Class Dismissed

Of course, both The Emperor's New Groove and The Family Man do restore order in the end, with their heroes still rich and powerful but changed by their adventures. This completes the fantasy for both the audience and the filmmakers, as each gets to spend a little time in the worlds of privilege and of family warmth, respectively. Happy endings in American movies rarely stop at mere happiness; having a stack of cash is the dressing on the side. That's the green line that surrounds both the reds and the blues.

The Emperor's New Groove was directed by Mark Dindal; produced by Randy Fullmer; written by Jonathan Roberts and David Reynolds; and stars the voices of David Spade, Eartha Kitt, John Goodman, Owen Wilson and Patrick Warburton. Now playing countywide; The Family Man was directed by Brett Ratner; produced by Alan Riche, Howard Rosenman, Marc Abraham and Tony Ludwig; written by David Diamond and David Weissman; and stars Nicolas Cage, Don Cheadle, Harve Presnell, Jeremy Piven and Tea Leoni. Opens Dec. 22. Countywide.