Sorry for the late response, haven't been online lately...

From the trailer I thought this was a comedy, but it is more a drama with comedic elements. Basically it is about a man (Cage) finding inner peace with himself. Being the son of a Pulitzer-winning author (Caine), Cage struggles with finding his place in the world. He has a highly-paid job as a weather man, but didn't study meteorology, so he feels like being a cheater. His marriage is in shards, his son is in a drug-program and his twelve year old daughter is overweight and already started smoking. So basically he feels like he is a loser both as a weather man and as a family man. When his father is diagnosed with a deadly disease and has only few months to live, he tries to concentrate of winning his ultimate blessing.
This is more or less the story of the movie, which unfortunately fails on too many levels. They try to make Cage a loveable asshole, but unfortunately there's not much to love in him. On the other hand Caine delivers another magnificent performance and his final scene with Cage is a blessing for this movie. Unfortunately Gore Verbinski struggles to tell his story. He uses a lot of voice-over which is IMO not the way to do a movie. To me, either you can tell the audience what you want to deliver with dialogue, gestures and facial expressions or you leave it. Here we have minutes in which Cage only looks at photos and a voice-over tries to deliver his thoughts, which is just bad story-telling. But the writer has to be blamed equally. The script treis to deliver its message to the viewer with a sledge-hammer. The message being "If you hate yourself, others will hate you as well" is illustrated by two things: People throwing stuff at the Weather Man and him starting to do archery for no particular reason at all. When he finds inner peace with himself and learns to like him how he is, no one throws stuff at him anymore. And the only reason for his archery is that the way to himself can be illustrated. At the beginning he misses the targets completely, then he slowly works his way to the middle and when he has found his balance: bull's eye. Plain bad! It has an interesting cast, but the concept of the movie is so bad, that even a great Caine can't rescue it. 6/10

Wow! I just heard they pushed this one back til autumn... They said the movies was so well received that critics suggested them to delay the movie in order to up its chances for the Oscars. I wonder a) if true, which movie those people saw or b) if this is just a scheme by them after they have been made aware that the movie doesn't live up to its potential

it's Gore Verbinski movie the director of The Ring, and The Pirates Of The Carribean, so i'll be seeing it. and i liked the trailer. i thought it was a comedy as well. but unfortunately is a drama. well still i'll be waiting for the movie. :wink:

http://www.worldofkj.com/reviews/Arsalan/Weatherman.php

A

I liked it. Where else are you gonna see a such a grimly funny tale of reality these days? The Weather Man is a nicely told story of a regular guy's ordinary loss of touch with his surroundings, family, world - and then his semi-refinding of himself - leading to an ambivalent conclusion. What more could you ask for, other than the fact that Nicholas Cage is the best guy to carry this film, Michael Caine's touching delivery of pessimistic advice, and of course, archery as a central theme. It's unique.

How artificial is your existence?

4 out of 5.

Weatherman was a short movie that was half an hour too long. I was really enjoying it up until the part where it lost comedic focus. I like drama, but not the way this movie handled it- I can't put my finger on it yet. Perhaps it was Cage's performance, which I found to be pretty bland and hard to relate to. It's still a very funny, moving picture and Caine is great as usual. Worth the admission. B

Probably the most overlooked film so far. Extremely well made and acted film. Cage and Caine are terrific.

Maybe if another viewing holds up, I'll give it an A, but for now an A-.

as myself and most others have enjoyed it, I wonder if they did much recuts / re-edits on this movie.

*****************

still don't understand why this movie was marketed as it was, mainly playing up the food being thrown at him and his archery.

thought they could have gone alittle different and played on other things.

*****************

on the movie, a few quick comments.

- crazy how he thought about getting back with his ex-wife considering her involvement with the other guy.

- liked that seen with the gloves.

- liked the couple of scenes which focused around the $1 in his wallet.

- liked the scene about the tarter sauce and the girls ass.

- liked Michael Caine and others.

- and finally that was a pretty wierd scene with the bow and arrow at the funeral > pointing it at the other guy.

and those cameltoe shots.

didnt much like it

Considering the film climate of 2005, THE WEATHER MAN's a near miracle. Who would've thought a studio would finance a film which dares to feature symbolism and refuses to offer a neat, all-loose-ends-tied ending, not to mention following a depressed, uncharismatic, and stumbling main character? But, here it is, a film released by Paramount Pictures, starring such name actors as Nicolas Cage (LORD OF WAR), Michael Caine (BATMAN BEGINS), and Hope Davis (PROOF), which is all of the above. It's a masterpiece, too.

