The other night I was at Video Ezy and I spotted The Weather Man. Previously I'd had no intention of seeing this film, because of Nicolas Cages' form slump, but I thought what the hell and got it. Boy I'm glad I did.

Nic plays David Spritz, a weatherman on a Chicago news show, who's on the short list to get a gig on a national morning news show. He makes a fortune and has to do very little for it. However, his personal life is in the toilet. His father (Michael Caine) is a Pulitzer Prize winning author, who he feels inadequate around, and he's separated from his wife and teenage kids, who are experiencing their fair share of problems.

The Weatherman is a great blend of drama and comedy, which has some laugh out loud moments and some sad ones too. As always Michael Cain is great in a supporting role and this is probably Cages' best performance since "Leaving Las Vegas". But its strength is the script. David is an interesting character who shares a lot of profound insights through out the film and the multiple  sub plots make this a  layered and entertaining story.

The soundtrack, which features a great Beastie Boys instrumental, was also a great.

The Weather Man marks a welcome return to form for Cage. It's unfortunate that he followed it up with Ghost Rider.

It's well worth a rent.