A Family Man

Name: A Family Man
Genre: Drama
Released: July 28, 2017
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 21
Cast: Alfred Molina, Alison Brie, Anupam Kher, Cyndy Day, Dustin Milligan

2017

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 8 Ratings

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5.4

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5.4	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 8 Ratings

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A Family Man

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Movie Details & Credits

Vertical Entertainment | Release Date: July 28, 2017 | R

Starring: Alfred Molina, Alison Brie, Anupam Kher, Cyndy Day, Dustin Milligan, Gerard Butler, Gretchen Mol, Julia Butters, Kathleen Munroe, Mimi Kuzyk, Stephen Bogaert, Willem Dafoe

Summary: A headhunter whose life revolves around closing deals in a a survival-of-the-fittest boiler room, battles his top rival for control of their job placement company -- his dream of owning the company clashing with the needs of his family.

Director: Mark Williams

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: R

Runtime: 108 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Rex Reed

Aug 1, 2017

It is still Gerard Butler who keeps it all afloat, negotiating rough waters with superior skill. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Matt Zoller Seitz

Jul 28, 2017

Whenever the movie reaches for poetry it lands somewhere in a chain drugstore's greeting card aisle, trying to choose between one that shows an adorable child laughing in a Photoshopped field of sunlit daisies, one that tries for gallows humor but isn't really that funny, and a third with a quote about mortality and wisdom only seems thoughtful because it's written in cursive. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Jul 24, 2017

Screenwriter Bill Dubuque — forget that name — illustrates Dane’s sense of responsibility and victimhood by scribbling the clunkiest, clumsiest, most tin-eared “sex” scene in the history of the big screen. If that online screenwriting course offers a refund, pal, GRAB it. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Jul 24, 2017

Sparing no maudlin contrivance in a quest to jerk tears that remain stubbornly dry, this hokum is slickly executed by producer Mark Williams in his feature directorial debut. But the result never rises above polished plastic, formulaic, and pedestrian. Read full review

The Guardian Nigel M Smith

Jul 24, 2017

It’s run-of-the-mill, and crassly manipulative. Read full review

John DeFore

Jul 24, 2017

A loathsome redemption tale that rings false on every front except when depicting capitalistic assholery (and sometimes fails to convince us even then), Williams' directing debut The Headhunter's Calling (from a script by former corporate headhunter Bill Dubuque) not only expects us to root for its unlovable protagonist, but expects us to do so when that man is played by Gerard Butler. Read full review

Gary Goldstein

Jul 27, 2017

Alternately crass and treacly, overbearing and under-finessed, the film, penned by headhunter-turned-screenwriter Bill Dubuque and directed by Mark Williams, is on life support from get-go. Read full review

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User Reviews

KaptenVideo

Aug 1, 2017

Ah, the new movie starring Gerard Butler, the poor man’s Clive Owen, always up for some good all-American entertainment that makes you think but also makes you smile.
This one’s about a headhunter whose life revolves around closing deals in survival-of-the-fittest boiler room. He battles hisAh, the new movie starring Gerard Butler, the poor man’s Clive Owen, always up for some good all-American entertainment that makes you think but also makes you smile.
This one’s about a headhunter whose life revolves around closing deals in survival-of-the-fittest boiler room. He battles his top rival for control of the company, but then his oldest child falls seriously ill.
Also starring, Gretchen Mol as the loving but ever-suffering wife, Willem Dafoe as the ruthless boss, Alison Brie as the rival and Alfred Molina as the token solid supporting male character.
First and foremost, „A Family Man“ is a genre movie, which means it’s produced and put together of cliches in hope of finding a suitable mainstream audience.
The approach is pretty solid one, using several drama subgenres in order to appeal to wider circle of cinema-goers, including sick child story, a middle class American success story, finding yourself again story and some „Wall Street“ type high-octane competence porn.
The execution is actually pretty solid too. The able cast are doing their darndest best to act through all the material, and there’s a lot of it.
108 minute movie may feel quite a bit longer, at least for those who have seen way too many movies to take all these cliches and workmanlike storytelling seriously.
On the other hand, those who still watch movies as just a nice way of passing time, or aren’t tired of bland dramas made of middle-class dreams and aspirations, can definitely find some entertainment here.
They don’t even have to think how to feel because the movie manipulates you in all the right directions at the right time.
I am taking a wild guess that "A Family Man" is most suitable for girlish audience, but it will also surely feel in the right place when it’s 2 am and you’re desperately trying to find something new to watch with Butler starring in it.
He’s a doing a fine job too, the whole result relies on his manly charm and grunting.
All in all, there’s nothing wrong with „A Family Man“. It’s just there’s nothing terribly exciting either, with the creative bar set relatively low and all.
I hope I didn’t sound too ironic here or something, I quite liked the movie for what it is.… Expand

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entitet

Oct 23, 2017

Butler, Dafoe, Molina, Mol and Brie. A great cast. And judging by the premise, this movie should be a real tearjerker. But this is one of those dramas that really tries too hard and obvious to make you eyes water up and by that, it becomes annoying and unemotional instead. Almost every sceneButler, Dafoe, Molina, Mol and Brie. A great cast. And judging by the premise, this movie should be a real tearjerker. But this is one of those dramas that really tries too hard and obvious to make you eyes water up and by that, it becomes annoying and unemotional instead. Almost every scene aims to pull at your heartstrings with a cheesy unimaginative script, topped off with a really flat directing.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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