The Weather Man (2005)

A Chicago weather man, separated from his wife and children, debates whether professional and personal success are mutually exclusive.

Director:

Gore Verbinski

Writer:

Steve Conrad (as Steven Conrad)

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Hope Davis, Nicholas Hoult

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	David Spritz
Michael Caine	...	Robert Spritzel
Hope Davis	...	Noreen
Gemmenne de la Peña	...	Shelly (as Gemmenne De La Peña)
Nicholas Hoult	...	Mike
Michael Rispoli	...	Russ
Gil Bellows	...	Don
Judith McConnell	...	Lauren
Chris Marrs	...	DMV Guy
Dina Facklis	...	Andrea
J. Nicole Brooks	...	Clerk (as Deanna NJ Brooks)
Sia A. Moody	...	Nurse (as Sia Moody)
Guy Van Swearingen	...	Nipper Guy
Alexander Pine	...	Fast Food Employee (as Alejandro Pina)
Jackson Bubala	...	Fast Food Child

Storyline

Dave Spritz is a local weatherman in his home town of Chicago, where his career is going well, while his personal life, his relationship with his perfectionist writer father, his neurotic ex-wife, and his now-separated children, is spiralling downward. Despite being loathed and loved by the local masses, Dave is a guy who doesn't seem to have it all together, and in this movie, he begins to feel it. An attractive job offer presents Dave with a major question: to pursue his career in New York City, or to remain at home with his family.

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested teenage boy | gender in title | woman on top sex | woman uses crutches | weatherman | 

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Taglines:

Dave Spritz is about to take his best shot . . . at life.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

While shooting this movie in February, director Gore Verbinski was surprised to find that the weather in Chicago was warm, as it didn't produce any snow. The production designers had to re-create snow from scratch, as this movie takes place during the winter.

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Goofs

When David is talking to his father, after being hit by a Wendy's Frosty, the stain on his collar changes throughout their conversation.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dave Spritz: That was refreshing. I'm refreshed. I'm refreshing.

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Connections

References Spongebob Squarepants (1999)

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Soundtracks

Windy Day
Written & Performed by Robin L. Klein & Scott Schreer (as Scott P. Schreer)

User Reviews

The Weather Man: The Unpredictable and The Grayness of Being Human

.......................................,...............from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA and ORLANDO, FL

***** May Contain a Couple MINOR Spoilers *****

The TV promo trailer for "The Weather Man" did nothing to capture my interest. It looked like another of those "Light" comedies, which usually just aren't that good. Via recommendations from a few of my students, I decided to check it out. Wow!..Sometimes Hollywood marketing teams are so utterly clueless! In this case, the trailer shown on TV and the film projected in the theater had absolutely nothing in common with one another!

Director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Ring) has given us a film that at first glance seems simple enough, but which ends up being as absolutely unpredictable as the science of meteorology itself. David Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is a divorced meteorologist who has attained considerable success on a professional level, but whose personal life, despite his perpetual fantasies to the contrary, is an explosive and unmitigated disaster.

As the perturbed and ever-reflexive protagonist, Nicolas Cage (National Treasure, Lord of War) positions himself in the eye of his own tormented life, and is likewise the title character of the film. Like almost every other human being, Spritz is unable to come to grips with the stark reality that the dark clouds constantly present in his life are creations of his own device. They are clearly the consequence of his own actions and his particularly obstinate way of being and not merely products of some uncontrollable, mystical fate.

While growing up, young David always loomed in the shadow of his famous Pulitzer-Prize winning father, Robert Spritz, played masterfully by Michael Caine. It seems that communication between father and son was never really what it should have been. Similarly, David leaves a lot to be desired in the area of warm and communicative interaction with all the important people in his life: His son, daughter, and of course, his ex- wife. David's disconnect is that he fantasizes that love and affection from his loved ones is linked directly to his level of professional success and recognition.

The Weather Man, despite being a great European style film, suffers from some excesses. In order to drive home the fact that David often walks rather aimlessly through life, it isn't indispensable to permit the film to meander and lose its focus for a few minutes as well! Nor do I believe that the constant, non-stop profanity to be consistent with the characters nor with the overall tone of the film. But if you enjoy European flavored cinema and movies which project life through a slightly surreal philosophical prism, surely this Weather Man will make your day…Sunny and Clear!

8* STARS*…...ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions, or observations, in English or Español, are most welcome!

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 October 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Weather Man

Filming Locations:

WGN-TV Studios - 2501 West Bradley Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,248,465, 30 October 2005

Gross USA:

$12,482,775

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,126,398

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Escape Artists, Kumar Mobiliengesellschaft mbH & Co. Projekt Nr. 2 KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1