The Weather Man (October 27/05)

If nothing else, you've got to admire director Gore Verbinski for taking on a project like The Weather Man. Hot off a couple of enormous hits (The Ring and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl), the filmmaker surely had his pick of some of the hottest screenplays in Hollywood. Instead, he chose The Weather Man - a decidedly unconventional, far-from-mainstream effort with limited box office potential. And though the movie's not always entirely successful, it's somewhat refreshing to see a big Hollywood production adopt a thoroughly independent sensibility.

Steve Conrad's off-kilter screenplay eschews plot in favor of character development, resulting in a film that's essentially a series of vignettes revolving around weather man Dave Spritz (Nicolas Cage). It's clear right from the outset that Spritz is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, due to a fractured relationship with his wife (Hope Davis) and kids (Gemmenne de la Peña and Nicholas Hoult), the fact that his father (Michael Caine) has cancer, and the stress relating to his job (it seems like he has something thrown at him on a daily basis).

Verbinski - along with cinematographer Phedon Papamichael - infuses The Weather Man with a straight-forward, matter-of-fact sense of style that borders on bland, which actually turns out to be an appropriate fit for Spritz's everyman vibe. Likewise, the film's focus remains squarely on Spritz's escapades - though there are a few unusual digressions (including the relationship between Spritz's son and a shady counselor).

But really, whether or not The Weather Man succeeds or fails depends entirely on Cage. The character of Dave Spritz, in tone and spirit, has a lot in common with some of the more oddball folks Cage tackled early in his career, and the actor does an effective job of stepping into the shoes of this insecure, self-conscious figure. It's a role that requires a fair amount of subtlety from Cage, who avoids a cliched portrayal and deftly turns Spritz into someone that's believable and intriguing. In terms of the supporting cast, Caine is the obvious standout - though Davis and Hoult effectively hold their own opposite Cage.

Despite The Weather Man's various positive attributes, the movie generally remains curiously inert. This is partly due to the episodic nature of Conrad's screenplay, which is often intriguing but occasionally aimless. Having said that, the film does pick up substantially towards the end - adopting a melancholy vibe that's surprisingly moving (this is particularly true of a sequence in which Spritz and his father have a heart-to-heart conversation).

Ultimately, it's the film's lack of emotional resonance that prevents it from becoming more than just a showcase for some admittedly impressive performances. And while The Weather Man is entertaining enough, given the level of talent both in front of and behind the camera, the movie can't help but come off as something of a disappointment.