:
Nicolas Cage,
Michael Caine,
Hope Davis,
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:
Gore Verbinski
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: 
: Paramount
: Foreign
: 101 min.
: English, French
: English, Spanish
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A man struggles to get a grip on a life that's spinning out of control in this emotional comedy drama. Dave Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is a television weatherman on a high-profile Chicago news program. Professionally, Dave is doing just fine -- he makes great money for a job that demands little effort, and he has a shot at an assignment with a network morning news and chat show. But Dave's personal life leaves a lot to be desired -- his father, respected author Robert Spritz (Michael Caine), is in failing health, he's divorced from his wife, Noreen (Hope Davis), and his relationship with his children is tenuous at best, especially his overweight daughter, Shelly (Gemmenne de la Pena). If Dave is to land his new job, he'll have to move to New York City, and with his time in Chicago running short, he dedicates himself to trying to salvage his ties with his family before it's too late, though he discovers this is even harder than he imagines. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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| Winning Film
by GDarcy
March 26, 2006 - 1:58 PM PST
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| Here is a refreshing, well executed study of a selfish and clueless man stumbling through the wreckage that is his life--refreshing because the film makes no attempt to provide an easy, uplifting denouement (especially for a major studio release). The characters are realistic and wholly believable: Nicholas Cage is terrific and Hope Davis & Michael Caine are superb in their roles of wife and father to the Weather Man. Cage's protagonist immerses the viewer in his engrossing journey to new wisdom and acceptance of his life. This is not the sort of production that will appeal to those that seek a happy, alternative universe in cinema. |
| A Deeply Personal Commercial
by talltale
March 2, 2006 - 7:37 AM PST
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2 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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A "deeply personal" film posing as a McDonald's commercial (no, wait--it's the reverse), THE WEATHER MAN wins "The Point, Please?" award for 2005. Written by Steve Conrad and directed by Gore Verbinski, it says absolutely nothing that we have not heard better, many times before. Mr. Conrad ("Wrestling Ernest Hemingway") likes to state everything instead of letting his themes and ideas flow from and through the story and characters. And Mr. Verbinski simply allows the story to tell itself in one excruciating clunk after another. As to why references/visuals to/for that fast food chain appear regularly--plus the occasional plug for a competitor--well, I guess deeply personal movies still need financing. The amount of product placement here, I should think, must have covered half the budget.
It's difficult to comment on Nicolas Cage's performance, because the character, as presented, is very nearly too stupid to tie his own shoe. How does an actor get around a script this ludicrous? He doesn't. Hope Davis brings her usual intelligence and restrained glamour as the estranged wife, and Michael Caine is properly reserved and caring as grand-dad. The two kids (Nicholas Hoult and Gemmenne de la Pena) seem genuine enough, too.
So, if news that a huge salary increase will not necessarily bring you happiness or that you oughtn't to screw around on you wife and should perhaps listen to her occasionally strikes you as revelatory, then here is the film for you. Or maybe you should see movies more often. Or maybe you are turning 13. Congratulations! |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 5.41)
34 Votes
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