- Film Review
- Reviewed By Brian Pendreigh
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2 out of 5
The difficulty with this black comedy drama about a TV weatherman and his midlife crisis is that the audience is unlikely to be overly concerned with the domestic problems and self-esteem of a protagonist who has the sort of highly lucrative career that would be the envy of most ordinary people. Nicolas Cage plays the title role of the slick, handsome broadcaster who has no real knowledge of his subject. He is separated from his wife (Hope Davis) and has trouble communicating with his distant son, overweight daughter and intimidating father. Michael Caine is excellent in the latter role of a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who's struggling with both serious illness and disappointment in his offspring. But Cage presents a character who simply seems muddled, indecisive, self-indulgent and as dull as an overcast day, in what is ultimately a muddled, self-indulgent film. What we are left with seems little more than an example of navel-gazing by affluent American media types who do not know when they are well off.
Plot Summary
Black comedy drama starring Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine. Chicago TV weatherman Dave Spritz is a celebrity on the streets of his home town, but in private he is deeply dissatisfied with his lot. However, the possibility of a lucrative new job in New York forces Dave to consider his priorities and his problematic relationship with his dying father.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Dave Spritz
- Nicolas Cage
- Robert Spritz
- Michael Caine
- Noreen Spritz
- Hope Davis
- Russ
- Michael Rispoli
- Don
- Gil Bellows
- Mike
- Nicholas Hoult
Crew
- Director
- Gore Verbinski
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