The Weather Man
Say this for The Weather Man: The sullen character at its center gets hit by milkshakes often, in a style that is violent and vibrant. The sight of frozen, sugary, dairy fluids splashing off of a man’s shoulder in this movie qualifies as great art. That’s about the best thing that can be said about the latest from director Gore Verbinski, maker of The Ring and Pirates of the Caribbean. The Weather Man plays like a dark comedy that should’ve been a nutty slapstick or, better yet, never made. Nicolas Cage stars as droopy weather guy David Spritz, a malcontent suffering from marital problems, career indifference and a severe case of being a lousy poppa. While the film has great visual moments, its story is not engaging. It’s just another midlife crisis movie hiding behind the weather man gimmick. The film goes for laughs by lampooning the weather guy routine, but its attempts at being clever fall flat.