- Based on a true story in 1975,A Family Man is a tale of winners and losers, when a man makes a leap for the big time. Sam, a hard-drinking father of three, ex-Navy man, ex-miner, and soon to be ex-husband, takes to GAMBLING to bankroll his crazy plan. Desperate to support his family and keep his dream alive, Sam's life spirals out of control in a showdown with a deadly Detroit card shark.