A hangdog Nic Cage ladles out his put-upon Everyman schtick in Gore Verbinski's tasty twist on the male menopause. Cage inhabits Dave Spritz, a glum Chicago weatherman who's a hit on the small screen - but a flop in the rest of his life. His ex-wife loathes him, his kids are drifting away from his anxious clutches and his dad (a feisty Michael Caine) reckons he's a total disappointment.
Neatly playing out against the Windy City's chilly cityscapes, Verbinski manages to tease sniggers from serious situations. Ultimately, Caine's disappointingly underused and a subplot dealing with Dave's new job distracts. Pity, as otherwise this could've been a smart take on mid-life crisis.
Extras are sparse, with just a clot of featurettes looking at life as a weatherman, but few contributions from Caine or Cage. Shame the two of them couldn't have been locked in a commentary booth for a few hours - that would have been worth a listen...
DVD Extras: Extended Outlook: The Script, Forecasts: Becoming A Weather Man, Atmospheric Pressure: The Style & Palette, Realtive Humidity: The Characters, Trade Winds: The Collaboration & Theatrical Trailer.