David Spritz (Cage) is a popular Chicago weatherman. Morning after morning Chicago citizens tune in to see his spirited readings of the weather. He's reached the height of success in his own town and is now being groomed by a "Good Morning America"-esque show hosted by Bryant Gumbel (in a camero appearance) to be their new lead weatherman. But behind his reassuring, all-smiles persona before the camera lies the soul of a man who feels lost in the shuffle of his own life.

David's father is Robert Spritzel (Caine), a celebrated author who President Carter called "a national treasure." In David's eyes, he's a complete failure when compared to his father. Robert's a bestselling author who's mastered his craft, David's an overpaid reader of prompts written by actual meteorologists. Robert impresses all those who meet him with his suave charm and overwhelming intelligence, David seems to mess up each situation he sets foot in. And, since he's a famous weatherman, people tend to throw fast food at David after bad forecasts. No one throws McNuggets or soft tacos at literature legend Robert. Even David's choice to shorten his last name from Spritzel to Spritz (since he's in the weather business) sets him up as the punchline to the question: Who is the one person genius talent Robert Spritzel knows who is a loser?

David's desperate for his father's respect, but seems incapable of receiving it. When he receives a letter from the national morning show requestion an audition, he leaves it on the passenger's seat of his car, hoping Robert will see it and congratulate his son on the important moment in his career. Robert sits on it. Before entering a doctor's office, Robert sends David to purchase a newspaper for him to read on the ride home. Through a series of small misadventures, David ends up with a small coffee, not a paper, and a disappointed father. Even when Robert's diagnosed with a terminal disease, sending David into overdrive to impress him, the weatherman just can't seem to complete the missions he sets for himself. Robert wishes David would reconnect with his estranged ex-wife Noreen (Davis), but David can't seem to stop fighting with her. And even at his father's living funeral (a dedication to a dying person before the actual passing) David ends up saying his father reminds him of a popular song's lyrics before his speech is cut-off. This forms the basis of THE WEATHER MAN: the main character's mission to find common ground with his smarter, more successful father while learning to not hate himself as well.

This film's a change of pace for rising director Gore Verbinski (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN). Ignoring the disappointing Julia Roberts/Brad Pitt thriller THE MEXICAN, Verbinski's known as a talented showman, a director who prefers fanciful visuals and elaborate special effects to complex characters and long shots of his actors conversing. THE WEATHER MAN, though, represents Verbinski's first calm, level-headed release, as the director often just sets up the shot and lets Cage, Caine, and Davis roll. With actors of this caliber, compelling emotions flow from the performances not the speed of the editing or fanciness of the effects. It's still a gorgeous film, though, and I don't mean to criticize the award-deserving accomplishments of cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (IDENTITY), who shoots winter Chicago so well you'll feel the urge to wipe snow off your own shirt, I'm just saying the style compliments the narrative rather than defining it.

The performances are fantastic, with Cage's turn as the depressed weatherman becoming my favorite performance (male or female) of the year. From his sad voice to his passive aggressive demeanor to his reluctant movements, movie star Cage disappears into schlub David Spritz. Cage is a master at filling offbeat roles in such a distinct way you can't imagine anyone else as the character and he does it again here. Caine and Davis provide unblemished support, but this is Cage's show and he carries it across the field, through the ribbon, and into the winner's circle. As for level-headed newsman Gumbel's cameo appearance, it's a nice comedic moment and a perfect cameo, as his face is hidden, he's on screen for less than a second, and he plays against type. Of course, the actors are all aided by Steven Conrad's (WRESTLING ERNEST HEMINGWAY) script, which is filled to the brim with wit, pointed humor, and moving dramatics.

THE WEATHER MAN's a great film in all respects. From the overall themes down to Hans Zimmer's (SPANGLISH) strange, but perfect score it's a winning slice of perfection which wowed me and, I hope, will find an audience either during this crowded fall/winter box office season or on DVD/VHS. Recommended and the best film of 2005.

A+ --- 2005's best film!

I really didn't like the movie, for the most part. It's a real mixed bag. Sure, the storyline is good, and it's interesting to see something that feels real. But, there's a lot that bothered me. I didn't like:

-How the movie just ties up. Well, he's the Weatherman. That's who he is.... .... So? Didn't we know that? Now he just realizes that's who he is to the world? He hated himself, people hated him. He likes himself now, so everyone else likes him? Huh?

-The dialogue is HORRIBLE. I don't know if it's the script, or how it's delivered, but it sounds awful. If someone told me that robots were saying the lines, I'd believe them. It seems like they were going for "well, this is how people REALLY talk", but if I wanted that, I'd park my ass on a bench inside a mall for 90 minutes, and listen to people as they walk by. One example is a viewer watching Nicholas Cage doing the weather. This is how it sounds: "What kind of name is Spritz? It sounds fake. Like a TV name. It sounds like a name on TV. I don't like that guy. He's an asshole. I don't like his face. He has an asshole face." WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? Stupid.

