The Weather Man Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
In life, accuracy counts.
Dave Spritz is about to take his best shot . . . at life.
... bring an umbrella
Clever and insightful movie on the subject of growing-up in upper middle class America. Dave Spritz, a weatherman without meteorological qualifications in Chicago, is confronted with his own rage that life hasn't proceeded as he had planned. A talented man who finds it difficult to see his own talent because he compares himself with his Pulitzer winning, distant father is at a low ebb. Not to mention that "fans" delight in recognizing him on the street and throwing food at him. The other problems in his life, an angry ex-wife, a daughter bullied at school and a son just leaving rehab don't help. And Spritz would really rather just think about sex. Through finding a hobby, connecting with his dying father and standing by his kids we see the character grow and become a hero.
| Nicolas Cage | David Spritz |
| Michael Caine | Robert Spritzel |
| Hope Davis | Noreen |
| Gemmenne de la Peña | Shelly |
| Nicholas Hoult | Mike |
| Michael Rispoli | Russ |
| Gil Bellows | Don |
| Judith McConnell | Lauren |
| Chris Marrs | DMV Guy |
| Dina Facklis | Andrea |
| DeAnna N.J. Brooks | Clerk |
| Sia A. Moody | Nurse |
| Guy Van Swearingen | Nipper Guy |
| Alejandro Pina | Fast Food Employee |
| Jackson Bubala | Fast Food Child |
| Gore Verbinski |
7.00 out of 10 (16094 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Interesting, poignant at times
posted on 23 Aug 2009'The Weather Man' is a consistently interesting, often rather funny but still bleak and low-key comedy. Some reviewers have said that this feels more like an independent comedy than a major one, and I see there point, as it is slow and deliberate and often has rather humdrum and realistic tone. (The characters in the film never realize that this is a comedy, and there really isn't much reason why they would.) Frankly, I don't think that there are many people out there who are gonna think this is riotously funny, and it is mostly a, well, quiet kind of funny. (Though this makes the sporadic moments were 'The Weather Man' really goes for the laugh, usually in an offensive or shocking way, all the more effective.) And, again, it is very morose as far as comedies are concerned. Still, in the end it is not an overly depressing film and manages to be somewhat life affirming with out leaping to cheap conclusions and easy platitudes.
Nicolas Cage is Dave Spritz, the titular weather man. He's a major figure in Chicago, but he's depressed because he's alienated from his family, thinks that he's a disappointment to his famed Pulitzer prize winning father and just generally feels like something of a phony, being paid so much to do a job so simple, shallow and generally worthless. The film doesn't have much of a plot arc, the two central concerns being his father's fatal illness and Spritz's audition for a spot on 'Hello, America', a national show which he hopes will save his marriage and give some sort of meaning ot his life. This kind of naturalistic shapelessness is pretty par the course for this kind of comedy, but it's perhaps taken a bit further than usual here.
This is a role we've seen a lot of from Cage in recent memory, a depressed, contemplative man a la his roles in 'Adaptation' or 'Lord of War'. Fortunately, this is the kinda role that Cage was born to play, and I feel that he's pretty much with out peer when it comes to this sort of thing. (Let's all pray that he never stars in an action movie again. Who the hell got the idea that Nicolas Cage was an action star, anyway?) He's a bit more contained here, less quirky and more of a regular guy, but he's still a little weird, definitely . He's excellent in the film, as usual, and the entire cast is strong. The film is essentially shown from Dave's perspective, so we never really get to see inside any of the other characters. He's hopelessly distant from his children; they don't seem to dislike him or anything, they just don't have much to talk about. Same thing goes for his marriage, and we really don't know why it fell apart. (This is appropriate enough, as Dave doesn't seem to know why his marriage ended either. It just did.) The most significant role in the film other than Cage's is Michael Caine's turn as his father. He's a little odd as he seems a bit cold and distant initially, but he proves to be a good, honorable man.
