The importance of family is hammered home in this contrived though heartfelt TV fantasy drama. A dependable Rob Lowe plays the devoted husband and father who struggles to write his first novel, only to abruptly lose sight of his real priorities when the resulting work becomes a runaway success. Fortunately, he receives a shock prediction from a mysterious stranger (Christopher Lloyd) to frighten him out of his selfish behaviour, leading to an intriguing twist in the hitherto by-the-numbers plot. Yet for all its clichés, this imbalanced blend of wish-fulfilment fantasy and simplistic morality tale remains a pleasant diversion - even if the film ultimately lacks the emotional punch that it clearly craves.

A family man is warned he has only forty days to live.