The Weather Man (***1/2)

The Weather Man is one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. It is an intelligent, funny, and at times, movingly dramatic film that's made for adults. Few films like this get through the Hollywood pipeline, and when one finally does, we, as audiences, should embrace it. Nicolas Cage is wonderful as Dave Spritz, a man trying to keep a smile on his face when nothing in his life is worth smiling about. He could give Bill Murray an acting lesson on how to act depressed and downtrodden while still retaining the behavioral aspects of a human being. This is probably director Gore Verbinski's best film. After the splashy, but highly enjoyable, Pirates of the Carribean, he's settled down and here tells the story as simply and stylishly as he can. The city of Chicago is on full display, and it's one of the few films where the weather is such an important and memorable character, which is fitting here given the title of the movie. There are so many great, small moments. This one's a gem.