Fearless Writer ... Reviews

Stars: Nicholas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis
Director: Gore Verbinski

He might be well paid and have minor fame, but Dave Spritz (Nicholas Cage) is dissatisfied with his life. He and his wife Noreen (Hope Davis) are going through a trial separation and their children are troubled – his son Mike (Nicholas Hoult) is seeing a counsellor after being busted smoking pot and his daughter is overweight and apparently depressed. Dave is the weather man on a local morning news program, but even that brings him grief – it seems silly and insignificant compared to the career of his Pulitzer-prize winning father Robert (Michael Caine) and for some reason Dave’s job incites members of the public to throw food at him from passing cars.

Things fall further apart when Robert is diagnosed with incurable lymphoma and Noreen announces that she is marrying the chump she has been seeing, Russ (Michael Rispoli). The only silver lining in Dave’s life is a potential job with Hello America, a national news program starring Bryant Gumbel, but even that is tainted – situated in New York, he would have to move away from his family. Labouring under a fog of depression, Dave will need to reshape his attitude to life is he is to emerge out the other side and move on.

The first foray into drama for director Gore Verbinksi, The Weather Man often plays like a black comedy thanks to Dave’s wry and frequently hilarious narration on the turmoil in his life. That, however, does not detract from the impact of the film, instead giving it a unique appeal amid shelves full of self-important melodramas.

Nic Cage is perfectly cast as Dave, believable both as a bubbly TV celebrity and an everyday chump who is forever seeking his father’s approval and trying too hard to live the life he thinks he should be living. The Weather Man’s central theme – clearly articulated but not spelled out for the mentally handicapped – is that “this shit life” is as changeable as the weather and trying to alter or predict it is a waste of time. Dave must accept who he is and the talents he has before he can move on.

Alternating with agility between poignant moments and an amusing use of profanity, The Weather Man’s weakest point is probably Michael Caine’s dithering American accent. And when that’s a movie’s biggest failing, it’s in pretty decent shape.

VERDICT: 4/5 stars