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... Bring an umbrella.
Popular Chicago weatherman, Dave Spirtz, has a shot at the big time when a national morning television show calls him for an audition. Professionally, Dave is on top of the world, but his personal life is in complete disarray. Dave's painful divorce, his dad's illness and trouble with his kids have him poised on the knife's edge between stability and disaster. The harder he tries to control events, the more he finds life, like the weather, is completely unpredictable.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As another reviewer pointed out, this film does not fit in any one particular genre, so those expecting the usual brand of comedy will probably be disappointed. Where is the low-brow or no-brow usual brand of big box-office hit humour? Well if you want that, maybe you had better look elsewhere. This does have funny moments in it, but this is more a study of when things fall apart, and it's very well done, the melancholy and desperation in the film somehow do not leave you depressed, only impressed by the acting and the quiet beauty of the film.
Henry David Thoreau said that most men led lives of "quiet desperation", and this can't be better portrayed than here. David Spritz, aka Nicholas Cage, tries to keep himself from falling apart, but his anguish is palpable. He knows at best his weather reports are rough estimates, "it's just wind." His life mirrors his work, as his loss of absolute control over the weather reports is mirrored by his loss of control over events in his life, his father's illness, his children's teenage angst and his estranged wife whom he tries to win back but fails.
As things worsen in his life, he seeks solace in archery, and watching him concentrate on this you get the impression it has a meditative quality to it, the control he has over this sport is in complete contrast to the rest of his life. Somehow the archery scene manages to capture an essence of him re-adjusting to his new life, how he is finding new strength within when things are falling apart without.
It is difficult to write the feelings and impressions you are left with after watching this film. It's something that might make you think about your own life and how you are living it. It will probably make you acknowledge the fleeting nature of the world we live in, and if you have ever had to juggle work with difficult life issues, then you will probably find some solace here. It's simply superb. The acting is excellent, and the under-emotional performances work very well here. It all adds to the futility Spritz feels, the loss of control the cold, grey, life he lives and the constant ticking of time, also not on his side.
In summary, I found this film beautiful in it's sparse nature, it captures the struggle life can be and the façade we all have to put on whilst dealing with difficult elements in our lives. It does so with humour, pathos, and excellent character portrayals. It's well worth a look.
Henry David Thoreau said that most men led lives of "quiet desperation", and this can't be better portrayed than here. David Spritz, aka Nicholas Cage, tries to keep himself from falling apart, but his anguish is palpable. He knows at best his weather reports are rough estimates, "it's just wind." His life mirrors his work, as his loss of absolute control over the weather reports is mirrored by his loss of control over events in his life, his father's illness, his children's teenage angst and his estranged wife whom he tries to win back but fails.
As things worsen in his life, he seeks solace in archery, and watching him concentrate on this you get the impression it has a meditative quality to it, the control he has over this sport is in complete contrast to the rest of his life. Somehow the archery scene manages to capture an essence of him re-adjusting to his new life, how he is finding new strength within when things are falling apart without.
It is difficult to write the feelings and impressions you are left with after watching this film. It's something that might make you think about your own life and how you are living it. It will probably make you acknowledge the fleeting nature of the world we live in, and if you have ever had to juggle work with difficult life issues, then you will probably find some solace here. It's simply superb. The acting is excellent, and the under-emotional performances work very well here. It all adds to the futility Spritz feels, the loss of control the cold, grey, life he lives and the constant ticking of time, also not on his side.
