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Nobody does comic existential angst like Nicolas Cage, who gets a good workout in The Weather Man, an underrated slice of quiet desperation. Cage plays David Spritz, a Chicago TV meteorologist who knows only too well the constant uncertainty of predicting the weather. Despite a possible offer from a network morning show, David's life is a mess: he's estranged from his kids and irritated wife (Hope Davis), he's perpetually at odds with his remote father (Michael Caine), and lately people on the street have had the disconcerting habit of throwing food at him. Director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) has perhaps too heavy a touch for this kind of comic melancholy, but screenwriter Steven Conrad has an interesting, almost Mamet-like ear for "written" dialogue--Cage has a few voiceover monologues, including an uproarious sequence involving tartar sauce and a walk to the store, that are hugely funny. It's possible that we've seen Cage in this kind of character one too many times, but he's still good at it, and his doleful face and pasted-on smile fit the mood of the picture. Unlike the heroes of most Hollywood movies, David Spritz doesn't always--or often--do the right thing, but Cage makes you want to see the poor sap make it. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Daniel Jolley
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
I've never been much of a Nicholas Cage fan, but his performance in The Weather Man has finally put him over the top with me. From now on, I actually am a Nicholas Cage fan. I think he turns in a marvelous, make-it-or-break-it performance in this film. Only a handful of actors could have made The Weather Man work. It's an unusual film that doesn't really fit into any genre out there -- I certainly wouldn't think of it in terms of a comedy. There's a real indie, certainly dramatic, feel to this whole production; depressing and unsettling, it affects the viewer in an odd, unique way. I doubt anyone walked out of a theater screening of the film laughing or even talking very much -- except for those complaining about how boring the whole thing was. In all truth, this is a film that will disappoint a significant minority of viewers. On the other hand, I think many will agree with me that The Weather Man achieves a really weird level of brilliance.
This is a hard film to describe. None of the official or editorial plot summaries come close to capturing the atmosphere and emotional resonance of what takes place. Dave Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is the very epitome of the angst-ridden adult, a man simply writing in quiet desperation. None of his dreams have come true, he feels like a total disappointment to his famous author of a father (Michael Caine), he's estranged from his ex-wife (Hope Davis) and increasingly out of touch with his two children, and he just can't seem to get himself together, no matter how hard he tries. All he has right now (besides an extremely good salary for a weatherman who never studied meteorology) is a long shot chance to turn things around -- he's being considered for the job of weather man on the nationally syndicated morning show Hello, America.
You have to commiserate with this guy. Life throws a lot of things at us, but it literally throws things at Dave ' soft drinks, food, etc. (Of course, if he hadn't been driving around freezing Chicago with his window down, he never would have been hit by that Big Gulp drink.) On top of that, he just can't connect with his kids. His son has just gotten out of rehab and ends up getting himself into a rather disgusting predicament with one of his counselors (Ally McBeal's Gil Bellows). His daughter is a twelve-year-old, overweight smoker dealing with a mean nickname she earned by the way she wears her clothes (and it's something I could have done without seeing, let me tell you). His ex-wife basically hates him, while his Pulitzer Prize-winning father discovers he has cancer. It is his dad's illness that really galvanizes Dave to try and put things right again -- reconciling with his wife, being there for his vulnerable children, getting that big job in New York, and finally doing something to make his father proud of him. Real life just doesn't work like that, however -- and Dave has a hard time dealing with all the burdens that keep falling down upon his shoulders. Sometimes, he's all but paralyzed with angst, but all of those pent-up emotions can come hurtling out at times, even over one of the little things in life. He can really be quite emotionally unbalanced, but he never stops trying to change things. Don't expect a "they all lived happily ever after" ending to this story; to its credit, The Weather Man doesn't abandon realism in the film's final moments.
What makes The Weather Man a great movie, though, is Michael Caine's remarkable performance as Dave's Dad. Best supporting actor awards were created for exactly this kind of performance. Without Caine, The Weather Man is just dark, unusual, and fascinating; with him, it's a surprisingly emotional experience. This is one of the most memorable and impressive films of the year, if you ask me.
This is a hard film to describe. None of the official or editorial plot summaries come close to capturing the atmosphere and emotional resonance of what takes place. Dave Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is the very epitome of the angst-ridden adult, a man simply writing in quiet desperation. None of his dreams have come true, he feels like a total disappointment to his famous author of a father (Michael Caine), he's estranged from his ex-wife (Hope Davis) and increasingly out of touch with his two children, and he just can't seem to get himself together, no matter how hard he tries. All he has right now (besides an extremely good salary for a weatherman who never studied meteorology) is a long shot chance to turn things around -- he's being considered for the job of weather man on the nationally syndicated morning show Hello, America.
