The Weather Man
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Written by: Steve Conrad
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis

The Weather Man is a breath of fresh air among this year’s flurry of horribly stale and predictable theatrical releases. This is a funny and touching movie about a guy who isn’t perfect. In fact, he’s really far from perfect. His name is David Spritz and he is a weather man for a Chicago TV station. His marriage has disintegrated as a result of his own selfishness and he is still struggling to be a good father. His son is in counselling for drug abuse, and his daughter gets teased at school. His father is dianosed with lymphoma and if that wasn’t enough, sometimes strangers throw fast food at him on the street.

Writer Steve Conrad is a new face among Hollywood screenwriters, but I have a feeling we’re going to be hearing a lot more from him in the future. This is a multi-layered and quirky story about the modern man and some of the various problems he may face throughout his life. In a way, it reminds me of American Beauty in the way that it attempts to examine many facets of people’s lives and extract meaning by peppering plenty of dark humour throughout. While it probably won’t win any Oscars, it’s exactly the kind of movie that we haven’t been seeing enough of lately. Certainly, it is a little unexpected to see Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean) as the director here, but he proves that he can handle smaller, character-driven films just as well as big blockbusters.

One minor complaint I’d like to file right off the bat is that the trailers for this movie kind of spoiled some of the best moments for me. Which isn’t to say that they weren’t amusing the second time around, but I did feel a little disappointed because I knew they were coming ahead of time. On the other hand, I think this was probably a difficult movie to market and its unique sense of humour definitely needed to be advertised in some way.

Either way I am happy to report that the dry humour in the movie is plentiful and definitely one of the highlights. Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine are both great in their deadpan deliveries, and Cage’s narration especially sets the tone for the film. The thing is, it’s not necessarily laugh out loud hilarious. I had been expecting to laugh a bit more, but about halfway through I realized that The Weather Man isn’t really a comedy at all. And that’s when I started to really get drawn into the character of David Spritz and his numerous dilemmas.

Even though there are some ridiculous situations presented in the movie, there is a human element to it and some real emotions at work. The most impressive thing is that The Weather Man never falls into the trap of over-sentimentality. At every moment where you think it’s going to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, the movie suddenly throws you a vicious curve ball.

The excellent soundtrack keeps the tone of the film both upbeat and contemplative, while the cinematography is visually brilliant. In many ways The Weather Man has all the calling cards of an indie film, and yet it has a lot of big name players too. You know, if Nick Cage keeps making movies like this I think I could really get to like him.

I am guessing that not everyone will find this movie as poignant as it tries to be, but it’s hard to argue the fact that its funny, smart and thought-provoking. The Weather Man is as unique as I was hoping it would be, and despite being a little slow-moving, it’s definitely one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Take a chance on The Weather Man and leave your umbrella at home. — Sean

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