Similar in nature to "Punch-Drunk Love" with Adam Sandler, except that PDL was a good movie. Depressing, tedious, dark, plotless, and a waste of time...The only bright points were Michael Caine and a few chuckles.

One of the most wonderfully, honestly earned, depressing movies we've seen in a long while. He's a Great American Success, hollow at the core. Very impressive.

Totally underrated and often laugh-out-loud funny. Both this film and Lord of War inexplicably got buried by critics and audiences. Nicolas Cage must have run over a nun last fall to warrant this kind of karma.

I'm rarely moved to wax unenthusiastic about a movie, but I'll make an exception for this one. This is one of those movies that, as they say, you'll want to think about for a long time afterwards. Don't bother! I've thought about it for a little while afterwards, and the more I thought, the more disgusted I got. This is a pseudo art-film with an unbelievably obtuse lead who is more antagonist (to himself and to reality) than protagonist. The offbeat attempts at humor/angst are merely offbeat. Furthermore, nobody could conceivably be as dense as this character in his personal relationships be this a fast-food, shallow culture or no. Sell anxiety ridden someplace else. We're all stocked up here.… Expand

This movie is nothing but a vehicle for blatant advertising of fast food. The ads are totally distracting from the otherwise plausible acting. I do not recommend this movie.

Very funny movie, great dialogues, and nice adult drama. Cage was great in it. Like the user Holly C said: it's a "raw-life story".

This movie was exactly what I expected it to be, Good but not great. What's sad is that with just a bit of tweeting it could have been great. The flaws among other things were the not so subtle advertising of certain fast food companies. I hate it when movies advertise for companies. We pay for entertainment not advertisements. Another flaw is the movie seemed to draw on towards the end and did not succintly make a profound point. There were functional points to be made such as being present and accepting yourself for who you are but these points don't seem that profound to me any more, just plain common sense. On the up side the movie was well acted. honorable mention to Michael Caine. The movie seemed to have a realism about it which was not ment to be a downer but more so to show something and learn from it. There were truly some funny moments that most males can relate to. In short it well worth seeing, but do not expect perfection.… Expand

This movie sucks!!!! Totally unreal character and situations. Pure Hollywood crap.

Michael Caine is winning in a movie that has to do with real life. "The right thing to do & the hard thing to do are usually the same thing." "Easy doesn't enter into adult life." These are lines that Caine delivers convincingly. There is so much fluff, glitz, and perversity in today's films that a good dose of reality is refreshing.

I'm amazed by the petty complaints of the "professional" reviewers. Must the protaganist be a cut above the fray, in order to merit all that screen time and attention? Why is the inner life of an average, flawed and struggling man dismissed so easily? Comments regarding the character's lack of "likeable" traits sound more like a personal encounter than a movie review. As an average, flawed, non-star quality human, I took a lot away from this film.… Expand

Very well done. Not a true comedy, but a true black comedy. I think the movie reflects how people really think and act. Nixolas Cage is brilliant as is the directing and the cinematography. Highly recommended.

Hard to clasify or compare when talking about. I found it immensely entertaining and even a little touching.

Best & brightest.

Nobody but Nicholas Cage could pull off making such a neurotic, selfish, unsympathetic character such as Dave Spritz embarrassingly likable. He is perfect in the part. Michael Caine is amazingly understated as the elusive father whose true feelings for his family finally come to the surface. The scenes between the two stars were worth the price of admission. My reactions to this film went from being appalled to tittering to flinching to smiling and finally to tears of compassion.. It wasn't perfect but the direction and acting made for an interesting and thought-provoking character study despite its dark nature.… Expand

Realistic.

It is remarkable to find a film where all of the characters are believable, well-acted, and so entirely unsympathetic. Viciously depressing, and sarcastic about it.

Excellent movie. A great black comedy and character study. Occasionally depressing but it pays off in the end. Nicholas Cage is wonderful in his role. It reminded me a lot of Alexander Payne's 'About Schmidt', so if you liked the tone of that movie, this one is more than highly recommended. Added to my list of the best movies I've seen in a long while.

Relentlesslyunsettling black comedy on the vicissitudes endured by well meaning but witless media people who have settled for schlock rather than art. The Weatherman's travail is excruciating to watch. a surrender to the culture of mediocrity, ineptitude in human relations ,fumbling his cues so as to end rather than revivify his conjugal failings. restrained but impressive performances by Michael Caine as his father and himself, Nicholas cage, focused on the character.… Expand

Nicholas Cage has mastered the art of dark comedies. This movie is absurdly funny and even more absurdly touching. The acting is top-notch from the whole cast. The movie is dark, witty, sad... and just wonderful. Those who do not have a "sicker" sense of humor may not find the movie as enjoyable. Loved it!

Consistently funny and intelligent while at the same tiime weird. However, it's a comedy that actually contains comedic elements within the narrative. This aspect of the film overshadows and dilutes the existence of the film's imperfections.

