The Family Man
Universal Pictures | Release Date: December 22, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
42
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
15
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
Mr. ShowbizCody Clark
A warm, glossy holiday fable that hits some surprisingly sweet notes.
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Sweet, light entertainment, but could have been more. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
A holiday fable that's not destined for immortality but goes down more easily than most of the pap Hollywood tries to feed us every Christmas. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A surprisingly charming fable. Read full review
20
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Nothing more, or less, than a cheap, dirty grab at our Christmas spirit. Read full review
63
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
Despite solid acting, it's a fantasy for those who don't know jack about what really makes for a wonderful life. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Not even a sincere and heroic effort by Nicolas Cage can redeem the film's essential phoniness. Read full review
30
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
A piece of moldy wax fruit if ever there was one. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Cage and Leoni make it offbeat.
38
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Sitting through it is like waking up on Christmas morning to find a stockingful of styrofoam.
50
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
I didn't believe it, and I don't think the people who made The Family Man did either.
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
Beyond the cliched diaper-changing scenes and the oh-so-predictable romantic complications, the film inadvertently insults its presumed target audience.
60
NewsweekDavid Ansen
What charm, quirkiness and warmth the movie possesses is due largely to them (Cage and Leoni).
58
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Schlock weeper. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
You can't just rework a beloved Christmas classic, set it in reverse and expect it to run smoothly.
50
TimeRichard Corliss
A film that's fun to argue with. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Has the airiness of a well-made souffle, springing delicate small surprises at calibrated intervals. Read full review
40
VarietyJoe Leydon
A slickly produced slice of sentimental hokum that borrows freely from a half-dozen or so other, better feel-good fantasies. Read full review
0
Film.comDavid D'Arcy
What were they thinking? Read full review
20
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
At first I thought I was watching yet another version of "A Christmas Carol"; then I wondered if it was a remake of "It's a Wonderful Life"; finally I gave up trying to find anything at all in it that was unfamiliar. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldSara Wildberger
Sidesteps from the premise of "It's a Wonderful Life" far enough to avoid copyright charges, but not far enough to avoid unfavorable comparisons
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Cage is a wonderful light comedian; were someone to remake "It's a Wonderful Life," he'd be on the short list for the role of George Bailey. And Leoni is Donna Reed, reborn. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
A holiday film Joe Lieberman could love, unembarrassed by its wholesome, sugary pro-family message. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
Cage gives a performance that invites audiences to lay cynicism aside in a romantic fable. Read full review
40
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
It's an easier movie to tolerate than it should be if, like me, you're in love with Téa Leoni, who, as a lithe, lusty, strangely patient firecracker Superwife in a shag, rescues the movie from the tar pit of irrelevance. With some decent lines, she could be the new Myrna Loy. Read full review
40
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
But in the end conventional sentiment, rather than any actual morality, is all that the script for The Family Man (by David Diamond and David Weissman) has to offer. Read full review
40
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
It's a plot more worn out than the tinsel boxed up in the attic. In the end, they've given us a Christmas gift barely worth returning. Read full review
40
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Starting to feel sick? Just you wait.
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