I just watched it till my DVD messed up in Chapter 10. At least up until then it was a really interesting movie.
But all I can find is this schizophrenic thread...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=648030&highlight=the+weather+man

Doesn't The Weather Man deserve better than that?

you know i was backing this up and got CRC errors at 30%ish... something wrong with the press?

I dunno. But it's killing me that I can't finish the damn thing. At the point it quit on me he was about to give his speech at the "living funeral".

Robert,

Sorry to hear that...my disk works fine.

I thought this was one of the better movies last year. :cool:
Do try and get another copy if you can.

I thought the Weather Man was a great movie. Multiple viewings for sure.

all I can find is this schizophrenic thread...

If anyone could appreciate a schizophrenic thread I would think it would be you Robert :D

As I said in the other thread though, I thought it was great! It's a character piece more than anything else, but it manages to be both funny and dramatic. On top of that it is by FAR Gore Verbinski's best film that I've seen, I'm not his biggest fan.

I thought it was really bad. I rate movies on Netflix so I don't make the mistake of re-renting something I forgot I watched. I rated this movie 1 out of 5 stars, and I don't do that very often (65 out of 1312 movies).

Weather Man is the most important movie ever made.

















jk, but I did really like it.

I especially thought Michael Cain had a strong performance.

I thought it was good, He was a great dad to his kid.
Cage rules in most all he does.

Weather Man is the most important movie ever made.
Couldn't agree more. In fact, you took the words right out of my mouth. :D

Even when I disagree I can usually see where the other party is coming from. With this movie I can't figure out why someone would like it. Gave it 1 star too.

Maybe I need the "goodness" of it explained to me. :)

Even when I disagree I can usually see where the other party is coming from. With this movie I can't figure out why someone would like it. Gave it 1 star too.

Maybe I need the "goodness" of it explained to me. :)

Play it backwards to Dark Side of the Moon. Then you'll understand.

I had no problems with the DVD but the movie was a dog. Cage was pretty good but when the movie was over all I could say was why was this movie made? Very dull IMO.

I had no problems with the DVD but the movie was a dog. Cage was pretty good but when the movie was over all I could say was why was this movie made? Very dull IMO.


Hmmmm....maybe everyone else here has fulfilling careers that don't get in the way of family life...

Hmmmm....maybe everyone else here has fulfilling careers that don't get in the way of family life...
What family life? If I had time to start a family with my work schedule, I'd have a much better chance of leading a disfunctional lifestyle...

Hmmmm....maybe everyone else here has fulfilling careers that don't get in the way of family life...

We're getting off topic here, but it is very important to me. I do have a career that doesn't interfere with my family. All I had to do was decide to make half the money I otherwise would. In other words, make family my priority.

This whole topic just strikes a nerve with me. "Americans" think we all have to drive $40,000+ vehicles and live in 3000+square feet, and then we bitch about how you just have to have dual incomes these days to make ends meet. It's crazy. :mad:

Our children are the ones paying the price. I look at some of these families and feel sad. To me, the parents are saying, "Johnny, I would rather drive you around in this money pit than spend time with you". I bet Johnny doesn't care what his transportation is. He'd prefer a econo box car and having time with his parents!

Alright, mods can delete this if necessary. It belongs in another forum all together, but I feel better having typed it. :)

We're getting off topic here, but it is very important to me. I do have a career that doesn't interfere with my family. All I had to do was decide to make half the money I otherwise would. In other words, make family my priority.

This whole topic just strikes a nerve with me. "Americans" think we all have to drive $40,000+ vehicles and live in 3000+square feet, and then we bitch about how you just have to have dual incomes these days to make ends meet. It's crazy. :mad:

Our children are the ones paying the price. I look at some of these families and feel sad. To me, the parents are saying, "Johnny, I would rather drive you around in this money pit than spend time with you". I bet Johnny doesn't care what his transportation is. He'd prefer a econo box car and having time with his parents!

Alright, mods can delete this if necessary. It belongs in another forum all together, but I feel better having typed it. :)
I would hope they wouldn't do that. Because then we might as well just delete life from life. :)
You just answered the question "what is the value of this movie?". The value of it is found in the fact that it inspired you to not only think about what you did but to also to want to share it with the rest of us.
When Tom Cruise summons his superhuman cleverness to defeat the bad guys in Mission Impossible 3, we will be entertained by that too. And escapism is not a bad thing. But it won't be causing us to think about anything which actually matters in our lives.
And even though it seems to be the opinion of many moviegoers, thinking about what actually matters in our lives is not always boring. Sometimes it can be as entertaining as anything. Especially when it has the ability to give us an occasional belly laugh.