-There's only so many times I can see Nicholas Cage act depressed. We get it, you look and act like a real person. Woohoo.

It just feels so ridiculous. Grade: C-

That was the whole point of the dialogue and I loved how it was delivered

I agree with Gun, 2005's best film, by far. 10/10 (A+)

It could have been fantastic if the whole film was like the first half. The acting is fantasic, it's hilarious, and at times, it's kinda brilliant. But, eventually, it became a bit repetitive and the comedy was minimal near the end.

An overall solid effort, though. I highly recommend it.

B

meh! i dont know.....

The First part was great, the middle pretty shitty and the End was OK, IMO. it was a good movie, but it really didnt needed to be that long.

Cage which i honestly dont like, did a pretty good job.

B-

B-/C+

Decent, but not great by any means. It had some decent moments/laughs and the performances are great, but the whole thing was just so depressing, it wore me out watching that much sadness for that long. It also seemed a bit pointless at moments, though not too much so. Anyways, I'm disappointed a little as this was one of my most anticipated, but it's not terrible...really.

A film that has all the ingredients for a terrific movie, that falls apart somewhere in the third act but never recovers. Some of the turning points were pointless and forced.

C

THE WEATHER MAN (2005)



It's between January and March that I get to experience the best films of the year. It's Oscar season and most of the movies with some award potencial get released around these dates. THE WEATHER MAN however, wasn't. I got my hands around this exquisite artisitic product at a video store that features many bootleg DVDs for those too ancient to wait for the actual movies to be released in theatres. This is one of the most negative aspects of living in a country that's not America or Europe or Canada. The films I'm more interested in seeing take ages to come to my area, and once they do they only play at artsy, jet set theatres with pricey tickets and long distances from my home. That's why I couldn't let the opportunity of viewing this film slip by. I had to see it no matter what.

One of the things that worried me was that some bootlegs are far from DVD quality. When the movie's image is unclear and unfocused it often doesn't make you appreciate the film on its fullest. The second thing was that I had company and wouldn't be watching it at my house. THE WEATHER MAN was being consumed by two of my friends, one of my friend's entire family (Mother, father and three sisters) and myself. Thankfully, all of them remained in silence during the entire film's running time. Still, I find it very difficult to "get inside" a film when I'm viewing it with more than two people, so I tried to pay almost to no attention to them. Despite a brief pause requested by the mother for a quick snack--there were no problems.

The film is 100% focused on David Spritz (Nicolas Cage, LORD OF WAR), a famous Chicago weather man. He's quite the celebrity in town, for people stop him in the streets and ask him for autographs or make general comments about his weather predictions. Unfortunately these aren't always right and some people's reaction toward him is throwing things at David, preferably fast food. Maybe it is what people do after a bad forecast, maybe they just don't like him. He's an all smiles persona behind the camera but in real life he's going through a personal crisis. David's separated from his wife Noreen (Hope Davis, THE MATADOR) who is currently in a relationship with another guy named Russ (Michael Rispoli, MR. 3000). He hardly sees his kids Sherry (Gemmenne De la Peña, ERIN BROCKOVICH), an over-weight unhappy little girl with an adult vocabulary and Mike (Nicholas Hoult, ABOUT A BOY), a clueless teenager who's constantly getting into trouble.

But the most complicated relationship David has is with his father, Robert Spritzel (Michael Cane, BATMAN BEGINS). Robert is a highly prestigious awarded author who coldly disapproves every single one of David's actions. His poor son is in constant desperation for his father's approval. Despite having a job that made him a local celebrity, a modern house and being able to support his family, Robert always finds a way to make everything David has done seem like an utter and total failure. It probably didn't help that David changed his last name from Spritzel to Spritz to make it more "weatherly". Robert rubs it against his face saying his job is only to predict the weather--and he's usually wrong. Also Robert was just diagnosed with an incurable disease. This just adds to David's problem, he will have to make his father proud of him before it's too late.

The film's opening scene with Nicolas Cage's character starring at himself in the mirror is fantastic. That single minute alone shows what a dedicated performance this brilliant actor gives in this movie. It also shows what kind of character David is, we hear what he says but do we believe him? Is he really refreshed and refreshing? For the rest of the film we'll follow this fascinating character very closely and his attemps of making of his life a better one. He appears to be on track since he got an offer for a bigger show called "Hello America" in New York to be the main weather man. But is this enough? Is success what Robert really wants from his son? Spritz seems to screw-up every situation that's given into his hands, especially around his father. One of these many moments is when David goes with Robert to the doctor's office for a regular check up. Robert asks David to bring him a newspaper to read later, but after a series of unfortunate events David only ends up with a cup of coffee for him and no paper.

