Review of The Weather Man

Dave Spritz is the weather man for a local Chicago news channel. People occasionaly throw fast food at him on the street, he's out of touch with his ex-wife and kids and he fears his dying Pulitzer Prize winning father views him as a disappointment. The film is really Death Of A Salesman with a lot of comedy thrown in. Most of the jokes aren't the sort that seem to tell you that this is a joke and you should laugh. Some of it, like the random food assaults, could be considered slapstick but for the most part it's based off of observations. Comprised mostly of more subtle scenarios or conversations. Yet, despite all the comedy, the film is also very dramatic and poignant. Similar to Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize winning play, the film is about a man coming to terms with his failures and himself. Nicolas Cage is perfectly cast as the pathetic Dave Spritz, a guy who appears to be the butt of all the world's jokes. Cage conveys the emotions and state of mind of his character very authentically and proves he only seems like a bad actor because he's in a lot of bad pictures. The film also features the enduring Sir Michael Caine. His character only has a few deadpan comedic moments(which he maximizes) and mostly serves as a dramatic element to the story. He's the epitome of dignity and class and he brings both qualities to this role. But he also pulls off the more sensitive moments too.

The Weather Man is a(hopefully unrelatable)story of a guy who could be considered a loser and is just trying to make things work. And perhaps he can't. Maybe he needs to accept things for the way they are and press forward. As the film puts it he's behind the fire brigade but in front of Sponge Bob.