Okay, you've changed my mind about the movie. Two stars it is! :)

I agree totally with your thought. Problem is, I didn't connect these two topics while watching the movie. I have connected them as a result of this conversation.

Alright, a strong two stars. :)

I once spent the night in jail in Greer, South Carolina, Tony. In the drunk tank.

I once spent the night in jail in Greer, South Carolina, Tony. In the drunk tank.


That was you? :D

I once lived in Fort Walton Beach for awhile, part of the Redneck Riviera! I never visited the prison though. :)

It truly be a small world, aint it. :)

Actually I mispoke. It's been so long and my memory is not what it once was.
Upon further reflection, I wasn't in jail in Greer. I was in the Mecklenberg County Jail (Charlotte) in it's drunk tank. During the night, amidst the chorus of "hey jailer" which I heard all night long, one particular drunk was from Greer and kept shouting to the jail employees how the Greer jailers were a lot tougher. I never quite understood why this individual was so hell bent on challenging "jailers" of any kind, because somehow it never occurred to me to want to do that. Because trust me, the experience was not anything like what I'd seen happen in Sheriff Andy Taylor's jail.
And the drunks were surely not as pleasant as Otis.
Nobody looked like Barney Fife, either. More like some of the cast members from Deliverance.

Hmmmm....maybe everyone else here has fulfilling careers that don't get in the way of family life...

I didn't think that was the main point of the film, just a small part of it. Then again, as I said there doesn't seem to be a purpose for this movie. FWIW though, I love my job and it leaves me with a nice amount of time to spend with my family. :) I found it hard to sympathize with Cage's character because even though he tried to be a good father he repeatedly set a bad example. He even referred to his daughter during a phone call as the very nickname that she was given at school. A good father doesn't talk respectfully to his kids but badly about them when they're not around. Oh well this is just my opinion. I thought the movie lacked substance and Cage's character was a loser. In Leaving Las Vegas he played a loser at well but there was a good story behind him.

My point was that none of us are perfect (although we wish we are).
We make mistakes.

What is "perfect" has a different meaning for each of us. ;)
Our main character thought he was being a good father, husband, son...
However, those around him thought otherwise...and he was clueless on how to do it better.
He tried, but it usually ended up worse.
I thought this mess he found himself in, in fact, was a rich situation for the film-maker to mine.
Which he did, and I think well. :)

Even when I disagree I can usually see where the other party is coming from. With this movie I can't figure out why someone would like it. Gave it 1 star too.

I feel the exact same way about this movie. My wife and I found it difficult to make it through the whole thing. I can't come up with one positive thing to say about this movie.

It's not a feel good movie. It's depressing. But it's honest in it's exploration of things which aren't pleasant. Things which I've seen in spades in life. But don't often see portrayed in movies.
It's welcome bravery on the part of filmmakers when they don't pull punches in showing us our warts. Because that doesn't seem to be conducive to selling tickets.
But I'm just weird enough to eat that up. Masochism I guess.
Or maybe it's just relief in seeing that there are others who are even more f'ed up than I am.

You said it better than I, Bob. ;)

You know what's interesting about all that, oink, and why it's ironic that I used Tom Cruise for contrast. It's because I was just watching NBC's Dateline. And at the end of tonight's episode they promoed an upcoming episode. And gave us the impression that it's about Tom Cruise and apparently we aint seen nothing yet. It's supposed to reveal that Tom Cruise is apparently even a lot more looney tunes than we even imagined if that's even possible.
The point being that while Cruise' Mission Impossible persona may have a mind like a steel trap and a life to match, that what we're really seeing is a human being with a mind far more f'ed up than anything portrayed in Weather Man.
So while Mission Impossible may be escaping us from those real life warts, it seems that it's doing it with smoke and mirrors which are hiding warts which are about as big as frisbees.
What I've always wondered about is whether warts hurt less when you got millions of bucks to soothe their pain with. Or whether instead having your warts shown all over television makes them hurt even worse.

are people really throwing things at the Weather Man? :D

I liked the movie but it's for sure not for everyone.

