Partly cloudy with a chance of weirdness: "The Weather Man"

This was a rather odd movie, and not in a David Lynch, backward-speaking dwarf kind of way.

Not surprising, really, given the way Nicolas Cage has been lately. Remember when he won an Oscar 10 years ago for "Leaving Las Vegas?" Sure, there were some dogs before that -- I think he and Sam Jackson will stab anyone who mentions "Amos and Andrew" -- but Cage was young, and you got the sense that "Vegas" would set him up for great roles.

Alas, first came the mindless blockbusters -- "The Rock," "Con Air" and "Face/Off" -- which were easy enough to watch but no great reflection of Cage's acting ability. (When Travolta out-thespians you, that's a problem.) After that, we got clunkers like "Snake Eyes" and curiosities like "8mm" -- the latter just great for family viewing during the holidays.

Cage also had a thing about directors, from working with bigtime guys (Scorsese and Woo) to being one himself (the largely forgotten "Sonny"). Even when he delivered a strong role, such as in "Adaptation" and "Matchstick Men," you wanted to shake Nic and scream, "Yeah, do more of this! Forget 'National Treasure!'" I don't know ... maybe I'm being too hard on him. After all, this is H.I. McDunnough we're talking about.

Where does "The Weather Man" fall into all of this? Hard to say. I know when it came out I was skeptical and a little surprised when reviews were mixed. I expected worse, and the mediocre reception was enough for me and My Passion Queen to burn a free Blockbuster rental on Cage's turn as a Chicago weather man undergoing some kind of midlife crisis.

With the perfect moniker of "Dave Spritz," Cage is divorced, out of touch with his kids and starved for attention from his father, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author (Michael Caine). He's also stressed about the chance to join a "Today"-like national morning show, which would be great for his career and -- he naively thinks -- his family. Why, if I can get this job, my wife will take me back, and all will be right with the world! Yeah, that's the ticket.

What makes this movie weird, and a little maddening, is the general unevenness of this story. It's all kind of moody, which allows for some funny touches -- Spritz always getting fast food thrown at him, and ultimately figuring out what that means. There's also how Spritz helps his daughter buy some new clothes -- one thing he actually gets right with his kids.

The problem is that the movie never clicks altogether. There are other funny moments, such as Spritz's internal monologue as he tries to remember to bring something home to his wife. But while that and the fast-food bit are good, other voiceovers don't connect and make Cage sound a little pompous. Hey, voiceovers are risky in any case, and it says something that it partly worked here. But again, only partly.

I also didn't think some relationships were as developed as others. While we get tender moments between Spritz and his daughter, the interaction with his son -- even with dad coming to his defense -- wasn't as strongly portrayed. The same thing with Spritz and his dad. I got that Spritz was the antithesis of his father -- fluffy weather man vs. important writer -- but I wanted more than clipped conversations to show that void between them.

Ultimately, "The Weather Man" is probably worth seeing since I can't name another movie quite like it. If it didn't have big stars or a slick look, it might be considered an intriguing indie film better received by critics. Maybe it's not fair to judge the story and performances based on that, but hey, we can't ignore that Cage and Caine are heavy hitters. C'mon ... "Fire Birds" meets "Jaws: The Revenge" ... shield your eyes from such brilliance.