The Family Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		1.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		1.5

The Family Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Merry Christmas! Here's some coal.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 28, 2023

More than a full decade after the release of Sony's disappointing domestic Blu-ray edition, Brett Ratner's Christmas quasi-classic The Family Man earns a brand-new international Blu-ray release courtesy of the South Korean boutique label D'ailly Company. Available in two different lenticular covers (each limited to just 1,000 copies), this region-free import seemed impossible to ignore; maybe we'd finally, finally get a half-decent high-def transfer of The Family Man almost a quarter-century after its theatrical debut. Unfortunately, what we have here is a sidestep or downgrade in every area except for the packaging... so unless you're a hardcore collector, it's an easy disc to ignore.

For a synopsis and light roast of The Family Man, please see Michael Reuben's review of the 2011 Blu-ray linked above. As my star rating indicates, I have quite a bit more of a soft spot for this film -- it's not exactly a must-watch each and every holiday season, but decent enough entertainment to make it worth revisiting every so often.

The Family Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

To my extreme disappointment, the transfer of The Family Man included on this Limited Edition import is exactly the same as on Universal's lackluster VC-1 2011 Blu-ray (save for potentially minor encoding differences)... so for details about its middling video quality, please see that linked review. I've actually docked it another full point because it's obviously aged even worse during the past 12 years, and laziness always deserves a sound lashing.

The Family Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Not surprisingly, the lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix included on this disc is also the same as heard on the 2011 Blu-ray. Because I apparently just can't seem to stop changing star ratings, I've actually rated it slightly higher than Michael's linked review but, like the film itself, that's just a matter of opinion -- it's the same track.

English (SDH) and Korean subtitles are included during the film and extras listed below.

The Family Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in some admittedly pretty swank packaging that, as mentioned before, comes in your choice of two different lenticular covers. (Version B is here.) This one features what I consider more traditional poster-based artwork with a nice lenticular effect that depicts both of Jack Campbell's different lives in a department-store display. It's printed on a rigid slipcase that requires a bit of assembly and features a matte finish with embossed spot-gloss highlights and a nice back-cover image of the final scene with Jack and his wife Kate (Téa Leoni) enjoying a candlelit dinner. The clear keepcase itself is of the stocky Criterion variety with images of Jack and Kate on the front and back cover. Inside is a splash image of Jack and his precocious young daughter Annie (Makenzie Vega), with a small stack of production still cards on the left and the disc on the right. It's a handsome packaging job indeed and reminiscent of a more deluxe version of Imprint's releases -- I just wish the disc itself were better.

Speaking of which, the on-board bonus features are actually smaller in number than the much cheaper 2011 Blu-ray: missing extras include one audio commentary, an isolated music score with commentary, and the opening sequence with an alternate music cue. Go forwards, not backwards, guys.

• Audio Commentary with Director Brett Ratner and Writers David Diamond & David Weissman

• Deleted Scenes (13:32)

• Outtakes (8:14)

• Spotlight on Location (20:01)

• "Hi, Jack" Montage (0:40)

• Music Video: Seal's "This Could Be Heaven" (5:05)

• Theatrical Trailer (2:32)

The Family Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Brett Ratner's The Family Man isn't exactly top-tier holiday entertainment, but it has its moments and stands as a decently entertaining member of the "B" team when you're done with your regular round of classics. Sadly, it hasn't been well represented on Blu-ray: Universal's 2011 Blu-ray featured a disappointing VC-1 transfer that really wasn't all that far beyond the older DVD edition... and 12 years later, that same transfer has been slapped on this Limited Edition region-free import from the South Korean boutique label D'ailly Company. The packaging is nice, sure, but a few bonus features are missing which doesn't even make this comparatively more expensive version the best-available Blu-ray. That's certainly not saying much, is it? Unless you're a die-hard collector, skip it and hope for a 4K edition.