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Back Shelf Beauties
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The Weather Man These days, it seems like the Nicolas Cage Haters outnumber us Nicolas Cage Fans. Sure, he should take the heat for movies like Captain Corelli's Mandolin, but Lord of War, Adaptation and National Treasure were good movies, so I implore you. Please, put aside the hate and enjoy Cage's marvelous performance in The Weather Man. You might be surprised at how one movie can be so funny and depressing all at once. Every morning, the people of Chicago wakeup, turn on their TVs, and have the happy, cheerful David Spritz (Nicolas Cage) tell them about the day's weather. While some like the weather man, and others hate him (welcome to the world of broadcasting), Dave is convinced no one really knows him or understands his truly screwed up life. They don't know how he struggles to win the admiration and respect of his Pulitzer Prize winning father, Robert (Michael Caine). They don't understand the pain he feels over his failed marriage to Noreen (Hope Davis), or the strained relationship he has with his depressed children, Shelly (Gemmenne de la Pena) and Michael (Nicholas Hoult). However, Dave sees an opportunity to right all that is wrong in his life when he is offered an audition for a network morning program, Wake Up America with Bryant Gumbel (yes, played by Bryant Gumbel). Will Dave get the job? Can he reconcile with his ex-wife and reunite the family in NY? Will he feel he has finally won the respect of his father? The Weather Man is not a movie driven by plot, but it's a character study of one very depressed, frustrated and hurting man who feels he has failed at life, so we examine that life as Dave takes us through it all in a challenging, but very well made movie. Director Gore Verbinski gives The Weather Man a very funky, almost morose tone mixing dark humor and drama as we get inside Dave's head - a place full of angst, self-doubt, yearning and sadness. We get a full understanding of how he feels about his life and the challenges he faces, but, in a daring move by writer Steve Conrad and Verbinski, how Dave perceives situations isn't always reality when we get to judge it. Ultimately, Dave is written as a tragic figure, but it's hard to say if we should sympathize with him or not. Conrad shows us Dave's own flaws, shortcomings and failures to be a man, which keeps the audience intrigued and examining as the movie plays out. Cage is fantastic as the slightly off kilter, slightly phony personality struggling to find inner peace. He fully relishes this character and the irony of a man who makes a living in the communications business who cannot communicate his own personal feelings to his father, wife, kids and more. Cage shows the inner desperation Dave (and many public personalities) feels to be loved by everyone he meets, and the pain, as well as embarrassment, of being attacked by those who feel animosity towards him. With the look in his eyes and sadness in his voice Cage shows us how Dave always wants to say the right thing, do the right thing, make the right decision, but, somehow, fails. He's the kind of guy who envisions making the moving, wonderful, memorable speech, but doesn't have it in him. It's an Oscar worthy performance if the movie can get some positive attention and traction in the next month. In addition to Cage, Caine is fabulous with a very ambiguous role. Robert obviously cares about Dave and his family, always has sage advice to dole out, but often belittles his son without realizing it. Caine is the beneficiary of Conrad's best writing, especially the conversations where Robert gives Dave advice. These are the movie's most memorable lines, but The Weather Man also is full of wonderful moments. Verbinski and Conrad fill The Weather Man with many bittersweet funny moments and sequences visually appealing for the humor and pain evident in each one. Of course, many of us have seen bits and pieces of the movie's signature sequence - TV viewers throwing food at Dave to protest a bad weather forecast, but other moments draw us in as well, including an amazing sequence where Dave thinks back to a trip to pick up dinner and the need to remember the tartar sauce, but we listen in to his manic brain and all of the thoughts he has while walking to the restaurant. Cage, Verbinski and the rest of the cast make that meaningless errand seem like a breaking point in Dave's life, which is vividly relived in his mind. Also, Verbinski and Conrad do a wonderful job showing us the relationship Dave has with his son and daughter, especially the daughter, Shelly, who faces many of the same problems Dave has, but seems to have a better self-image than he ever could. Several times throughout the movie, we see Dave trying to create those special moments he thinks a father and daughter should have, with various results ranging from tragic to hilarious to inspiring. Anytime I agree this strongly with Gene Shallit, I get scared. Very scared. Yet, I still want his job some day. 4 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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