The Weatherman – Gore Verbinski
With The Weatherman, Paramount Studios gave big Hollywood names a chance to deviate from their normal big budget film. Director Gore Verbinski is more known for adventure-type films like Pirates of the Caribbean, than emotionally expressive films such as this one. Writer Steve Conrad took some obscure points in modern life, blew them up under a microscope, and wrote a pretty original screenplay from events that most people overlook. With an all-star cast and crew including Michael Caine and composer Hans Zimmer, The Weatherman dives into the mind of a Chicago weather reporter, chronicling his journey of self-discovery.
Nicolas Cage plays Dave Spritzel, who changed his name to Dave Spritz at the order of the TV station, so that his weatherman persona would seem more refreshing and personable. He spends his days chauffeuring his father and children around without really making any substantial connection with them. Although he is well-paid for two hours of reading prompt lines during news hours, his life is incredibly empty. One thing that Cage does well is conveying the detachment that Dave Spritz feels, with his life, his family, and his job. The only thing he has going for him is the chance to audition for the weather announcer job for Hello America. Bryant Gumble, incidentally, is seen as a sort of god from New York, rescuing him from the dead-end life that he tires to preserve in Chicago.
At the root of the problem is Spritz’s constant feeling of inadequacy next to his Pulitzer prize-winning father, played by the ever cordial Michael Caine. Robert, as he is referred to by his son, is always proper and ever-present to point out the problems in his son’s life. Even with his well-paying weatherman job, Dave Spritz is still not accomplished enough to be proud of the life that he leads. The combination of bad luck and incompetence reaches a peak at his father’s “living funeral,” where the only words that make it out of his mouth before the power goes out is “When I think of my father, I think of Bob Seger’s Like a Rock.” Verbinski makes a point not to sugar coat anything, even Spritz’s failure to say anything meaningful at his father’s living funeral.
Viewers are sure to feel sorry for the deadbeat that Spritz is portrayed as, despite his professional attire and prestigious job. His misfortunes serve as convenient humor in this dark and heavy comedy. Every so often, passers-by toss various items of fast-food at him, including a Wendy’s frosty, a “Big Gulp”, sodas, chicken nuggets, and McDonalds’ Apple Pies. More significantly, nothing in his family is going well. His young daughter is unhappy and obese; his son runs into problems with his drug counselor. Spritz’s attempts to personally correct any of the problems are thwarted by his incompetence. In one particularly funny scene, he slaps his wife’s new fiancé in the face with his gloves, instead of duly inquiring about how his son is coping with being arrested.
Writer Steven Conrad captures the desperation that seemingly fabulous characters may feel, beneath their public personas. He notes in that weather announcers are particularly vulnerable to the public’s disdain, because they must appear to be friendlier than other news anchors on TV. Nicolas Cage makes a good effort to express the range of emotions required of this heavy film, but does not quite reach the level needed for a film that focuses more on emotions than plot. He plays a good refreshing public persona, but otherwise he just seems anesthetized and aloof. The Weatherman gets an A in originality for being a big studio film that veers from the well-beaten path. It also earns a B+ for a commendable effort to capture the beauty of frozen Chicago. The music by Hans Zimmer is inventive, giving sound a B+. Overall, I think viewers will grow tired of waiting for the final payoff through all the little misfortunes of this weatherman’s life, giving the film’s enjoyability a B.
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