The Weatherman
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Nicolas Cage)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
If this past year has shown us only a few things, one of them would have to be that weather can be a beast. Sure, it may be the easiest topic of casual conversation. Yes, we may read its cards and broadcast its fortune like we control it ourselves. And, I admit it, some days it is no more than an indicator to help us in our fashion choices. We like to think we can predict it, prepare for it, and do as we please whatever it may be doing. But, when it comes down to us and weather, sometimes all we can do is watch as it throws all of our predictions, preparations, and ways of life out the window.
For weatherman David Spritz, this realization is exactly what he must face as the movie The Weatherman begins. He has spent his career broadcasting the weather, telling Chicago what day of the week will be “The Spritz Nipper,� and smiling at the camera. He has the act down pat and is up for a move from regional to national…But, as everyone knows, the forecasts of life are never as simple and easy as a performance in front of green screen.
Although David Spritz has been very successful in his career, he is a mess. He explodes at fans eager to meet their friendly weatherman. He seems unable to utter a single off-air sentence without at least one large handful of swear words. And, at some point or another, he and his family have met some ugly storms that have left them struggling to recover.
Standing on the outside and looking at his life, all David can say is, “someone should be happy here.� According to his predictions, his life should have turned out a whole lot better. His family should still be together. His wife should still love him. His son should not have been sexually assaulted by his drug counselor less than a month after being released from rehab. His daughter should not have to endure insults from her classmates or smoke cigarettes on a deserted playground. And his father should not be dying.
If David’s predictions had worked out as planned, he would be a better man, he would have a better life, and everyone in it would be a whole lot happier. But the problem with predictions is, they don’t always come true, they don’t always pan out, and they don’t always stay on track as the winds of life push us and them from one year to the next.
Far from living the life he once thought he would live, David Spritz is very much aware that the best of plans and predictions don’t always come to true. He sees it in his life, on his daily broadcasts, and in his “accidental� hobby of archery. No matter how hard the meteorologists try to predict the weather, the wind is always there ready to blow every prediction off course. No matter how much he tries to hit a bull’s-eye with his arrow, the wind is always going to throw in an extra twist to his shot.
David’s life is not pretty. In all honestly, David himself is not all that likeable. The wind has thrashed him around. The storms seem to continue to surround him. And, despite some of David’s best efforts to remedy the stormy destruction in his life, we know, that just like all of us, David will still face many more windy days around the corner.
From its beginning to its end, The Weatherman is about the storms of life. It is about the atmosphere that surrounds us and the things that blow us off course. In the end, however, the story is also about the way we choose to face those storms that leave us wet, cold, and wondering where the bright sunny day we expected has suddenly gone.
As David says, “Easy doesn’t enter into grown-up life.� From his perspective, life seems to be no more than walking against a wind that just does not seem to stop blowing.
A few years older and bit more experienced, however, David’s father Robert pushes David to see that as much as the storms of life can affect us, the way we respond to those storms is what will actually shape our lives. “The harder thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing…� says Robert. “Anything of value isn’t easy…to get anything of value, you have to sacrifice.�
For every one of us, there are storms we must face. They may seem as devastating as an endless hurricane season or an unexpected Tsunami. They may be more like a drenching rain that never stops. But no matter what, they will always be filled with winds that cannot help but push us from the exact path we are trying to take.
Life is not easy. Life is not predictable. But, as Robert infers in some of his final words to David, value is there; often we just have to walk against the winds, endure the storms, and search out the spots of sunshine to find it.
The question for us is: Are we willing to brave those winds? Are we willing to believe that there can be sunshine beyond any storm? And, are we willing to believe that in the same way Jesus once halted a sea of storms with only his words, He is also here today ready to lead us through and deliver us from any and every storm that we may face.