'The Weather Man' was directed by Gore Verbinski, and this film does little to clarify just what sort of films he has a particular affinity for, if any. (Previously he's directed 'Mouse Hunt', 'The Mexican', 'The Ring', and 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.) He's already proven he's got great talent for horror and silly summer action-adventure films, and 'The Weather Man' shows that he can handle dark, low-key comedy as well. The film is never shot in a perfunctory manner, with a very deliberate monochrome color palette, lotsa dull grey, green and blue in the cold Chicago winter. The film is generally very elegant looking, with a lot of great use of the impressive Chicago architecture and some frozen landscapes. It's also got a gentle, sorrowful electronic-rock soundtrack. Very effective.
Certainly, this film isn't going to be to everyone's taste. Not everyone may identify particularly well with Dave because he's something of a jerk much of the time, and I doubt too many people are gonna like this movie if they can't like Spritz. (But I liked him.) And it does go long periods of time without any real overt jokes feeding on slight, quirky humor. Still, it is extremely funny at a number of moments, particularly the aftermath of Dave attempt to mend his marriage by attending a couples counseling retreat plus the repeated motif of him being pelted with fast food and his reflections on just why this happens. The film generally moves into more serious realms at the end, but it avoids becoming too sappy and doesn't offer cheap solutions. I think it's believable enough and fairly poignant, allowing Dave to be somewhat more content by the end of the film despite the fact that nothing much has changed. Many will doubtless find the ending anticlimactic, but that's appropriate enough, I think.
Grade: B
Disappointing
posted on 23 Aug 2009The trailer for THE WEATHER MAN makes the film look like a quirky/upbeat dramedy, containing the feel good combination of food throwing and hugs. Let me say, however, that the movie is not that at all. Instead, it is an off-beat saga of divorce, dying, and nauseating sexual references. And, although I am no moralist or employee of the MPAA, one plot line in THE WEATHER MAN is so rank, it makes you want to shut it off. Nonetheless, if you can get over this rankness, you will see a mildly interesting story unfold. Cage's dopey hairdo and laconic demeanor also are enjoyable to watch. Especially when he's taking a slurpee off the face. Gore Verbinski director of that rat movie, THE Mexican, and PIRATES OF THE Caribbean seems to be searching for something deeper in THE WEATHER MAN. I praise him for that. But, I must beg him to leave the desert animal stuff alone. It doesn't belong anywhere. Or maybe just not on my screen.
Not a comedy; a thought provoking piece about a man down on his luck
posted on 17 Aug 2009If you liked Garden State, you will like this movie. They are both basically the same kind of film. It is not a piece designed to entertain, but rather meant to inspire. There is no conventional plot arc, no issues that get resolved, no singular antagonist. It has the kind of story line that you don't usually see in popular film, and people expecting something more a long the lines of Cage's usual roles will be very disappointed.The only part of this movie that would keep me from suggesting it to others is the overuse of foul language. Yes, it establishes his character, but it feels like a cheap way to do so. Remove the constant swearing and the brief nudity and this film could easily have received a PG-13 rating.
Only 3 stars because the film was too slow-moving until near the end
posted on 11 Aug 2009I would definitely recommend this film though. I think that the acting, casting and screenplay were all very good.
I can maybe guess that the film was so slow-moving because the main character was supposed to be depressed? But the main character was intelligent so the slowness wasn't plausible.
Horrible waste of film. Hard to believe it was ever even optioned.
posted on 05 Aug 2009This movie was not your typical Hollywood flop. Usually with a horrible film you walk out and think "I wouldn't recommend that to someone," in this case I walked out thinking "I'm going to tell everyone I know not to waste their money seeing it!" The acting itself is great however the crude script with its very brief moments of humor (all which were revealed in the trailer) lacked any sort of storyline. I find it hard to believe that a director as great as Gore Verbinski would even put his name on a pile of crap like "The Weather Man." I had more enjoyment sitting through "The Spongebob Movie." Ironically Spongebob was the most enjoyable part of "The Weather Man." If you are one who likes dry films that are more about the writers goal of creating a masterpiece then making a film that is enjoyable to sit through, then by all means see this film. However myself and the 20 or so people around me in the theater would gladly tell you that isn't our idea of a good film. I was hard pressed to find one person that had seen the film that had any redeeming comment. Depressing and pathetic.
