Man tries hard to paint a pretty picture of poor-but-proud family life -- the story takes place during the holidays, when even the staunchest advocates of singlehood get a little blue -- but chances are that whatever your current status, this film won't make you long for the life you don't have. Nic Cage is Jack, a successful, well-dressed businessman with a really cool Manhattan apartment and the freedom to pick up beautiful blondes on Christmas Eve. A would-be convenience-store robber -- an angel? the devil? where did this guy come from, anyway? -- intervenes, and Jack wakes up the next morning with his old college girlfriend lying on his stomach and two runny-nosed kids jumping on the bed. For reasons left unexplained, Jack has been thrust into this world, with no knowledge of where he works, where his kids go to school, or even what kind of car he drives, for an indeterminate amount of time. After realizing that he can't go back to his old life just yet, Jack fumbles through his new daily routine -- complete with minivan and blue-collar job -- convincingly enough to not raise the suspicions of his wife, Kate (Téa Leoni). (Not much seems to rattle her, in fact, not even Jack screaming vitriol such as "How could you let me give up on my dreams like this?" in the middle of a department store. Fun fact: Only one side of this husband-wife duo is realistically drawn. Guess which?) His daughter knows that something's up, however, and once they get through an awkward "You're-not-my-real-daddy" conversation (she thinks he's an alien and seems OK with that), she helps him out -- in a charming widdle-goil, never-corrected-in-her-life voice -- with information such as how to change a diaper and where her little brother goes to day care. But just as Jack learns to love his new life of middle-class drudgery (of course), he's yanked back to the old fabulous one, though now aching for the dream girl he left behind 13 years ago. He finds her and, well, though the ending is ambiguous, it seems that, as in all fairy tales, love will conquer all.
]]>Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:19:00 GMTMovieBabeMovieBabe Blog2/26/2007 1:19:00 PMYou&#39;re either a house-in-the-suburbs kind of person or you&#39;re not (though I have witnessed -- God help me -- the tragic conversion of die-hard city slickers into Wal-Mart-loving moms and pops once some alleged biological clock starts ticking). The Family Man tries hard to paint a pretty picture of poor-but-proud family life -- the story takes place during the holidays, when even the staunchest advocates of singlehood get a little blue -- but chances are that whatever your current status, this film won&#39;t make you long for the life you don&#39;t have. Nic Cage is Jack, a successful, well-dressed businessman with a really cool Manhattan apartment and the freedom to pick up beautiful blondes on Christmas Eve. A would-be convenience-store robber -- an angel? the devil? where did this guy come from, anyway? -- intervenes, and Jack wakes up the next morning with his old college girlfriend lying on his stomach and two runny-nosed kids jumping on the bed. For reasons left unexplained, Jack has been thrust into this world, with no knowledge of where he works, where his kids go to school, or even what kind of car he drives, for an indeterminate amount of time. After realizing that he can&#39;t go back to his old life just yet, Jack fumbles through his new daily routine -- complete with minivan and blue-collar job -- convincingly enough to not raise the suspicions of his wife, Kate (T&eacute;a Leoni). (Not much seems to rattle her, in fact, not even Jack screaming vitriol such as "How could you let me give up on my dreams like this?" in the middle of a department store. Fun fact: Only one side of this husband-wife duo is realistically drawn. Guess which?) His daughter knows that something&#39;s up, however, and once they get through an awkward "You&#39;re-not-my-real-daddy" conversation (she thinks he&#39;s an alien and seems OK with that), she helps him out -- in a charming widdle-goil, never-corrected-in-her-life voice -- with information such as how to change a diaper and where her little brother goes to day care. But just as Jack learns to love his new life of middle-class drudgery (of course), he&#39;s yanked back to the old fabulous one, though now aching for the dream girl he left behind 13 years ago. He finds her and, well, though the ending is ambiguous, it seems that, as in all fairy tales, love will conquer all. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
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