Money isn't a guarantee for happiness.

Money gives freedom...
Money gives time back to an individual that would otherwise be sold to others (as in a job, for example).
That is the most important "gift".
FREEDOM.

Yeah, I know: I could buy this and buy that and buy something else, etc., etc. :rolleyes:
Anyone that thinks this will lead to happiness will be disappointed and surprised. ;)

I'm with you. I've had very few material desires in my life. And now have almost none.
Only the desire to have some security, i.e. be able to pay my bills, put foot on the table, and be able to pay my health insurance premium (which is fast becoming a luxury for more and more of us).
I got into a discussion about it on another message board recently. And two people
shouted me down just for saying that I'm not in love with money.
To get us back on topic, however, I'm frankly dumbfounded by the notion that anyone need be paid a million dollars to stand in front of a blue screen and read a weather script on national television. I would have thought tens of thousands would be standing in line to do that and all do it equally well and all be perfectly willing to do it for cop or schoolteacher's wages. Although I have no reason to doubt that part of the movie is absolutely true to life.
How goofy.

It is goofy...I've thought about this quite a bit.

I just can't begrudge those that are fortunate enough to have that kinda gig.
Who wouldn't want to do this?
In this instance our hero wasn't able to stay in synch with the world he was in.
Everyone around him felt short-changed and disappointed (in him and the themselves).
When it all starts crashing around him...what to do?
Chuck it and walk?
Ultimately, he managed to find his center. (I think the archery was symbolic of this).

A fascinating movie for grown-ups. :)

You guys keep talking and I'm going to have to move this one up to 3 stars. :)

I'll tell you what I've learned about money in my short life. I'm 36. I am an architect. I worked like a dog for the first 13 years after college. My wife became pregnant with twins when I was 35. She had a job that was a much more regular 9 to 5 than mine. My job was very much up and down. I might work a 40 hour week, and then a 60, and so forth. We decided that we wanted to be the ones raising our children. Particularly, I didn't want to be the non-existent Dad that you see so much of and that I was destined to be with my current job.

What did we do? We decided that my wifes regular hours and benefits of a large company were important. I went to my boss and told him that I was going to be a stay at home dad and would still like to work for him from the house. I wasn't expecting a good reaction. I was prepared for the boot. I was amazed at his reaction. He was fully supportive. I now work from the house and log in about 20 hours a week for work. My salary is cut in half, but my boys aren't in daycare, they're with their daddy all day, everyday! It's been like this for about a year and a half now.

I can now say that I have found my purpose in life. I'm here to be a good husband and a loving, present, father. My whole view on life has changed because of this new arrangement.

To bring this back closer to the topic, money is what allowed us to do this. We are far from rich, we make close to the average american household in income. One difference, we never live beyond our means. We never have, and that has allowed us to have a savings as opposed to being in debt. Oink said it just right, our money bought us the freedom to make the above decisions. My boss could have given me the boot. If I were counting on every paycheck, I would not have been so bold. But I had freedom baby!!!

We have lived a year and a half on about 2/3's of what our income used to be. It's working out just fine. Most of our friends think we're strange when we decline invitations to restaraunts, etc. (not all the time). I also feel like the odd man out when I'm an architect driving a $5000 econobox. But thats what makes this all work out. I will gladly drive a go-cart to spend time with my family! I look at every extravagent purchase as a statement that this "thing" is more important than time with my loved ones. Not to say we don't do extravagent things, but they are more family oriented, i.e. family trips, HOME THEATER, etc. :)

When we had the twins, everyone kept suggesting it was time for a bigger house. We're in 1950sqft right now. It appears that society doesn't feel it is humane to raise a family of four in 2000 sqft. What the hell happened in the last 30 years? I and most of my friends were raised in 5 and 6 person families in 1200sqft. We "biggie size" everything! I truly believe that a smaller house leads to more intimate spaces which in turn leads to more intimate relationships. (and I'm an architect, so that's a professional opinion on the topic :) )

I encourage everyone to work hard for time with the people in our lives, not possessions. It has made me a new and better man!

duplicate

It appears that society doesn't feel it is humane to raise a family of four in 2000 sqft. What the hell happened in the last 30 years? I and most of my friends were raised in 5 and 6 person families in 1200sqft. http://www.iidb.org/vbb/images/smilies/notworthy.gif


Only the desire to have some security, i.e. be able to pay my bills, put foot on the table...

