Nicolas Cage is not one to shy away from playing unsavory characters. Some of them, such as the loathsome publisher in “Vampire’s Kiss,” the career criminal in “Wild at Heart,” and the suicidal drunk in “Leaving Las Vegas,” rate among the Academy Award winner’s more memorable performances. In director Gore Verbinski’s “The Weather Man,” Cage portrays a most unpleasant fellow named David Spritz, a well-known Chicago TV personality in the midst of a personal meltdown. Getting audiences to embrace a serious sad-sap like Spritz poses a near-impossible challenge for any actor, even someone of Cage’s estimable ability, but to his credit the star manages to wring out a little sympathy, even makes Spritz semi-likable by film’s end. But the 100 minutes it takes to get there are, for the most part, a bummer. Supporting performances from Michael Caine, Hope Davis, Nicholas Hoult (“About a Boy”) and Gemmenne De la Peña are also strong, but the story is too flat, the stabs at humor too misguided for this movie to fully emerge from the mire.
Those of you who’ve seen the trailer know there’s a running gag in the movie that has Spritz being regularly pelted with food by passersby. This stunt gets old quickly, still it highlights the film’s central theme: That David gets no respect. Or, at least, he believes he doesn’t get the respect he deserves, from his famous author father (Caine), his estranged wife (Davis or his troubled children — Hoult and De la Peña). Spritz will try anything to stop the further disintegration of his strained familial relationships, but the poor guy is clueless. The film chronicles his efforts and the many, many mistakes he makes along the way. As a character study, Verbinski has achieved something worthwhile. It’s too bad the main character is so damn difficult to pull for, his life so overcast. (Rated R for strong language and sexual content. Running time: 100 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 28, 2005. Read the original PDF.