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Overcast, with a chance of showers
The Weather Man is a movie that you want to love. You really do. And there's a lot to like about it, but it never seems to reach the territory where it becomes a truly memorable movie. Nicolas Cage stars as David Spritz, a local weather man in Chicago. He's one step from the big time, facing an interview for a job with "Hello America," a Today-esque show, starring none other than Bryant Gumble. But he has more on his mind than his job. His family is falling apart in front of him. His father, a famous author (played with usual brilliance by Michael Caine), has just been diagnosed with lymphoma. His daughter, Shelly (Gemmenne de la Peña), is overweight and teased about it at school. His son, Michael (a grown up Nicholas Hoult, from About a Boy), has been having issues with pot and an overzealous counselor. And his ex-wife (Hope Davis) has a new love interest (Michael Rispoli) that David just wants to slap. On top of this, people throw things at him — fast food mainly — because he's... well, he's a weather man. All of this has Spritz unsatisfied with his position in life, so with the possible job offer, he envisions a chance to restart his life in New York. The problem is he has an unreasonable belief that it will be a cure-all and his family will just pack up and move with him — that his wife will fall back in love with him because he's making seven figures. The best thing The Weather Man brings to the table is an interesting mix between the melancholy and the hilarious. Cage plays a depressed man at the middle of what's basically a comedy. It's an unusually engaging juxtaposition — but the problem is that it is hard to feel for his character, who has such unreasonable expectations. Like the people that throw Wendy's Frosties and chicken nuggets at him, it's easier to make fun of Dave Spritz than to associate with him. It's not Cage's fault. He does have a likeability that almost raises Spritz above the role of the joke's punch line. You really wish that Spritz could get his family in order. He truly cares for his kids and even his ex-wife. But every time you think he's going to turn the corner, he does something so idiotic, you lose a bit of respect for him. That being said, the movie has its ingenious moments. Spritz tries to connect with his daughter over archery, but he soon becomes enveloped in it himself when her interest wanes. She'd rather be hunting small animals; to her, target shooting is boring. Spritz, however, embraces it fully... and when he almost becomes a hunter at the end of the film you want to cringe and laugh at the same time. Spritz's internal monologues are also hilarious and sometimes painful at the same time. A stream of conscious narration throws out some brilliant moments, mostly his libido bubbling to the surface at the most ironic moments. The direction by Gore Verbinski is solid, but nothing spectacular. There are some beautiful establishing shots of Chicago in winter, but this is a more subtle film than his more-flashy past works, such as The Ring and The Mexican. The subtlety works to fit with Spritz's melancholy character, but never rises above it. In the end, the moments of The Weather Man work better than the movie as a whole. You'll come out of The Weather Man liking it, but not really knowing why. It's better viewed in the moment than appreciating after the fact. Michael D Friedman is an Atlanta screenwriter and filmmaker. He is a founder and co-president of the Atlanta Screenwriters Group. |
The Weather Man
Directed by: Gore Verbinski 
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(2½ out of 4)