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Nicolas Cage)
—8 . Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Nicolas Cage)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
If this past year has shown us only a few things, one of them would have to be that weather can be a beast. Sure, it may be the easiest topic of casual conversation. Yes, we may read its cards and broadcast its fortune like we control it ourselves. And, I admit it, some days it is no more than an indicator to help us in our fashion choices. We like to think we can predict it, prepare for it, and do as we please whatever it may be doing. But, when it comes down to us and weather, sometimes all we can do is watch as it throws all of our predictions, preparations, and ways of life out the window.For weatherman David Spritz, this realization is exactly what he must face as the movie The Weatherman begins. He has spent his career broadcasting the weather, telling Chicago what day of the week will be “The Spritz Nipper,� and smiling at the camera. He has the act down pat and is up for a move from regional to national…But, as everyone knows, the forecasts of life are never as simple and easy as a performance in front of green screen.
Although David Spritz has been very successful in his career, he is a mess. He explodes at fans eager to meet their friendly weatherman. He seems unable to utter a single off-air sentence without at least one large handful of swear words. And, at some point or another, he and his family have met some ugly storms that have left them struggling to recover.
Standing on the outside and looking at his life, all David can say is, “someone should be happy here.� According to his predictions, his life should have turned out a whole lot better. His family should still be together. His wife should still love him. His son should not have been sexually assaulted by his drug counselor less than a month after being released from rehab. His daughter should not have to endure insults from her classmates or smoke cigarettes on a deserted playground. And his father should not be dying.
If David’s predictions had worked out as planned, he would be a better man, he would have a better life, and everyone in it would be a whole lot happier. But the problem with predictions is, they don’t always come true, they don’t always pan out, and they don’t always stay on track as the winds of life push us and them from one year to the next.Far from living the life he once thought he would live, David Spritz is very much aware that the best of plans and predictions don’t always come to true. He sees it in his life, on his daily broadcasts, and in his “accidental� hobby of archery. No matter how hard the meteorologists try to predict the weather, the wind is always there ready to blow every prediction off course. No matter how much he tries to hit a bull’s-eye with his arrow, the wind is always going to throw in an extra twist to his shot.
David’s life is not pretty. In all honestly, David himself is not all that likeable. The wind has thrashed him around. The storms seem to continue to surround him. And, despite some of David’s best efforts to remedy the stormy destruction in his life, we know, that just like all of us, David will still face many more windy days around the corner.
From its beginning to its end, The Weatherman is about the storms of life. It is about the atmosphere that surrounds us and the things that blow us off course. In the end, however, the story is also about the way we choose to face those storms that leave us wet, cold, and wondering where the bright sunny day we expected has suddenly gone.
As David says, “Easy doesn’t enter into grown-up life.� From his perspective, life seems to be no more than walking against a wind that just does not seem to stop blowing.
A few years older and bit more experienced, however, David’s father Robert pushes David to see that as much as the storms of life can affect us, the way we respond to those storms is what will actually shape our lives. “The harder thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing…� says Robert. “Anything of value isn’t easy…to get anything of value, you have to sacrifice.�
For every one of us, there are storms we must face. They may seem as devastating as an endless hurricane season or an unexpected Tsunami. They may be more like a drenching rain that never stops. But no matter what, they will always be filled with winds that cannot help but push us from the exact path we are trying to take.
Life is not easy. Life is not predictable. But, as Robert infers in some of his final words to David, value is there; often we just have to walk against the winds, endure the storms, and search out the spots of sunshine to find it.
The question for us is: Are we willing to brave those winds? Are we willing to believe that there can be sunshine beyond any storm? And, are we willing to believe that in the same way Jesus once halted a sea of storms with only his words, He is also here today ready to lead us through and deliver us from any and every storm that we may face.
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Nicolas Cage)
—8 . Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
1 Comments:
Great Review. I really enjoyed this movie. One thing I missed that you picked up was the importance of David being drawn to archery as a hobby. Part of it is like you said, a continuing metaphor of how the wind can throw things off course. And I think part of it also is being able to account for the wind and make the neccesary adjustments.
Thanks for your review and getting me thinking.
Post a Comment
<< Home