You have to commiserate with this guy. Life throws a lot of things at us, but it literally throws things at Dave ' soft drinks, food, etc. (Of course, if he hadn't been driving around freezing Chicago with his window down, he never would have been hit by that Big Gulp drink.) On top of that, he just can't connect with his kids. His son has just gotten out of rehab and ends up getting himself into a rather disgusting predicament with one of his counselors (Ally McBeal's Gil Bellows). His daughter is a twelve-year-old, overweight smoker dealing with a mean nickname she earned by the way she wears her clothes (and it's something I could have done without seeing, let me tell you). His ex-wife basically hates him, while his Pulitzer Prize-winning father discovers he has cancer. It is his dad's illness that really galvanizes Dave to try and put things right again -- reconciling with his wife, being there for his vulnerable children, getting that big job in New York, and finally doing something to make his father proud of him. Real life just doesn't work like that, however -- and Dave has a hard time dealing with all the burdens that keep falling down upon his shoulders. Sometimes, he's all but paralyzed with angst, but all of those pent-up emotions can come hurtling out at times, even over one of the little things in life. He can really be quite emotionally unbalanced, but he never stops trying to change things. Don't expect a "they all lived happily ever after" ending to this story; to its credit, The Weather Man doesn't abandon realism in the film's final moments.
What makes The Weather Man a great movie, though, is Michael Caine's remarkable performance as Dave's Dad. Best supporting actor awards were created for exactly this kind of performance. Without Caine, The Weather Man is just dark, unusual, and fascinating; with him, it's a surprisingly emotional experience. This is one of the most memorable and impressive films of the year, if you ask me.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.1 out of 5 stars
162 reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
I liked it, but that's just my opinion
Oct 30 2005
By Rottenberg's rotten book review
- Published on Amazon.com
This was another tricky review for "The Rotten Review". "Weather Man" isn't a comedy or a tragedy, yet it dips deeply into each. I enjoyed it, but it's a flick that will likely divide even intelligent moviegoers who want a respite from "Doom" on one side and "North Country" on the other.
Nicholas Cage is Dave Spritz, "The Weatherman". Though apparently successful giving the weather for Chicago viewers, his life is a wreck. Everybody seems to hate him - the kindest seem to have no respect for him. Though making over $300 grand a year for a job with few time demands, Spritz leads a painful existence. His virtually ex-wife (Hope Davis) hates him, and is planning to start a new life with a puffy jerk named Russ who seems about as attentive to her needs as Spritz himself; his daughter is blankly detached and overweight - all of Spritz's attempts to bond with her end in disaster. Spritz's son, Mike, is in rehab for some vaguely unspecified blow-out - but his counselor has some creepily predatory ideas about the boy. Then there's Spritz's father - played by Michael Caine, Robert Spritzel is a prize-winning author with whom Spritz has never bonded. Spritz had hopes of being a novelist as well, but could barely craft a workable story, let alone escape his father's shadow. The old man could never pass on his talent, and now he's dying of lymphoma. Spritz has only his job to ennoble and enable him - but even that just exposes him to a larger audience of abuse, with Spritz repeatedly targeted by people with unwanted fast-food. (During the course of the flick, Cage is pelted by total strangers with burritos, coffee, milkshakes and, at one point, falafel.) People hate him, or love to think nasty things of him. Worse - Spritz can't even think coherently lauditory things about those he loves. Asked to give a speech about his father, Spritz starts off comparing him to the Bob Seeger song "Like a Rock" - mercifully, the power shorts out before he can further than that. In short, money aside, Spritz is a man slowly becoming undone.
Watching "Weather Man", you'll probably spend most of your time wondering what kind of movie this is. Spritz's predicament is tragic, yet the story doesn't quite bring you to tears. There are moments which are almost hysterically funny, yet "Weather Man" isn't a comedy either - it doesn't try to make Spritz its punchline. Most of the laughs are of the ironic kind (if you saw "Sideways", think of the runaway-Saab scene, or the angry maitre'd from "Punch Drunk Love".) but they work. The script doesn't try to make too much sense of itself - it's never clear how Spritz and his wife ever had any relationship given how much she hates him, or what brought them to go at each other's throats. (Why Spritz's wife seems eager to replace him with a guy who seems about as worthwhile as Spritz was, is only another of the flick's enigmatic touches.)
