By: debbie lynn elias
Looking for a change in the weather? Then WEATHER GIRL is in the forecast for you. With a world premiere at Sundance and follow-up at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival in the “Guilty Pleasures” category, WEATHER GIRL hits theatres this week and is guaranteed to bring a little sunshine into even the darkest day.
“Sassy” Sylvia Miller is Seattle’s cute, perky and, of course, sassy weather girl. Beloved by all, and most particularly co-anchor Dale Waters, it comes as a total shock when Sylvia’s entire life falls apart one morning on camera after she discovers a pair of bright pink lace panties in Dale’s dressing room. Sadly, the panties are not Sylvia’s. But, what better way to call out your cheating rat boyfriend than to do it on live tv. Of course, a meltdown on live tv also means a meltdown in life as not only does Sylvia no longer have her main squeeze Dale, she loses her job, loses her apartment, loses her friends and loses her dignity. And for Sylvia, who knows which is the lesser of all those evils. On the flip said, one does get instant fame on YouTube thanks to all the viewings of the tv meltdown.
But, does someone as sassy as Sylvia just give up, crawl in a hole and call it quits? Naw. She takes refuge in her baby brother Walt’s apartment which is also shared by his friend, Byron. Pulling herself together after having the door slammed in her face by every tv and radio station in Seattle, Sylvia finally grabs the job of the century, or not – a waitress at a local restaurant for a tyrant of a gum-chomping manager whose main grounds for employment termination is the failure to bring your own wine key to work. And Sylvia even jumps back into the dating pool starting with the egomaniacal, Charles. But while Sylvia is out looking for a new life, it looks like life may be right on her doorstep. Or not.
Written and directed by Blayne Weaver, the seeds for WEATHER GIRL come from his own relationship some years back and the societal pressures placed on women to “hurry up” and find the right guy, right job and settle down. With the character of Sylvia, he takes a woman who has it all and then loses it all, thus being forced to “start all over” and still with the societal pressures looming like black rain clouds overhead. The story is steeped in life and thanks to the well crafted full bodied and complete characterization and plotlines, connects to something within each of us.
Each actor defines their respective character to a tee, starting with Tricia O’Kelley as Sylvia. I have long enjoyed her as a comic foil on “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and here, as Sylvia, O’Kelley is an even greater joy to watch. She has depth, excellent comedic timing and a dead pan delivery to die for. Her emotional range is fun and entertaining as she draws you into the sometimes wacky world of Sylvia.
And you can’t do much better with casting than Mark Harmon who easily slides into the role of anchorman Dale Waters. I swear that Harmon modeled Dale’s on camera demeanor after none other than KTLA’s own debonair weatherman, Mark Kriski. Egomaniacal concern for his good looks and dominating on-air presence (not to mention knowing he is one of the best looking guys to hit the air waves since sliced bread), Harmon is delicious as the catalyst that sets the play into motion. The always funny Jon Cryer is no different here as he tackles the egotist Charlie, a blind date of Sylvia’s, with a humorous pompous insecurity making him the absolute hands down winner of any date-from-hell contest. A familiar face to all is Patrick J. Adams who makes Byron the kind of guy every gal wants – as a best friend, confidante, annoyance, lover. Likeable, funny, entertaining. He fills the screen with an almost collegiate exuberance. And his chemistry with O’Kelley is smooth as silk. Ryan Devlin takes it up a notch as Sylvia’s brother Walt. Going for the laugh at every turn, he is a typical younger brother. (And his torments remind me so much of my own dear brother, Ed.) The familiar faces of Blair Underwood, Jane Lynch, Marin Hinkle and Enrico Colantoni are all that’s needed to complete the forecast.
Written and directed by Blayne Weaver, he finds a comfortable niche of dry ironic wit in the dialogue and characterization, ramping it up to more of a slapstick tone whenever Patrick J. Adams and Ryan Devlin are on screen, making for a very agreeable story. Playing it safe in format and style while maintaining a fairly even pacing for the majority of the film, Weaver does lose a bit of momentum as he heads into the homestretch in the last 15 minutes of so. However, making up for some directorial shortcomings is the overall excellence of the film’s production values (particularly in light of its small budget) with much credit going to cinematographer Brandon Trost who provides a saturated color palette which compliments the eclectic, hit-the-nail-on-the-head production design of Michael Fitzgerald.
Opening in limited release on July 10th and then expanding into multiple cities before finding a home on Lifetime Television, it may be raining in Seattle, but the sun will be shining for WEATHER GIRL wherever you may find her.
Sylvia – Tricia O’Kelley
Dan – Mark Harmon
Byron – Patrick J. Adams
Walt – Ryan Devlin
Written and Directed by Blayne Weaver.
