The Weatherman

In my Rango review, I suggested I'd write about this so I have. The Weatherman, Gore Verbinski's tightly written, and somewhat fatalistic drama starring Nicolas Cage, barely entered into the public eye before it fell into obscurity. It's possible that it even deserved it; Receiving mixed reviews from critics and general audience alike, the film is often seen as too dark, and without much payoff in return for the viewer. That being said, this is a film I loved the first time I saw it, and still think about it often, largely because I think people are wrong. (Stupid people.)

I'd like to start by talking about the performances in this movie: Firstly, Nicolas Cage is fantastic in this vehicle, and that's not something I say often. I say that, because Cage is awkward and dumpy, an everyman somewhere in between Jeff Goldblum and Homer Simpson, but not as likeable as either. How, therefore, he ends up constantly as a star in action films is beyond my imagination. For me, where he shines is in his portrayals of deeply flawed men in family stories, such as in "Raising Arizona" or "Family Man", which is a very comparable film to this one. There's something very sad about his performance here, which is right on target, given the characters devotion to impossible tasks.

Michael Caine also delivers a very strong performance as Cage's much more likeable, and world-renowned author, father.  Caine, in his sage way, brings some of the most memorable and touching moments in the film, and delivers the overall message of the story that I believe a lot of people missed out on.

The story itself is about Cage's attempts to rekindle romance with his ex-wife, re-assume the head of his household, and fix the problems of his deeply troubled children. He imagines that this will be easy now that his career is taking off-Cage's character is a successful weatherman on local TV, and will soon be moving up to statewide television. Some of what he tries is successful; he does seem to be able to help his daughter, at least a little bit, move to a healthier place. His attempts to his ex-wife, who does at first seem to share his goal, are disastrous to say the least. Meanwhile, he discovers that his father has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and that his wife has begun seeing a new flame. At first sight, it's a fairly standard drama; a career man with a struggling home-life attempts to right his wrongs. Where it diverges is that the character, due to his own obsessions, inadequacies, and past failings, fails at virtually every attempt, and is eventually forced to let go of the idea that redemption is possible for him.

Oh yeah, there's also quite a bit about archery in there.

Now, that's a challenging notion for any viewer, and one that we are not used to facing in a narrative. We are used to characters, for the most part, who, even if they don't change themselves much, find a way to get at least some of the things they want. His wife hates him more than when he started, he's still distanced from his kids, and his father is now dead, leaving him only with his last words of advice, "In this shit life, you have to chuck the garbage." Someday, I may talk about Young Adult, Reitman's new film which has a similar theme to it's ending, (although I think the Weather Man is stronger, all things considered.)

So yes, it's dark, but in the end, we find that this isn't supposed to be a story about redemption, but about accepting one's failures and learning not to obsess over them but to move on, which in a case like this one, can be a lot harder.

One final note on the movie: Like "The Ring," and "Rango," Verbinski's visual flair is on full display in the New York winter-scape. It's also very funny, if you have the dry kind of humor that can take it.