Forecast: you'll like this movie.
posted on 03 Aug 2009Nicolas Cage has chosen so many risky characters of late to play. From a gunrunner in Lord of War, to a NYC firefighter in the upcoming movie World Trade Center - his roles have been quite varied. The quirky comedy/drama THE WEATHER MAN is directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Ring), and stars Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine and Hope Davis (Proof, American Splendor, About Schmidt). Nicolas Cage plays David Spritz, a Chicago weather man in the middle of an existential crisis. His father, Robert King Spritzel (Caine), is a famous Pulitzer prize winning author, whose accomplishments are overwhelming for David to live up to. Robert has been diagnosed with Lymphoma. David changed his name to Spritz for professional reasons, because it's more "refreshing." He seeks validation from his father, while trying to connect to his son and daughter, even his estranged ex-wife Noreen (Davis). David's teenage son Mike is in drug rehab, and is seeking acceptance. Mike's drug counselor crosses the line preying on his vulnerability. Meanwhile, his younger, overweight daughter Shelly, is smoking cigarettes on the sly and trying out different hobbies with her dad's involvement. These include archery and ice skating. The moral of this movie is that life, similar to the weather, is unpredictable and will variate and surprise you. David finds this frustrating in the predictions of the weather, done by qualified meteorologists, that he reads off to the public on TV. Spritz's forecasting often gets him pelted with Frosties, Big Gulps, KFC chicken and a taco among other fast food items. Those forecasts are affected by the random unpredictability of wind direction and change. My forecast says that it will be partly cloudy some days, and partly sunny on others. You will like this movie, because it's full of many great moments. Caine and Cage's performances are fantastic, with wonderful chemistry as father and son. You will laugh, think, feel, and examine your place in this "fast food culture" we all live in. Rated R.
suck suck suck
posted on 30 Jul 2009This was a complete LOAD OF CRAP...I'm sorry, that's too critical...if you want to hear a lot of people use the f word and treat each other like garbage...this is your movie.From the beginning until the end there were NO likable characters.Nick Cage - waste of space clownDaughter - overweight smoking 12 year old Mother - contentious hagFather - he seemed like the most likable character until he had to describe what camel toe was...COME ON MICHAEL - you are better than that!!!It's like a dumbed-down old people version of Punch Drunk Love...only more pointless.
Dark drama, but refreshing film
posted on 30 Jul 2009"The Weather Man" is not quite the comedy one would expect it to be. In fact the movie is quite blunt and depressing. Regardless in the end this film is brilliant and is not afraid to deliver a movie that does not follow the typical happy Hollywood story.David Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is the Chicago weather man who is trying to turn his life into the perfect dream that he has for it. Unfortunately the more he tries to make things better the worse they become. He also has the comedic problem of getting fast food items randomly thrown at him.His wife (Hope Davis) has divorced him and is dating another man, his daughter is becoming over weight thus being teased at school, his son uses drugs, and his father (Michael Caine) is recently diagnosed with a terminal illness. See what I mean by depressing.David then comes up with a slightly flawed plan to try and resolve these problems and bring his family back together. This entails them all moving to New York where he will become a weather man on a national morning news program and things will magically work themselves out. As hard as David tries to make this happen we know that it will never happen. The reason for this is David is an extremely flawed character. He is lazy, vulgar, and mostly immature. Also he does not even know who he is as a person, so how is he able to repair his family if he cannot repair himself. He also feels as if he has to live up to the high expectations of his father who is highly respected and award winning author. From here David attempts to find out who he is with the help of his dying father and his recently acquired hobby of archery. Both of these aids in his journey of self discovery as he tries to put his life back together. The director Gore Verbinski strays from the genre of his previous works including "The Ring" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" and its sequels to do a simplistic drama. He does a masterful job in showing the story of this conflicted man. Although he can be quite despicable at times the viewer still cares for him."The Weather Man" is also a very blunt movie. It always attempts to resemble reality throughout the script. This includes plenty of cussing and sexual dialogue. The language might deter some from the film, but ultimately gives it a gritty feeling that seems true to real life conversations. . The film also purposefully strays from the perfect and sappy resolutions popular in most movies because things in life rarely happen that way. The film was recently released on DVD. The special features include a theatrical trailer and five features about different aspects of the film such as the script, the style, and the characters. These features are very well done and intriguing to watch. Many of them provide insightful views about the themes and characters in the film. "The Weather Man" may not appeal to all viewers because of its gloomy nature, but the film delivers a great story that does have some humor and poignant moments.
