In the new "indie-sort-of" comedy/drama, Nicholas Cage plays Dave Spritz, a seemingly happy and well-off Chicago weatherman, when off the camera that couldn't be farther from the truth. Dave is currently separated from his demanding wife Noreen (Hope Davis - American Splendor) and his two kids Shelly (Gemmenne de la Pena - Erin Brockovich), a nine-year old over-weight girl who doesn't fit in, smokes and is teased for her "revealing" clothing, and Mike (Nicholas Hoult - who you may remember opposite of Hugh Grant in 2002's 'About a Boy'), a struggling and confused 15 year old straight out of drug rehab. Dave is trying to be a good father, but it isn't easy, especially since his wife is getting awfully close to her new boyfriend Russ (Michael Rispoli - Jackie Aprile from 'The Sopranos). On top of everything else Dave's Pulitizer Prize winning novelist of a father Robert (the fabulous Michael Caine) who Dave has always lived int he shadow of, is going to die in the next three months of lymphoma. Dave seizes the opportunity not to win his wife back, but to do his best to make them happy. In this often darkly hilarious yet sort of depressing when you really think about it kind of motion picture, there are a lot of things I liked and enjoyed, that the average movie goer wouldn't. The Weather Man is a very off-beat movie that doesn't follow the regular formula for these kinds of movies at all. I found it refreshing, others will find it simply frustrating.
Nicolas Cage delivers another powerful and attention demanding performance as the down-on-his-luck self-described loser that is Dave Spritz. But even better than Cage is Michael Caine who in his limited screen time still managed to amaze and move me. Hope Davis and the rest of the cast is solid for the most part. I was impressed with Nicholas Hault, a British actor, who delivers not only an outstanding American accent but he nails the American gestures,etc. Steve Conrad provides a funny and delightfully dark screenplay that drags a bit but manages to maintain a healthy balance of dark humor and dramatic material. Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Ring) does a good but sort of unnoticeable job directing this little flick.
If you are a main-stream cinema kind of guy scratch The Weather Man off your list of movies to see. However, I recommend you go see it if you like good acting and are interested in a slightly different view on "family issues" that may be offensive to many people (there's a lot of strong language and sex-related dialogue lacing the film so don't say I didn't warn some of you more conservative types -- that's not an anti-Republican statement. I mean't conservative like more uptight, I didn't mean it to have anything to do with politics.) Anyway, I really enjoyed the film. I loved the writing and acting especially from Caine and Cage. It isn't perfect and it has it's many flaws (pacing problems, some of the ends don't get tied up or get tied of sloppy). 'The Weather Man' won't win any Oscars, but take it for what it is -- a very good movie, not a great or outstanding but, but just a very well done motion picture. I give it thumbs up. Grade: B (screened at AMC Deer Valley 30, Phoenix, Arizona, 10/28/05)
my ratings guide - A+ (absolutley flawless); A (a masterpiece, near-perfect); A- (excellent); B+ (great); B (very good); B- (good); C+ (a mixed bag); C (average); C- (disappointing); D+ (bad); D (very bad); D- (absolutley horrendous); F (not one redeeming quality in this hunk of Hollywood feces).
Nicolas Cage delivers another powerful and attention demanding performance as the down-on-his-luck self-described loser that is Dave Spritz. But even better than Cage is Michael Caine who in his limited screen time still managed to amaze and move me. Hope Davis and the rest of the cast is solid for the most part. I was impressed with Nicholas Hault, a British actor, who delivers not only an outstanding American accent but he nails the American gestures,etc. Steve Conrad provides a funny and delightfully dark screenplay that drags a bit but manages to maintain a healthy balance of dark humor and dramatic material. Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Ring) does a good but sort of unnoticeable job directing this little flick.
If you are a main-stream cinema kind of guy scratch The Weather Man off your list of movies to see. However, I recommend you go see it if you like good acting and are interested in a slightly different view on "family issues" that may be offensive to many people (there's a lot of strong language and sex-related dialogue lacing the film so don't say I didn't warn some of you more conservative types -- that's not an anti-Republican statement. I mean't conservative like more uptight, I didn't mean it to have anything to do with politics.) Anyway, I really enjoyed the film. I loved the writing and acting especially from Caine and Cage. It isn't perfect and it has it's many flaws (pacing problems, some of the ends don't get tied up or get tied of sloppy). 'The Weather Man' won't win any Oscars, but take it for what it is -- a very good movie, not a great or outstanding but, but just a very well done motion picture. I give it thumbs up. Grade: B (screened at AMC Deer Valley 30, Phoenix, Arizona, 10/28/05)
my ratings guide - A+ (absolutley flawless); A (a masterpiece, near-perfect); A- (excellent); B+ (great); B (very good); B- (good); C+ (a mixed bag); C (average); C- (disappointing); D+ (bad); D (very bad); D- (absolutley horrendous); F (not one redeeming quality in this hunk of Hollywood feces).