‘The Weather Man’ – a film about the life and times of a Chicago news weather man, or the last decent film Nicholas Cage has made (to date). It’s up to you to decide. Once upon a time Cage was Box Office dynamite. Nowadays, his star has shone on the ‘direct-to-DVD’ market and has become synonymous with over-acting and that awful remake of ‘The Wicker Man.’
However, back in the day he used to be pretty good. Here, his ‘over-acting’ is turned down a notch or two and he does what he does best – give a decent performance. He plays a down-on-his-luck weather man for a (not particularly prestigious TV station. Just because he gets the occasional perk of being a – minor – celebrity, doesn’t mean his life is going that well. His wife has left him and kept the kids and house, his dad (wonderfully played by Michael Caine – sporting an unusual American accent) is pretty aloof, people keep throwing fast food at him on the street and the least said about his estranged kids the better. Therefore, despite his apparently privileged lifestyle, he still has plenty to complain about. I really enjoyed this film, which Cage bears completely on his shoulders. I really do think it’s his (last) best performance. If there is one criticism that might be levelled at the film it’s that it’s a little ‘unfocused.’ The story doesn’t really go anywhere as it’s mainly about following his life as he tries to… well, just go about his day to day business. There’s no real ‘beginning, middle and end’ as there is with most standard Hollywood films.
It’s a ‘bittersweet’ drama that borders on black comedy. So, if you’re a fan of Cage at his best, or just like dark family dramas which have a touch of social commentary and don’t necessarily go anywhere, you should get something out of this one. Alas, poor Nick we remember him fondly.
7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that
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