spare, stark and humanistic
posted on 26 Jul 2009The Weather Man reminded me a lot of Sideways. It is the tale of an ordinary guy in a less-than-great job trying unsuccessfully to handle the break-up of his marriage while dealing with "other s#*t." In both films, the protagonists are failed novelists. The themes are easy to relate to (well, if you're me). Why aren't I doing better than I am? How can I make my Dad proud of me? What happens when he is gone? Why am I in middle-age and small stuff still gets to me? I see from other posts that this was marketed as a comedy. In Japan, the marketing often bypasses me, but if they are selling this as comedy they are doing the filmmakers a disservice. It is certainly funny - the tartar sauce episode will have men everywhere cringing. But it is so much more than that, containing a humanism and compassion for the little guy that is touching and welcome. But having said that, this is painful to watch at times. Nicholas Cage continues to surprise with his range - I think this is his best performance bar Adapted. Michael Caine is solid, though his American accent shows the Americans are still doing Brit accents better than we are doing theirs (Ewan McGregor, take note). A gem of a film.
This is not a movie for a Dumas
posted on 24 Jul 2009Nicolas Cage is as you all know, an underestimated actor in general. We often think of him as boring and straightforward in his order of appearances. But I think not. Take movies such as "snakeeyes or the one where he bench presses a pretty woman (Junior),, he performers excellent.In this movie I'd say he's great once again. His personality is actually quite intriguing in this movie, but at the same kind of funny.The plot I guess you can read in other commentary's,, so I'll leave it there.. Whats different with this movie is that Michael Caine actually is not boring, he always plays a boring part in most movies,, but not in this one...Se ya..
The Weather Man crew-Tone assistant Microphone
posted on 16 Jul 2009Hey Nick,i like your films, really,but: is it really necessary to show the Microphone at the upper side of the screen? more than 15 times? i think it is not very professionally to show such not good handwork my English is not very well, so i can not translate my whole critics to this bad work of your film crew, what i wrote to my German cinema; ask you: do you really knew, that those amateurs show they film making mistakes in a such f* way? OK, there must been more than ten lines of comment; here we go: it is only rock'n'roll, but i like it, yeah, i like it like it like it. but if your f* producer is able to think, here in good old Germany is ingo sitting in his cinema and allows those gangs of bandits to deliver bulls*t tecnical hand work, oh, nicolas, they are not thinking in the right way, i think. if they f* in this way they make the movie "the Weather Man", specially the showing of the f* microphone, they never get parents. really, never. amateurs.greets from Germany in go
The Weather Man Can
posted on 14 Jul 2009The Weather Man is a vastly underrated film. It's refreshing to see Nicholas Cage in the element that he excels best in - serious drama, and with a different hairdo at last. Armed with a terrific script that goes against the Hollywood grain, this is undoubtedly of Cage's finest performances ever, and one that should have put him up for an award.
