Common Sense Media Review
By Nell Minow, based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 13+
Warmhearted tale about second chances; some sex, profanity.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Family Man is a 2000 movie starring Nicolas Cage as a wealthy investment banker who is given the opportunity to experience what his life would have been like had he decided to stay with his college girlfriend instead of going off to London to study economics. The movie has some mature themes, including adultery and one-night stands. A woman is naked in a shower; the glass and steam mostly cover up her nudity, but there's a glimpse of buttocks and breast. Jack and his wife start to have sex, but when he says something she finds inappropriate, she stops him. A woman suggests an affair, and Jack's friend tells him that it would be disastrous: "Don't screw up your whole life just because you're a little unsure about who you are." The movie does make it clear that loving, married sex is the ideal. Characters turn to liquor to relieve stress, and a character makes a joke about his wife's drinking. There is some strong language, including "s--t" and one use of "f--k."
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Language
some
Occasional profanity includes one use of "f--k" as well as "s--t," "prick," "hell," "damn," and "crap." Talk of one-night stands, affairs, and how a woman's husband "satisfies" her.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
Sexual references and situations, including adultery and a one-night stand. A woman is naked in a shower; the glass and steam mostly cover up her nudity but there's a glimpse of buttocks and breast. A married couple tries to have sex, remains clothed. Open talk between two married characters about having an affair with each other. Lead character shown in his underwear.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
See AlsoGladiator II review: 'By far the best popcorn film of the year'‘Lonely Planet’ Review: Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth Rock the Kasbah in Netflix’s Age Gap Romance38 Facts About The Movie The Family ManMoral Realism in Christmas Fantasy: “The Family Man” ~ The Imaginative ConservativeDrinking at parties and at a bowling alley. Lead character drinks booze quickly to try to process what has happened to him. He compares it to an "acid trip." Characters turn to liquor to relieve stress, and a character makes a joke about his wife's drinking.
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Violence & Scariness
very little
In a corner grocery store, a character pulls a gun on the clerks, then points it at the lead character, threatening to kill him.
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Positive Messages
a little
A wealthy Wall Street executive learns that love is more important than the acquisition of material goods.
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Positive Role Models
a little
Though he does act self-centered and materialistic throughout the movie, Jack learns to value love, friendship, and the bonds of family over greed and financial success.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Family Man
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (5)
- Kids say (3)
age 15+
Based on 5 parent reviews
TriathlonMom Adult
November 23, 2014
age 17+
CommonSense neglected to mention a nude scene and an f***...
We commonsense EVERYTHING before we watch it and love being able to filter our media with CSM.org We liked the story and the show for the first 40 minutes... until we were startled by a nude scene that CommonSense completely forgot to mention!! The mom is shown dancing very enthusiastically in the shower through a semi-fogged glass shower door- butt crack and nipples were visible. Then, ten minutes later, a f-word that CSM also forgot to mention. Who knows what else CSM didn't tell us about because we turned the show off. So disappointed in the film and especially in CommonSense who we trust to keep our media intake clean.
Ceetee Adult
September 2, 2021
age 18+
Looks can be deceiving
It looked like it was going to be a light romantic take on It’s a Wonderful Life and in a kind of was. The story was progressing along and all very PG -PG13ish when all of a sudden out of the blue the characters are swearing a blue streak without any need to bring development to the story. He’s also thinking of cheating on his beautiful devoted wife. Thankfully, His best friend tells him, he’d be making the mistake of his life!
See all 5 parent reviews
What's the Story?
Nicolas Cage plays Jack Campbell, a man who is perfectly delighted with his life the way it is. He loves money, making it on Wall Street, and spending it on expensive suits, gourmet meals, and a snazzy sports car. He doesn't mind Scrooge-ily calling a meeting at the office on Christmas, telling himself it's for the employees' own good, since they'll be making so much money. But then he stops to buy eggnog and sees a man (Don Cheadle) pull out a gun when a store clerk refuses to pay off his lottery ticket. His offer to buy the ticket mysteriously catapults him into the life he chose not to have -- a life in the New Jersey suburbs, with him married to his college sweetheart (Tea Leoni), with two small children and a job selling tires. His old life has disappeared. It's his worst nightmare, and he gets many opportunities to be horrified by diapers and outlet-store merchandise and to completely deconstruct his old life before he begins to realize what he's missed.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (3):
There's some predictability and awkward construction in this movie; it feels as if it were edited heavily after focus-group testing, leaving some characters and plot lines unresolved. Nonetheless, this is a holiday pleasure. Cage and Leoni are enormously appealing in their various incarnations. There are some funny lines and warm moments, especially when the one person Jack can't fool is his daughter, who knows this is not the daddy she loves and decides he must be an alien. And there is a satisfying resolution that incorporates the best of both options.
The grand tradition of "what if?" movies from A Christmas Carol to It's a Wonderful Life and the more recent Passion of Mind and Me Myself I show us an unhappy hero or heroine who finds out what life would have been like if he or she had made a different choice. Though in this version, Jack loved his life to begin with.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about some of the "roads not taken" and what they think their lives might be like now if they had made other choices.
Comparisons have been made of this movie to the 1940s Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life. How is this movie similar to and different from that classic film and other holiday-themed movies and stories in which selfish characters learn the importance of love and the bonds of family, friendship, and community?
How is marriage represented in this movie? What are the highs and lows, as well as the joys and difficulties, conveyed through action and dialogue? Do you think it's realistic? Why, or why not?
What do you think the angel will do for the young woman who accepted too much change?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 22, 2000
- On DVD or streaming : July 2, 2001
- Cast : Don Cheadle, Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni
- Director : Brett Ratner
- Inclusion Information : Black actors, Female actors
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 125 minutes
- MPAA rating : PG-13
- MPAA explanation : sexual references and situations and language
- Last updated : May 30, 2024
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The Family Man
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