The Family Man (2000)

4/5

The Family Man feels like a modern reworking of Capra's It's A Wonderful Life with a sprinkle of Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The story follows money-hungry CEO Jack Campbell (Cage) working on a multi-billion dollar merger on Christmas Eve. He has even set up an emergency meeting on Christmas Day that he expects all his employees to come in for. He unexpectedly gets a call from Kate (Leoni), an old girlfriend he was thinking about marrying before he left her at the airport for a competitive internship in London, but decides to refrain from calling her back. On his way back to his bachelor pad in an NYC high-rise, a mysterious man (Cheadle) offers him a glimpse of the life he could have led, as a family man in Jersey married to Kate with two kids.

There is nothing particularly spectacular about the technical aspects in this film. The cinematography and editing are competent enough to fade into the background and be forgotten. The acting, on the other hand, was something special. Simple performances for relatively simple characters, but full of genuine emotion. You can easily see the hurt and happiness on their faces. You sympathize with them (even if you're not a fan of Nicolas Cage). When you're watching this movie, you are completely enveloped in it. And there is nothing more you want than for them to be happy. It's far from a perfect movie. There are plenty of plot inconsistencies, unclear motivations, and ambiguous backstories, but they matter about as much as the lighting. The Family Man is about the Christmas season and the holiday spirit, and it is pleasantly delightful.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0218967/

Serendipity (2001)

4/5

Serendipity is a surprisingly tender and gripping romantic comedy. The plot follows two people in two separate, seemingly happy relationships. They find each other serendipitously when shopping at Bloomingdale's and enjoy a wonderful night together over coffee and ice skating in downtown New York City. Sara (Beckinsale) believes that if they are meant to be together then fate will bring them back together. So she asks John (Cusack) to write his name and phone number on a $5 bill; then uses it to pay for a pack of gum. She writes her name and number on the inside cover of her favorite book, Love in the Time of Cholera, and sells it to a used bookstore. Will they find each others' names and numbers or were they never destined to be together?

The premise of the story is very compelling. There is something utterly romantic about fate pulling two people together, something entirely desirable about having a soul mate that was meant just for you. And this movie uses that to its full advantage to suck you in and keep you under its spell. Every time they are pulled apart, you just want to yell out, "NOOO!" and push them together. The acting by the leads (and by Shannon and Piven as their best friends) are convincing, heartfelt, and memorable. The writing, the cinematography, and the editing are all fairly predictable and bland, but they don't detract from the overall experience. All in all, this is one of the better romantic comedies I've seen and it definitely gets a recommendation from me.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240890/

RocknRolla (2008)

4/5

Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla is pretty much the same movie as all of Guy Ritchie's other gangster movies. The complicated and confusing plot is made more imperceptible by thick, obfuscatory British accents. And while it started out with a story that seemed uninteresting and unengrossing, there was just enough innovation and cleverness to make it fresh and new. The cinematography, style, and editing all feel the same as his earlier movies (which is a compliment). The decidedly quick-witted humor is also back, and in full force. Guy Ritchie knows British movies, British actors, and British sensbilities, but not American ones. Jeremy Piven and Ludacris felt a little out of place here. Still, RocknRolla is an altogether enjoyable film that is on par with Snatch. I recommend it to anyone who knows and enjoys Guy Ritchie.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032755/