The Weather Man

I think my husband has a strange obsession with Nicolas Cage. It's one of those weird pop culture references like "Never Gonna Give You Up" or "I'll be back" a la Arnold. Apparently adding Nicolas Cage to anything makes it hysterical. I understand the fascination with the outbursts, the strange hair and the over-acting, but when we buy movies on impulse BECAUSE they star Nic Cage, I fear we may have a problem. We bought It Could Happen to You and The Weather Man this way...

The Weather Man


Imdb synopsis: 
A Chicago weather man, separated from his wife and children, debates whether professional and personal success are mutually exclusive.
This was an incredibly strange and oddly depressing movie. Odd, because it started out with a lot of promise...half way through the movie was asserted if it had been made with anyone else it might have had a shot at being funny, maybe having a small cult following. But the haggard face of Cage trying to make the failing relationships in his life work was almost too much to accept. The quirks, such as the archery theme, the drive-by fast-food-ings (remember Ms. Doubtfire?), and the pathetic attempts of self-promotion resonated loudly. These are things that could happen to anybody, that aren't that different from those weird crazy things that happen in your own life.

But after the initial set-up of the movie...it never really went anywhere. It almost felt like this movie reeled you in, but there was no hook, no catch and no closure. It plateaued-- painfully-- and attempted to put forth a moral that never held. It made me feel vaguely unsettled, but not in a "think about my life" sort of way...more like a "that was a weird movie" sort of way. 

It also raised questions for me about child actors. When kids are picked for a movie because of their appearance, and that character is made fun of for those specific attributes, how does the kid reconcile the difference? As a parent to a child actor, how do you reassure your son or daughter that this movie is about other kids, that these things aren't said about them. I asked Mr. E if the movie people take any responsibility for this- I would think especially for a director to be directing a child in this situation that open communication would be important. Once again I'm reminded that being in movies requires you to be the ultimate jack-of-all-trades.