Cage is David Spritz - the lost Weatherman who has to endure a downturn in life and face his biggest enemy: Himself. What drives the movie is a powerful script, strong direction, divine cinematography and great acting from all. Michael Caine is solid as Spritz's strong father, and Hope Davis as the estranged wife mans the dysfunctional family. Gemmenne de la Peña plays Shelly, the daughter that Spritz must learn to love.
The Weather Man is gripping stuff and not for casual viewers expecting a light film. Director Gore Verbinski does a great job in making a film about one man's disillusionment quirky yet real. He does a far better job with this than the abysmal Pirates of the Caribbean sequels.
Warning: most people who don't get the movie probably figure that Nicholas Cage is going to do an action movie turn with the cover. Appreciate him in this different turn.
Boring and slow
posted on 12 Jul 2009In the advertising this movie was presented as a comedy, there were very few comedic moments. It was a dark and sad vision of a man who has totally screwed up his life. In a futile effort to turn things around he only makes things worse. They make such a big deal out of the fact that weathermen cannot predict the weather, saying "it's just wind" that it made me wonder why he didn't just quit and do something else. The only funny parts to this movie were when someone would throw food on him and they showed all of those times in the commercials. The only reason I even finished watching this movie is that there was nothing else on TV.
Desperately Seeking Sunshine
posted on 10 Jul 2009"The Weather Man" is mostly cloudy, with patchy insights. Sudden bolts of tastelessness and profanity cause a rapid drop in overall outlook, creating a dismal forecast. And viewing the DVD extras is like asking the Chief Meteorologist to confirm why this is so: the writers/directors/producers involved in "The Weather Man" are all full of themselves, and not nearly as clever as they like to believe. Still, I've seen worse (haven't we all; *sigh*). As disasters go, at least this one isn't on the order of the magnitude of a "Katrina" or suchlike. But viewers looking for a breath of fresh air won't find it here.
A lot of bad language in a bad film
posted on 10 Jul 2009If the words "shit" and "fuck" were removed from the dialogue the movie would be a silent one. How many times does one need to hear these words in a movie - a hundred? a thousand? This is a sad and disappointing movie. Michael Caine's pseudo-accent was the worst since Dick Van Dyck in "Mary Poppins" and his role was utterly pointless. Nicholas Cage did not know whether he was acting in a comedy or a tragedy. The marriage seems to have broken up for little reason and the wife seemed to be happily involved with someone else awfully soon. The children are completely unconnected with their parents. Is this what is happening in affluent neighbourhoods in America today? If so, there is a huge tragedy unfolding before our very eyes.
Watchable but unimaginative writing with unappealing characters
posted on 02 Jul 2009Why does Michael Caine keep popping up in small ungrateful roles as an American grandpa, unsuccessfully forging an American accent. Didn't he do the same thing in AROUND THE BEND (2004)? He's a great actor, I think he can afford it to pick his roles more carefully.Nicolas Cage is David Spritz, "The Weatherman", from a local Chicago television station. He is a celebrity, he gets a big paycheck and he makes a chance of getting a job at a national TV-station in New York. Too bad his private life is a miserable failure. He's divorced, he has estranged himself from his children and his father (Caine) looks down on him. So (yawn), he tries to straighten his life and learns that taking a piece of the American Way or something, is the way to go after all, which is taking the job in New York and go for the money.Admittedly, I've had a bit of an overdose of Nicolas Cage recently, he's everywhere. I reached a point where I cannot make a distinction anymore between his roles. Whether he plays a family man (in FAMILY MAN), an Ukranian arms dealer (in LORD OF WAR), or a con-man (in MATCHSTCK MEN), they all seem the same to me now. For some reason, there is a strange recent trend to shoot almost all Hollywood-movies in the same icy-cold blue lighting, which doesn't give this film any distinction in this department either.The film definitely isn't the comedy it appears to be. Perhaps this was the maker's original intention, but the result is a dark, a very dark film. It definitely has it's moments with some of the most embarrassing scenes I've seen in a long time. David Spritz sometimes makes such a complete ass out of himself, I found it extremely painful to watch at times. Sadly, as mentioned, the other characters are flat and unappealing, most painful for Michael Caine who plays an especially unappealing character. The young Nicholas Hoult as David Spritz his son is a standout with a small but great part. Watch out for him, next teen idol and hopefully in acting, a harbor of things to come.It was watchable, but maddeningly uneven. For a film with a "message", we've heard it all before, in better films.Camera Obscura --- 5/10
Comedy in a Midlife Crisis? I don't get it.