This isnt a bad movie at all. This movie isnt a comedy movie for half of it. This movie isnt a Drama for half of it. The weatherman is a movie for people who like drama and comedy because the first half is funny but the second half doesnt include one laugh and is very serious.

I was very impressed with this movie. I went in pretty ho-hum about even watching it but I'm glad I did. The characters, acting and cinematography were great (Chicago looks fantastic). Michael Caine, the daughter and Nick Cage were probably the best characters (both written and acted). But the raw-life story unfolding is the centerpiece. The main character's journey figuring out who he is, seems kind of like a common theme in movies (identity crisis) but this story was still pretty unique and quite raw. Props to the writer-- and I highly recommend this movie.… Expand

The people who slated this just live up to the stereotype of Americans having a very basic sense of humour. This just went over their heads. Its a great understated film. You don't need obvious humour and big special effects for a film to be good!

Only the second movie I have ever walked out of since waterboy. It sucks sooo bad, you will be angry and want your money back, don't say I didn't warn you.

If you and I had been sitting in a bar a year ago, and you had tried to tell me that the director of Pirates of the Caribbean and Mouse Hunt's next project was going to be a character study that resembled the witty but somewhat downbeat work of Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Sideways), my immediate response would've been to ask the bartender to cut you off. Gore Verbinski deserves all the credit in the world for using his commercial clout to make this literate, challenging account of a highly self-absorbed individual in a midlife crisis (some might say "middle-age meltdown") who seems completely incapable of maintaining a satisfactory, mutually nurturing relationship with his ex-wife, his kids, his dying father, or anyone else; at its best, Steve Conrad's screenplay is reminiscent not only of such character- rather than plot-driven early 1970s films, such as Five Easy Pieces, that seriously questioned the meaning of success in America, but also some of the similarly-themed short stories of John Cheever and John Updike. (Those moviegoers who address the fact that Dave Spritzel is a professional local TV weatherman who makes $240,000 a year with statements like, "Well, gee, if I brought home HIS paycheck, I'd be glad to have some of his unhappiness!" are not only missing the point entirely, but either never read Edwin Arlington Robinson's classic poem "Richard Cory", about a wealthy pillar of the community for whom financial success wasn't enough, or completely forgot that they had.) The movie, photographed by Payne favorite Phedon Papamichael to make the city of Chicago where Spritzel works look like its weather consists 100% of clouds, rain and slush, is darkly funny and insightful most of the way; I thought the best scenes involved Spritzel's two adolescents, who are both dealing with serious growing pains but prove to be far more resilient and "adult" than their father. (Overweight daughter Shelly's naively optimistic interpretation of a derogatory nickname given her by her classmates is a real heart-tugger.) Many audience members will find the heart of the movie to be in the faltering relationship between Dave and his dad Robert (a pitch-perfect Michael Caine), whose disapproval of everything Dave does is especially agonizing to Dave because Robert NEVER RAISES HIS VOICE. As for Nicolas Cage as Spritzel, nobody does hangdog better; if someone gets the incredibly misguided notion of making a live-action movie about Charles Schulz's Peanuts gang in their 40s, here's the perfect Charlie Brown. The Weather Man is so good when it's good, and it's so good much of the time, that it's even more frustrating when it's less so, especially since most of the flaws could've been corrected with maybe another rewrite or two: Dave's mother is a virtual nonentity; the film uses the comic device of having the last person in the world that you want to see or hear you doing or saying something embarrassing show up at just the time you're doing or saying it occurs about half a dozen times too often to keep being effective; wouldn't even a schlump like Dave keep a Visa or ATM card in his wallet--and what big US city in 2005 has convenience stores that allow 12-year-olds to purchase cigarettes? Then again, maybe the movie is its own object lesson in style as well as substance: namely, life is what it is, so learn to live with it.… Expand

This was a very interesting movie. I was expecting some formulaic, yet funny movie about a hated weather man, but instead I got a deep character study that broke a lot of Hollywood's formulas. The photography was great, and so was Cage's acting. Usually the f-word is overused poorly in movies, but the use of it in this movie made it more believable. The constant advertising for every fast food restaurant didn't bother me as much as others because of a certain line in the movie. It really stuck with me on the ride home; there were many great quotes that were seriously laugh out loud funny. Go see this movie.… Expand

This is a great film with excellent performances by Cage and Caine. It was so surprising (and reqarding) to find an American movie without a traditional happy ending. It was also a wonderful journey with many great comic moments. Part mid-life crisis, part mental breakdown, part acceptance of where we are and how we got here. Loved this movie.

A great Bill Murray indie film that gets a studio big budget and Nicolas Cage in his best performance in years. I just love a movie that flies over the "masses" heads!

I absolutely loved this. it was a deeep comedy. I now want a live funeral. Best part was shellys version of a camel toe. Does anyone know the exact quote?

At times it was very slow, but all in all this movie made a lot of sense and like ebert said, it WAS insightful. what more do you want, to be a comedy or something fun? its MEANT to be a downer movie. jeez.