In summary, I found this film beautiful in it's sparse nature, it captures the struggle life can be and the façade we all have to put on whilst dealing with difficult elements in our lives. It does so with humour, pathos, and excellent character portrayals. It's well worth a look.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
'The Weatherman' makes for a very 'comfortable' watch. I use 'comfortable' because of its coherence. First of all, Nicolas Cage was briliiantly cast for his role as Weather Wimp. Furthermore, the events depicted in the film blended together logically and seemlessly. Throughout the picture a sort of affluent consistency prevailed. Up to the smallest detail, everything had been worked out perfectly. Simple plot; David Spritz, prime example of Mr. Nice Guy who lets the whole world trample over him, tries to rearrange his life by meticiously avoiding stepping up for himself. Apart from the occasional fall out with ex wife and soon to marry new love of her life, David sports a stiff upper lip, sometimes accompanied by an apologistic smile, when life throws him another setback. This includes a whole range of fast food items, which are chucked at him from passing vehicles. David takes it all in his stride and keeps on trying to mend his marriage, support his children who live at mum's, support his dad who is terminally ill, write a book and land a job as weatherman with one of the national networks. In spite of all the opposition he encounters, David keeps on going with one step forward and two steps back. The combination of a well thought through plot, spellbinding acting and great score made me feel very melancholic. I presume this was the very emotion director Gore Verbinski tried to convey. He succeeded admirably. Another perk in this production is the appearance of Michael Caine. Listening to British actors having to speak with an American accent is not often a pleasurable experience. Michael Caine proved to be an exception to the rule. Just goes to show what a great actor he is. Don't mistake 'The Weatherman' for a comedy. It isn't. It's drama alright. It has its funny moments, but then again, they may occur in any movie. It's a sad story, rather. Not one to get your hankies out over, but one to provoke your thoughts, feel deeply sorry for and sympathise with the main character and wonder why nice people often get misunderstood and mocked by society.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film is one of my favourite films of all time, quite simply it is a subtle masterpiece.
If you didnt like it the first time watch it again, but dont focus on it being a rip roaring comedy, its a comedy drama!
Everyone should in some way be able to connect with the character, if you cant your not human.
simply Great.
If you didnt like it the first time watch it again, but dont focus on it being a rip roaring comedy, its a comedy drama!
Everyone should in some way be able to connect with the character, if you cant your not human.
simply Great.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Really? Worst film I have ever seen!
Most possibly the worst film ever
- No Pot literally nothing
- Not funny
- Very Stupid
- And just plain crap. Read more
- No Pot literally nothing
- Not funny
- Very Stupid
- And just plain crap. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Master Z. J. Fowler
Unusual - but ultimately misses the mark.
There are plenty of light-hearted films about disfunctional families where someone comes along and solves all their problems in an unconventional or funny way - but this is not one... Read more
Published 6 months ago by MarkW
nice weather for ducks
err... this film is a turgid grind with little or no humour; it's coarse and unnecessarily grumpy with no real relief or "answer" to the main protagonist's apparent angst and I... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Hill Walker
Quite a good watch, lots that is good, but I think doesn't appreciate...
On the whole, this is a quite good production of a lightly diverting screenplay which also has a good emotional appeal, deeper beyond what you might expect for the content. Read more
Published 13 months ago by G. Connolly
More than just a comedy
A lot of criticism has been levelled at 'The Weather Man' due to its failings as a comedy. This is a failure of marketing, not of film making. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Andrew Mcguinness
An awful film with few redeeming features...
This was an awful film with very little in it at all to recommend it. I bought this imagining that it would be a kind of up beat comedy reflection on the life of a local celebrity... Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2009 by Lark
Trade Descriptions!!!!!
They Said: A Comedy To Brighten Your Day
I Said: There were so many bits to laugh at it's difficult to choose the best; was it his Dad dieing, his sons sexual... Read more
I Said: There were so many bits to laugh at it's difficult to choose the best; was it his Dad dieing, his sons sexual... Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2009 by Chris Morse
Adaptation of Adaptation
I would say that if you want to see a film about a middle-aged man who is having a crisis then this is not really the film to see. Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2008 by P. Longstaff
weather man
Absolute rubbish - not even a titter. No story, no characters. I can only assume that Michael Caine was hard up. Read more
Published on 1 Aug 2008 by I. Batey
A bleak comedy that blows like the wind: everywhere!
'Easy doesn't fit into adult life,' David's father says to him in the car, and this movie makes that exact point with gusto. Read more
Published on 30 May 2008 by M.W. Thrasher
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