Make that put "food" on the table. I do like to lean back and put my feet up on the table. But that doesn't require any expenditure of money.

I encourage everyone to work hard for time with the people in our lives, not possessions. It has made me a new and better man!


I hereby nominate tony123 as inspirational-guy-of-the-day. :)

I did get a little "Dr. Phil" today. :) sorry.

tony - we have a lot in common. I am also off the mainstream career path because of kids, and as a result I drive a erm, 'non-prestige' car, but no way will I go back to the normal way until they don't need me so much.

Anyway, I liked the Weather Man, in part because I could relate to the main character. He's trying to do what's best, but he's not very good at it. He's not even very good at dealing with people in common public situations. He tries hard to impress his father but comes off badly anyway. He's trying hard to understand the basis of his job, and it turns out there's nothing there to understand. It's just wind - it blows around all over the place. His dad is a great man who by contrast IS effective, but created an imperfect son because he doesn't really understand human cruelty. He gets sick and dies and his son is powerless to do anything about that. His marriage has failed and his kids think he's an ass, and the worst of it is they're right. But in the end, he rallies, does some good for his kids, and finds success in the one thing he's really good at. The end.

Plus who can resist the _fast_ food scenes? "Food people would rather throw away than eat." Awesome.

I thought the fast food scenes were too funny. But on a different note, I thought that they also further showcased the huge differences between the weatherman and his dad. Not only did his dad not understand why people threw Frostys and Big Gulps at him, he was at such a differet social level than him, that he didn't even know what a (lowly) Frotsy or Big Gulp was.

Well, finally watched this and I gotta say I can't see why this didn't get more acclaim.Just a beautiful, beautiful film. Especially liked

When MC puts the Segar cd in and starts playing it with a baffled look on his face, and it slowly dawns on Cage his father does care what he thinks, that he is almost as nervous about what his son thinks of him as he is of what his father thinks...and that leads to an epiphany about their relationship and what his life really means. And then to top it off we have them speaking to each other more honestly than they probably ever had before. That scene was astounding-two very good actors at the top of their game, riffing off each other like two jazz masters. It was like a jam session with Satchmo and Miles and I'm not ashamed to admit having a tear in my eye when they were done. Not to mention wanting to call my dad...

You are right, lonwolf, this should have had MUCH more acclaim...really too bad. :(

lonwolf, that was definitely the crux of the movie. So few dramas even bother to have a scene like that, let alone pull it off as masterfully as this one did.

thought that I would give this a bump because I finally got a chance to watch The Weather Man this week and this thread was an enjoyable read.

I think that The Weather Man was a really enjoyable viewing experience and think that my general dislike for Nick Cage has been reduced. I'm not sure why I dont really like him, but there was nothing in his performance that I could find fault with. really a strong showing.

there were some really funny/entertaining parts in this - more comedy than I expected. Michael Cane's character really had some good lines. was just a solid story - an interesting view on how even those that appear to be successful can also really need to work on keeping it all together.
jeff

A great, great film that unfortunately too many people missed.

Regarding Tony's views on careers and whatnot, it's an interesting conundrum. Sure, spending time with the family is a priority. But you have to be careful what you impart on your kids, too.

On one hand, it's about being with your kids to show them you love them. On the other hand, it somewhat teaches them that if school's a bit tough and taking a lot of time, go ahead and settle for C's if it gives them more time for things they'd rather do.

To me, 90 percent of parenthood is teaching character and work ethic so they can survive an ever-changing world. My dad worked a ton when I was a kid, but I never doubted his feelings for me for a second. He showed me not just in words, but in the sacrifice and determination he demonstrated every day to take care of us.

I have daughters, and a great marriage. My wife works 45+ hours a week, though financially we don't need her to. I'm glad my girls see that you can be a terrific wife and mom, still be involved in PTA, soccer, and dance class, yet work as a VP for a large company. She cooks, I handle the outdoor stuff, and we both clean.

My girls see first hand that marriage can accentuate their lives. They are not dependent on it. And because of the financial position it puts us in, we can take fantastic vacations that I frankly never had the chance to learn from as a kid.