posted on 02 Jul 2009This is a movie which I was expecting a lot of. I shouldn't have. It was a disappointment and a waste of an afternoon before work. Described as a really funny film I thought it'd be nice to go see it before a ten hour shift. If you think this is funny then your sense of humour is very different to that of mine.This isn't really a comedy but more a movie about a guy in a midlife crisis involving divorce, a daughter who is getting called names, a son who is wanted by his paedophile psychiatrist and his dying father. If you can see a lot of comedy in that then again, much different to what I could.I spoke to a friend who had also seen it and we both agreed. Cage is a brilliant actor and does well in this film also but it is a shocking film and one that you will struggle to keep your eyes open in.
Not much drama, not too funny either - not the best Cage movie
posted on 28 Jun 2009I watched this and I was disappointed. I expected something more from a movie starring Nicolas Cage (weather man). This movie doesn't have much comedy in it (like The Family Man does), neither is it a good drama (like Bringing Out the Dead, City of Angels, Snake Eyes, Leaving Las Vegas). Nicolas Cage is probably still performing well, but unsophisticated plot (or lack of it) doesn't leave him many chances to affect the viewer, meaning it does not put him in any kind of situations that would make you really laugh or really feel for his character. I guess if not the R rating, this would be a family movie. Apart from that I have enjoyed exceptional work of Michael Caine who plays the weather man's father.
movie was lost between product placements
posted on 28 Jun 2009I just rented the movie and feel used.OK, So maybe people throw things at the weather man. And maybe he'll briefly comment on "throw away" culture. But enough with the product placements! It is irrelevant to the story AND irrelevant to the "statment" being made exactly which fast food emporium the thrown items come from. It ends up as product placement after product placement after product placement. And, as a result, any possibility of insight and message is lost because the "artists" have sold their credibility to the highest bidders. I don't believe I paid money to rent this movie only to be advertised to.
A complex movie
posted on 25 Aug 2009The cinematography in this movie is exceptional, including the composition of the shots. Many of the angles are unusual -- in a good way. And it shows off Chicago beautifully.Nicolas Cage spends much of the movie with a dour look on his face and he's not a barrel of laughs here, but the movie does have its humorous moments, mostly at his expense. (The scene with his ex-wife, the excellent Hope Davis, shouting at him outside her front door about midway through the movie is touchingly hilarious.) He can't seem to do anything right at first and I did empathize with him but also initially felt a sense of "Loser!" about him. Fortunately, not for the whole movie.It's Cage's story, about a man who hopes to put his troubled family back together while dealing with his own and family members' various issues and going for a job in New York. Bryant Gumbel's cameo adds to the credibility of the premise.The actors bring the script alive and help to overcome some of its weaker moments. It's definitely a complex movie focusing on complex issues involving complex people. His kids aren't perfect and they're not fakely smart-alecky either. His father, played with just the right combination of love and disappointment by Michael Caine, isn't all bad or all good. His ex-wife isn't overly hostile or overly unsympathetic. How refreshing, all of that! I doubt that the critics will like this movie much -- already some of the buzz in the crowd at the NY premier (which I was able to attend, albeit in the nosebleed seats, thanks to my movie class leader) was negative. It's just not a typical Hollywood fairy tale -- it's more about real life. But at least they tackled it sincerely and I think it turned out well.