Movie Review--The Weatherman

This was a rather dark movie, but with an overlay of humor that kept it from being depressing. The story centers on a middle-aged divorced man, David Spritz (Nicholas Cage), who is a TV weather forecaster in Chicago. His father is a famous author who is terminally ill. Both of his kids are troubled. Feelings of inadequacy are definitely an issue for David. He can't measure up to his Pulitzer-prize-winning father, who gives him a hard time about getting divorced and about the kids. He doesn't have a degree in metereology and thus doesn't truly understand a lot of what he is saying on the air. Sometimes people who recognize him on the street throw things at him. Things are possibly looking up on the job front, though. David is in the running for a network job in New York. When he has to drive his dad to the doctor, David places a letter about the job where he thinks his dad is sure to see it and comment on it. First his dad sits on it, so when they get in the car after the appointment, David places the letter on the passenger side of the dashboard. His dad falls asleep without ever noticing it.

David contemplates his life, his career and his relationships. He's a likeable, sympathetic character. Who among us has not experienced at least some of these things--feelings of inadequacy or not feeling respected in our careers, worry about kids, grief over failed relationships, etc. It's easy to relate to his character.

The movie is kind of hard to characterize; I guess I'd call it a comic drama. David's character narrates his thoughts, and he has a kind of dark sense of humor. So if you like movies that are rather deep but with some humor to lighten things up, you'll probably like this.