Family Man (2000)

With a big deal to be finalised, Wall Street investor Jack Campbell requests that his key staff turn up for work on Christmas day. Working typically late, even on Christmas eve, Jack heads back to his luxury penthouse apartment via the grocery store to pick up some supplies. Unfortunately, accidentally walks into the middle of a hold up

In a brave display of self-preservation, he manages to do a deal with the gun man and even manages to strike up a friendship with him and they leave the store together. Walking down the street the gunman gunman asks him about his life and whether it could be better. Jacks life is little short of perfect and he cannot think of anything. The pair split up and head their separate ways home, Jack to his luxury apartment and the gunman into the night.

The next morning is Christmas day and rather waking up in the luxury of his apartment he woken up by a couple of children jumping on his bed and he's lying next to his college sweetheart, Kate Reynolds, a girl he left many years ago so start his career. Confused he runs out of the house in suburbia and heads back to Manhattan, only to discover that his former life no longer exists. Will he long for a return to his previous existence, or will he grow to love his new life?

The picture is bright and colourful with plenty of detail in the indoor and outdoor scenes, although some of the scenes could suffer from a little too much contrast for my liking. There's no signs of artifacting or outlining and the bit-rate remains above average throughout the film.

The sound is excellent with some imaginative use of the surround channels with the musical score especially adding to the films ambience. The dialogue is clear and precise in the centre channel and there was no need to keeping correcting the volume levels. Naturally, with a film of this nature there are no ground rumbling LFE's

The menus is animated and scored with quite a good selection of extras. Entertainment in video is really getting the hang of the DVD business and whereas their early discs were lucky to come with a Dolby Digital soundtrack, let alone extras, they are putting some of the more high profile companies to shame. The extras include interviews with the cast and director and some outtakes which just seem to be comprised of Cage laughing. Although initially amusing, it soon starts to run a little thin.

Although the region one edition of this disc includes a DTS soundtrack, additional commentary and DVD-ROM features, it is still a worthy disc to buy. Yes, it stinks of Scrooged and It's a Wonderful Life but it is great to see Cage in this kind of role. His young "daughter" is a great laugh - thinking his bizarre antics are because her real father has been kidnapped by aliens.