Director Gore Verbinsky surprises us all with this indie flick. After being responsible of films like PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL and THE RING, which are obviously mainstream big budget blockbusters, Verbinsky chose to shoot an independent film that is unique. This man's direction is fantastic, from the shots of the snow covered Chicago city to the ones of the characters delivering their dialogue freely where everything looks like a little paint. Gore Verbinsky is an artist. Of course, cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (IDENTITY) helps and a lot since the film is absolutely gorgeous visually. The arrow shooting scenes are probably the best where we can see David with his bow at hand from a very long distance so only his silhouette is visible.

Of course, Gore Verbinsky had it easy with such a wonderful, exquisite and award-deserving screenplay by Steven Conrad. A screenplay full of wit, dark humour and exceptional dramatic situations. And the cherry on top of the cake is the cast. Nicolas Cage gives one of the best male (An surpassing every female actress) performances of 2005. His portrait of David is jaw-droping. Nicolas Cage is one of those few elite actors that make you see the character and not their celebrity person. Michael Cane shines once again in his supporting role as the not so cold hearted father. Cane's one of the most amazing actors still working today. And Hope Davis plays Noreen with perfection. Davis is an actress that can amaze you playing a normal housewife and mother like Noreen or a total freak like she did in AMERICAN SPLENDOR. Nicholas Hoult and Gemmenne De la Peña don't have the same amount of screen time as the other actors but are still fantastic, especially the latter.

Hans Zimmer's score is also beautiful. It is strange and more modern oriented since it features many off beat sounds such a clock ticking constantly. But despite its rareness it works perfectly and adds a lot to the film.

THE WEATHER MAN, apart from being an insightful study into this character's soul, also works as a dark comedy. There are many unforgettable moments of fantastic dark humour, such as the tarter sauce scene where Noreen sends David to pick up a take out at some restaurant and asks him not to forget to bring tarter sauce with him. Guess what happens. The most memorable ones are the ones that David shares with his daughter Sherry, which are absolutely hilarious. This little girl is such a wonderful character and delivers some of the best dialogue. David tells her that she can't do ballet anymore so he asks her to pick another thing to do: Sherry goes with archery. Or Noreen and David's attempts of saving their marriage by going to couple's therapy. Or the trailer and T.V. spots' campaign add of people throwing fast food at David. These and a lot more are many of the moments that give more flavour to THE WEATHER MAN and make a more real film out of it. A film we can identify with.

But don't expect a comedy a la WEDDING CRASHERS or even the sweeter THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. This is a fantastic mix of genres that would fall better into drama. THE WEATHER MAN is a very depressing film about life (It's been called one of biggest downers of 2005), important decisions and not so important ones. It's about the little things that matter. It's about changing things and yourselg. It's about getting along with the people you love, think you love or want to love. It's about making mistakes and learning from them. It's about counting out the easy way out and working hard. It's about learning to smile and really feel it. It's about crying and really feel it. It's about everything. It's about life.

THE WEATHER MAN is one of the best movies in a mediocre 2005. A film that's complex and rich in every way. Do not miss this fabulous little gem.

10/10

B-


This film could have been really great and at one point or another its greatness really shines through. Sadly this is not how the overall film is like. There are moments that just make you shrug and move on. Other moments just reek of brilliance The general impression is mixed. You can't really pinpoint the film between drama and a dark comedy. It does have its fair share of quite funny moments, but all of them come mostly random. Nicholas Cage does a pretty good job and Michael Caine is as great as always. The voiceover doesn't really work. The movie at least does feel real, but it never really manages to pack that punch, that bottom line that it strives towards up until the end. At the end you are just left feeling hollow about the film. It was a good flick in the making, but was sunk by the lack of decisiveness among the screenwriters. It has pretty nice cinematography, though.

Watching this for the first time I seem to fall on the side of people who love it. Cage is fantastic here as is Caine. What I actually love about the film besides the dialogue is how the whole thing is shot with a lot of scenes made better by how they are set up physically. It has the right mix of humor and drama to make it work. Sure the ending may be a bit too the point but its good because it relates well to the final conversation between Cage and Caine which was the push David needed to get through and not fall into unending depression and anger.

This is a fantastic and incredibly undervalued movie. I agree with my 2005 self.

Yeah, I watched this for the first time in years a couple of months ago and it's just a fantastic film.

I loved it. B+