On occassion, time is limited with the kids, but never for very long. And I like that they see the drive of their mom and dad. It's certainly shown up in their grades and their toughness and persistence in their study habits, athletic endeavors, and relationships with friends and boyfriends.

Tony's not wrong by any means. But it certainly isn't the only way to have a quality family life.

Just to throw my loose change in the mix-
For me, I think the pivitol part of the movie was
When Cage talkes about how we start our lives with infinite possibilities. However, through choice and change, our path available for us to travel along become narrower and narrower. Our options become limited. So, it's important that we don't get caught up in what might have been, what we could have done, and what we want to be but aren't. To me, what he's saying is that a large part of Happines is not torturing yourself over the choices you've made, and accepting where you are and being happy with it. That's not to say you can change nothing in your life. But you can't become a writer overnight, you can't become a scientist overnight. You can't repair the mistakes you've made in a past relationship. Be happy with where you and and what you have.

for me, it changed how a viwed the world a little.

Good insight Big guy. And it ties in with mine-I think thats what his father was trying to tell him in the car.
Dreams are fine, they are how we better ourselves. But when they turn into regrets its time to let them go.

Dreams are fine, they are how we better ourselves. But when they turn into regrets its time to let them go.

You are truly wise, lonwolf...I bow to superior knowledge. ;)

[QUOTE=oink]You are truly wise, lonwolf...I bow to superior knowledge. ;)

So I guess that means you now agree Serenity is a great movie?:)
Sorry oink, couldn't resist. Don't want to open that can of worms. Thanks for the kind words. I think you have some of the most insightful posts on the forum so I'm bursting with pride right now...hmm, it just occured to me that maybe you're being sarcastic? Nah...:)

I have been accused of a lot of things, but not of being an a$$hole. :) :D

I'm not sure why I dont really like him, but there was nothing in his performance that I could find fault with. really a strong showing.


I relate, Jeff. Early on I saw him as Nicolas Coppola (his actual name), just another relative of a big show business personality who was riding the relative's coattails.
Never had much regard for him in those earlier movies like Con Air, The Rock, etc.

Then when Adaptation came along, I started to see him differently.
And then his role in National Treasure which soon followed that really turned me around on him.
Those two performances revealed this really appealing character. He has about as much enigmatic style as anyone on the scene. It's difficult to get a handle on what exactly he is, but it makes for some really interesting movie characters. Lord of War confirmed that in spades. And so does this movie.
So I went from pretty much hating this actor to becoming a fanboy. You just can't ever figure this stuff.

You didn't like him in Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, or Wild At Heart?
I'm pretty much the opposite, I guess. It used to be I thought he was one of the more interesting actors going, and one of the few that made a film worth seeing just because he was in it. And then after the oscar it seemed he was choosing roles for the paycheck and I kinda grew lukewarm about him. But this and LOW definately show he still has the chops...oh, I forgot to mention Face Off-love that flick and by far my favorite Woo american film.

I saw LLV and WAH but honestly can't remember what I thought of him in either .
Loved Raising Arizona. But wasn't impressed with him in it.
As I think about it he struck me as being sorta just odd. But not odd in a good way.
I guess it's like turnip greens. I couldn't stand that crap for the longest time. Thought it was odd too. But it's the darndest thing. Over time I learned to really like it. Began to savor the unique flavor. It's odd yes, but once I acquired the taste I changed my mind and decided it was odd good.
I've noticed that anything odd often takes a while to get used to.

I have liked Cage ever since RA...
For me, he has always been an actor with unique gifts.
I guess talent does run in the Coppola family...very interesting isn't it?

This was a GREAT movie that seemed to have went under the radar, just like Matchstick Men. I'm about to pick up Lord of War, and if Cage goes 3 for 3, he becomes my new favorite actor....despite the ridiculous looking upcoming Ghost Rider.

Money isn't a guarantee for happiness.

Money gives freedom...
Money gives time back to an individual that would otherwise be sold to others (as in a job, for example).
That is the most important "gift".
FREEDOM.

Yeah, I know: I could buy this and buy that and buy something else, etc., etc. :rolleyes:
Anyone that thinks this will lead to happiness will be disappointed and surprised. ;)

oink

Freedom is only a word within this world. Beyond it you can do what ever you like where the laws do not apply. :p

Yep, them pesky laws always take the fun out....