The Weather Man

Dave Spritz is a local weatherman in his home town of Chicago, where his career is going well while his personal life -- his relationship with his perfectionist writer father, his neurotic ex-wife, and his now-separated children -- is spiraling downward. Despite being both loathed and loved by the local masses, Dave is a guy who doesn't seem to have it all together, and in this film, he begins to feel it. An attractive job offer presents Dave with a major question: to pursue his career in New York City, or to remain at home with his family.

Dave Spritz has a decent career as a weatherman in Chicago. He is loved and hated by people. However, his personal life is a mess, his father is dying, his ex-kids are not the brightest kids in the world, and his wife isn't fond of him. Trying to cope with all his problems, Dave attempts to make his father proud before he dies, tries to help his kids become better people, and try to get back with his wife. Sounds easy right? Not a chance.

What does it mean to be an adult? Chicago TV weatherman, Dave Spritz, is unhappy to be divorced, unhappy to be recognized on the street, distracted from the needs of his chubby preteen daughter and his naive teenage son, disconcerted when strangers throw things at him, and convinced he's a failure in the eyes of his father, a successful writer. In response, Dave constantly announces breathless plans to make things better - impractical, unrealistic, juvenile drivel. A job opening in New York, his father's illness, his ex-wife's romance, and his children's problems from growing up too quickly converge on the hapless Dave. Can he step into adulthood?

Clever and insightful movie on the subject of growing-up in upper middle class America. Dave Spritz, a weatherman without meteorological qualifications in Chicago, is confronted with his own rage that life hasn't proceeded as he had planned. A talented man who finds it difficult to see his own talent because he compares himself with his Pulitzer winning, distant father is at a low ebb. Not to mention that "fans" delight in recognizing him on the street and throwing food at him. The other problems in his life, an angry ex-wife, a daughter bullied at school and a son just leaving rehab don't help. And Spritz would really rather just think about sex. Through finding a hobby, connecting with his dying father and standing by his kids we see the character grow and become a hero.