I highly recommend seeing this movie! It's a Christmas story that draws from some other Christmas classics - a touch of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" with a dash of Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life".
Nicolas Cage plays a modern-day, Machiavellian, Wall Street Scrooge. Successful by most societal measures, he eventually realizes that his life is truly empty and destitute of any real meaning. He is given the unique opportunity to see what his life would have been like had he made different choices and married his college sweetheart (played by Tea Leoni). Cage and Leoni have some wonderfully touching scenes together that will soften the hardest of hearts. Makenzie Vega, as their daughter, has some equally poignant scenes with Cage.
Will this film win any Academy Awards? Probably not. Is it a little on the schmaltzy side? Arguably yes, but that doesn't bother me in the least. I saw this movie with Jill, Doug, and Bob. We all seemed to like this movie about the same, although Bob commented that he needs to see a contrasting genre that will balance his depleted testosterone level. |
