This film will crystallize the stresses of modern life for many of its viewers.
Nicholas Cage plays Dave Spritz, a local TV weather man, whose life is almost dysfunctional on every level. Although he is handsomely paid, his job holds no satisfaction; he is separated from his wife and children; and his father (masterfully played by Michael Caine) has a crisis of his own.
Spritz seems to stumble through life with every one of his problems becoming too much to deal with, and indeed his pathetic attempts to address issues seem to make circumstances even worse. His desire to assist his children to have happy and fulfilling lives causes them all sorts of angst, and his attempts to reconcile with his wife are abject failures.
In the midst of these problems, which by now have snowballed into one massive dilemma, he receives a job offer which would take him to a national network with a much higher salary. He is tempted to take his family to New York and start afresh.
If you watch this movie wanting a schmaltzy feel-good ending, you'll wish you had taken out Mary Poppins. But if you want to take a look at the harried middle classes who seemingly have every material wealth but not much love or satisfaction in their lives, this could be for you.
Cage does a passable job as the hassled and inept protagonist David Spritz, but the movie takes a long time to get where it is going.
Nicholas Cage plays Dave Spritz, a local TV weather man, whose life is almost dysfunctional on every level. Although he is handsomely paid, his job holds no satisfaction; he is separated from his wife and children; and his father (masterfully played by Michael Caine) has a crisis of his own.
Spritz seems to stumble through life with every one of his problems becoming too much to deal with, and indeed his pathetic attempts to address issues seem to make circumstances even worse. His desire to assist his children to have happy and fulfilling lives causes them all sorts of angst, and his attempts to reconcile with his wife are abject failures.
In the midst of these problems, which by now have snowballed into one massive dilemma, he receives a job offer which would take him to a national network with a much higher salary. He is tempted to take his family to New York and start afresh.
If you watch this movie wanting a schmaltzy feel-good ending, you'll wish you had taken out Mary Poppins. But if you want to take a look at the harried middle classes who seemingly have every material wealth but not much love or satisfaction in their lives, this could be for you.
Cage does a passable job as the hassled and inept protagonist David Spritz, but the movie takes a long time to get where it is going.