The Family Man

Please indulge me by allowing me to write this review as if it was the delightful film I so wish it could be.

Single gay bachelor Henry Archer (George Clooney – channeling a mix of legal eagle Michael Clayton and the hapless cuckold of “The Descendants”) is embarking on a quiet retirement from his law career when he receives a desperate phone call from his self-absorbed ex-wife Denise (Patti Lupone – chewing the scenery) asking for legal advice. You see, before Henry came out to himself and the world, he was a happily married man and a loving stepfather to Denise’s four year old daughter, Thalia. It seems the sons of Denise’s late third husband (the one she dumped Henry for) are trying to squeeze her out of his will because show more their marriage didn’t last past the 25 year pre-nup. Even though Henry is still bitter that she cheated on him and took away custody of Thalia, she’s extremely needy and exceptionally nervy, so he agrees to help her out.

Reconnecting with Denise ultimately leads Henry back to Thalia (unfiltered screwball Jennifer Lawrence), now a 20-something struggling actress whom he invites to move into the basement apartment in his brownstone. To further her career, and against Henry’s advice, Thalia agrees to pose as the girlfriend of a 40 year-old horror film star (Lukas Haas, equal parts weirdo and wounded puppy) whose PR people believe engagement to an attractive young starlet will change his public image and help him achieve mainstream success. While Henry is thrilled to have Thalia back in his life, both she and Denise turn his ordered existence into a constant state of pandemonium. Adding to all this, Denise fixes him up with Todd Weinreb (menschy Mark Feuerstein) who dives headlong, and with unbridled enthusiasm, into both Thalia’s PR drama and Henry’s heart.

I enjoyed this story way more than I expected to. The characterizations were so vivid and everyone, even the obnoxious Denise, was so loveable and fun. The plot moves in a few unexpected directions and is never a downer. The entire thing sparkles like champagne. I honestly wish this could be made into the movie I imagined. Hopefully some producer is reading it right now.

And if J-Law isn’t available for Thalia, they could always cast one of Clooney’s previous co-stars like Anna Kendrick or Shailene Woodley.

Read this. show less

The Family Man is pure Elinor Lipman: witty, quirky, and optimistic. Set in Manhattan, it’s about a middle-aged gay man who (no spoiler) reconnects with the step-daughter he lost decades earlier when he and his ex-wife divorced after a brief marriage. The story unfolds easily through Lipman’s abundant and expert dialogue, revealing lovable (and lovably annoying) characters and entertaining plots of family, romance, and the media. Beautiful neighborhoods, yummy restaurants, and the lively cast made me think, in the words of 30 Rock’s Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there!” And for 300 pages with Elinor Lipman, I did.

This is the first Elinor Lipman book I have read, recommended to me by a friend. Elinor creates memorable characters, the fatherly Henry, out of his comfort zone, Thalia, his larger than life step-daughter, and the annoying but ultimately likable Denise. Denise barges back into Henry's life after the death of her husband, whom she left Henry for. Her husband died one year before the expiration of their 25 year old pre-nup and her step-sons are cutting her out. Henry reluctantly becomes her only confidant, while trying to build a relationship with Thalia. This book is light, witty, and sharp. There is also Todd, a potential new love for Henry and Leif, the actor hiring Thalia to pose as his fiance. It is humorous and whimsical. An easy show more and enjoyable read for a Saturday afternoon. It's hard to put down once you start. There are so many brilliant scenes that make the reader laugh. Now I just have to decide what will be my next Elinor read. show less

After his ex-wife's husband of 24 years dies, leaving her with nothing thanks to a pre-nup that stipulated the marriage had to last 25 years, Henry Archer sends her a sympathy card. He has, for the most part, gotten over any heartbreak, and in fact has made peace with his homosexuality. He decides to reconnect with Thalia, the daughter from Denise's first marriage that Henry adopted but hasn't seen in two decades. Meanwhile, Denise has no idea about this, and is clinging to Henry as her last lifeline...oh, and wants to set him up, too.

Lipman's newest novel is set in New York City, a departure from the other books that I've read by her so far. The dialog kept the pace fast and funny, even though the plot focuses primarily on the show more characters and their relationships. A light read that was fun, and would have gotten a higher rating if I had been in a different mood. show less

Elinor Lipman's "The Family Man," set in contemporary Manhattan, is a witty celebration of engaging dialogue and the triumph of love. Wordy characters abound in this fast-paced domestic farce: Henry Archer, a successful, recently retired gay attorney; Denise, his histrionic ex-wife from the distant past; Todd, a middle aged sales clerk with his eye on Henry; Thalia, an aspiring actress who seeks to reunite with her stepfather Henry after twenty years of estrangement -- all of these characters are bubbling over with something to say, and the result is a light yet gratifying verbal soufflé reminiscent of Grant/Hepburn screwball comedies of the 30's and 40's.
Denise's Xanax-induced "eulogy" of her deceased husband (third one and counting) show more is almost as entertaining as her verbal overtures to her new soul mate, Albert Einstein, a greyhound rescued from the racing circuit and formerly named "Kill Bill." Todd's "coming out" interchange with his house-coated Brooklynese mother is priceless. The story is saturated with New York references both real (Zabar's, the Number 7 Line, a haute restaurant named "Per Se") and imagined which reinforce the urbane nature of the wordplay. Lipman's novel may fall on the light side of the literary scale, but that doesn't make it any less rewarding on a long summer afternoon. show less

In this book, Elinor Lipman turns her acerbic wit to New York City instead of Massachusetts (her usual setting). The lightning-quick repartee was a bit much for me - I felt like I was watching a high-speed tennis match! But the characters were endearing and the concept entertaining. The story focuses on Thalia, a would-be actress who agrees to a publicity stunt. The plot is kind of beside the point, since it ends predictably. The story is more about the characters - Henry, a refined gay lawyer; Denise, a meddlesome heart-of-gold type who recalls the mother in Lipman's Then She Found Me; Thalia, a flirtatious drama queen; and Todd, Henry's warm-hearted retailer boyfriend.

A trifle, but passable for an airport distraction. Years ago I enjoyed And Then She Found Me. The characters popped off the page and there was some dialogue and asides that were oh so true of real life.

None of these characters seems real. This is fairytale New York, Eloise for grown-ups, where a multiply-married, not-rich-by-birth woman has never held a job and a young "actress" can pay her rent on hatcheck girl salary. Then we get the gay character--nice, well-off, presentable, recently retired lawyer, but he has no gay friends? No interest in the arts, interior decoration or food? It takes his ex-wife, not a friend, to introduce him to another gay man?

I think he'd be pestered for pro bono work. Early retired in New York but he has to show more depend on a long lost stepdaughter to give him something to do? Right. It might have seemed cute if published in the 1970s, but now--not at all. show less