Yet "Weather Man" has its own magic for those willing to give it a chance. Nick Cage works some real pathos out of the shallow Spritz, and creates an unforgettable character out of a facile TV personality utterly clueless to the mysteries of the wind. Set in a Chicago seemingly trapped in an endless winter, and the lakes are coated with slabs of ice - the setting mirrors Spritz's soul. Spritz himself is frozen, willing to stick with winter rather than face a new and warm season in which his wife will start a new life without him, and in which his father will be dead. I can't call it a thinking-man's comedy, because you don't have to be an idiot to hate it. Instead, it's that rare dish of comedy that must be served cold.
Nicholas Cage is Dave Spritz, "The Weatherman". Though apparently successful giving the weather for Chicago viewers, his life is a wreck. Everybody seems to hate him - the kindest seem to have no respect for him. Though making over $300 grand a year for a job with few time demands, Spritz leads a painful existence. His virtually ex-wife (Hope Davis) hates him, and is planning to start a new life with a puffy jerk named Russ who seems about as attentive to her needs as Spritz himself; his daughter is blankly detached and overweight - all of Spritz's attempts to bond with her end in disaster. Spritz's son, Mike, is in rehab for some vaguely unspecified blow-out - but his counselor has some creepily predatory ideas about the boy. Then there's Spritz's father - played by Michael Caine, Robert Spritzel is a prize-winning author with whom Spritz has never bonded. Spritz had hopes of being a novelist as well, but could barely craft a workable story, let alone escape his father's shadow. The old man could never pass on his talent, and now he's dying of lymphoma. Spritz has only his job to ennoble and enable him - but even that just exposes him to a larger audience of abuse, with Spritz repeatedly targeted by people with unwanted fast-food. (During the course of the flick, Cage is pelted by total strangers with burritos, coffee, milkshakes and, at one point, falafel.) People hate him, or love to think nasty things of him. Worse - Spritz can't even think coherently lauditory things about those he loves. Asked to give a speech about his father, Spritz starts off comparing him to the Bob Seeger song "Like a Rock" - mercifully, the power shorts out before he can further than that. In short, money aside, Spritz is a man slowly becoming undone.
Watching "Weather Man", you'll probably spend most of your time wondering what kind of movie this is. Spritz's predicament is tragic, yet the story doesn't quite bring you to tears. There are moments which are almost hysterically funny, yet "Weather Man" isn't a comedy either - it doesn't try to make Spritz its punchline. Most of the laughs are of the ironic kind (if you saw "Sideways", think of the runaway-Saab scene, or the angry maitre'd from "Punch Drunk Love".) but they work. The script doesn't try to make too much sense of itself - it's never clear how Spritz and his wife ever had any relationship given how much she hates him, or what brought them to go at each other's throats. (Why Spritz's wife seems eager to replace him with a guy who seems about as worthwhile as Spritz was, is only another of the flick's enigmatic touches.)
Yet "Weather Man" has its own magic for those willing to give it a chance. Nick Cage works some real pathos out of the shallow Spritz, and creates an unforgettable character out of a facile TV personality utterly clueless to the mysteries of the wind. Set in a Chicago seemingly trapped in an endless winter, and the lakes are coated with slabs of ice - the setting mirrors Spritz's soul. Spritz himself is frozen, willing to stick with winter rather than face a new and warm season in which his wife will start a new life without him, and in which his father will be dead. I can't call it a thinking-man's comedy, because you don't have to be an idiot to hate it. Instead, it's that rare dish of comedy that must be served cold.
36 of 49 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nicolas Cage is the Weather Man
Feb 10 2006
By Georgios A. Katsaros
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
This a film that I didn't expect to make me feel anything.When I saw the trailer I thought this was a clear comedy.It's not.Its 80% drama and the rest comedy.
Here we follow David Spritz (Nicolas Cage) and trying reconfigure his life.He try's not to lose control of his life and reconnect with his wife Noreen (Hope Davis) and try to connect and bond with his children and impress his father.Its a touching story of man whose flawed as we are all and that makes mistakes but means well.Its story that really feels real to how sometimes relationships between people go and are.Also the ending of the film ends with a real ending instead of classic Hollywood happy ending.Not that the ending is sad but its realistic.
The film directed by Gore Verbinski.The film shows how diverse and quite talented he is as a directed.He has directed a horror film The Ring,a semi comedy The Mexican,an adventure Pirates Of The Caribbean and now The Weather Man.This film felt more like The Ring.Now you will be asking yourself what in common did this have to The Ring.Well ill tell you its not on the topic of the film.Its not horror element.But the look of the film.Both films are dark and grainy with rainy and cloudy days that create a great atmosphere for the characters.Also the second in common is that turns back to little bit more small budget films then the big extravaganza of Pirates Of The Caribbean.All his films have been successful and loved by critics and audiences so his career for now looks its like going to be on the up and up with Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 coming up for him.
Also the second good part about this film is Nicolas Cage.When you need a great actor to play a weird character with flaws to add depth to it Nicolas is always the right choice.People have been saying its Terrence Howard's year with Hustle and Flow and Crash.But I also think its Nicolas Cage year as well.With Weather Man and Lord Of War he shows us that he is one of the best acting talents in cinema for me.And in my opinion he doesn't get enough credit sometimes.
The DVD will include an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track with a Relative Humidity: The Characters feature, a Trade Winds: The Collaboration feature, an Atmospheric Pressure: The Style feature and a theatrical trailer.From all the extras this film deserves at least a commentary by Gore Verbinski that were not going to get.Probably he is too busy with Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 to do a commentary.
I enjoyed this film.This was one of the nice surprises of the year well worth a look.Nicolas Cage and Gore Verbinkski bring a touching film to the screen that does try to fool us but just tell a sory on how life really is and that we don't get what we want all the time as much as we try and deserve it.
Here we follow David Spritz (Nicolas Cage) and trying reconfigure his life.He try's not to lose control of his life and reconnect with his wife Noreen (Hope Davis) and try to connect and bond with his children and impress his father.Its a touching story of man whose flawed as we are all and that makes mistakes but means well.Its story that really feels real to how sometimes relationships between people go and are.Also the ending of the film ends with a real ending instead of classic Hollywood happy ending.Not that the ending is sad but its realistic.
The film directed by Gore Verbinski.The film shows how diverse and quite talented he is as a directed.He has directed a horror film The Ring,a semi comedy The Mexican,an adventure Pirates Of The Caribbean and now The Weather Man.This film felt more like The Ring.Now you will be asking yourself what in common did this have to The Ring.Well ill tell you its not on the topic of the film.Its not horror element.But the look of the film.Both films are dark and grainy with rainy and cloudy days that create a great atmosphere for the characters.Also the second in common is that turns back to little bit more small budget films then the big extravaganza of Pirates Of The Caribbean.All his films have been successful and loved by critics and audiences so his career for now looks its like going to be on the up and up with Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 coming up for him.
Also the second good part about this film is Nicolas Cage.When you need a great actor to play a weird character with flaws to add depth to it Nicolas is always the right choice.People have been saying its Terrence Howard's year with Hustle and Flow and Crash.But I also think its Nicolas Cage year as well.With Weather Man and Lord Of War he shows us that he is one of the best acting talents in cinema for me.And in my opinion he doesn't get enough credit sometimes.
The DVD will include an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track with a Relative Humidity: The Characters feature, a Trade Winds: The Collaboration feature, an Atmospheric Pressure: The Style feature and a theatrical trailer.From all the extras this film deserves at least a commentary by Gore Verbinski that were not going to get.Probably he is too busy with Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 to do a commentary.
I enjoyed this film.This was one of the nice surprises of the year well worth a look.Nicolas Cage and Gore Verbinkski bring a touching film to the screen that does try to fool us but just tell a sory on how life really is and that we don't get what we want all the time as much as we try and deserve it.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not for everyone... certain films requier a certain audience
Aug 31 2006
By Logical Paradox
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Art is a funny thing. Some art gains universal praise and mainstream acceptance because of its mass appeal. Then you have the sort of art that demands a certain audience in order to be appreciated. The Weahterman is a little like those paintings of the big triangles in that its simply not a movie that is likely to gain a wide following, even among movie fans. It's quirky, odd, very detached, and full of dry humor. The monotonous delivery of this movie will impress some people as being bland and lacking depth; it is not. This is a thoughtfully introspective, character-driven, highly symbolic film. Cage is excellent. The off-beat nature will turn many off, but for those who can appreciate the eccentricity of this movie, the reward will be an entertaining, interesting experience that will only grow on you. You must watch it with an open-mind, you must watch it when in a comtemplative mood, and you must watch it through to the end. There's lots to get from this movie, but the treasure hidden within is going to requier a treasure-hunter of certain character. Frankly, most people wont have the patience, nor the will to extract it. Others will miss the point entirely.
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