Weather Girl

I have often wondered what a movie peppered with sitcom stars (who work WAY harder than "serious" ones) would be like. Now I know. It's GREAT!

Containing stars from series like "Two And A Half Men" and "The New Adventures Of Old Christine" (and starring one of the snobby duo from the latter) this movie is better acted than most "rom-coms" that inhabit mainstream cinema today.

And while any movie that is written and directed by the same person should ring alarm bells - there are exceptions. And "Weather Girl" is definitely one of them.

It is a damn shame this movie got so little exposure in the theatres - but if it pops up on telly or you see it down at your local video-hire shop, check it out.

Okay, it's no "When Harry Met Sally" - but it will entertain you WAY more than a lot of the tosh that masquerades as cinematic entertainment these days.

Sassy Seattle local TV weather girl Sylvia (Tricia O'Kelley) goes crazy on the air over womanizing anchorman Dale (Mark Harmon) cheating on her with co-anchor Sherry (Kaitlin Olson). She has to restart her life while staying with brother Walt (Ryan Devlin) and his intrusive flirty neighbor friend Byron (Patrick J. Adams).

This is basically a single gal TV sitcom in movie form. For certain circles and maybe for most people, this is damning rebuke. I don't mind a single gal TV sitcom. It's a staple for a reason. The main thing for me is that I like Tricia O'Kelley. She has mostly been the sidekick or the mean girl. She deserves to play the lead and Patrick J. Adams is also very charming. It's a comfortable TV show in movie form.

I saw this at the LA Film Festival in Westwood. I can see this film having a very successful life on Netflix after it's theatrical run. While it is an easy romantic comedy with the usual emotional chaos and (occasionally) predictable but very entertaining story-line, this film is executed beautifully. The dialog is snappy, funny and has that contemporary indie feel like Juno. Within the romantic comedy genre it's right up there with the greats, but made on a much smaller budget. I'm sure the Director will stick around after this. Did well at Slamdance.

Wonderful set design, strong performances and the comedic timing of a pro, the audience laughed hard at all the right spots. The lead was perfectly cast and even the cliché ridden romantic male lead (the dude, looking like he's still in college) came across as lovable.

It doesn't take many risks because it doesn't need to. Good judgment on behalf of the team lead by Blayne Weaver has lead to a successful, well made comedy.

I would recommend this movie. Good comedy.

This is a cute if slightly edgy romantic comedy. I think we all want to root for Sylvia. And Tricia O'Kelley is pleasant enough, when she is not going nuts.

Fans of "The Mick" or even "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" might be disappointed that Kaitlin Olson has such a small role, or that she's not nearly as likable here as she is in those shows. Sherry is either too perky, too boring (when she and Dale apologize for their co-worker's rant), too terrified or too nuts. The fact is the role of Sylvia seems to have been written for Olson. O'Kelley's delivery in many scenes appears very much like Mickey on "The Mick", including some personality quirks. I'm thinking particularly about what could be described as a stammer. O'Kelley is prettier, but it is Olson's personality that she seems to be giving us.

Mark Harmon gives us both conceited perfect anchor, a common stereotype, and a somewhat appealing character who we're really not supposed to like. I know he's respected, but I'm not sure he is in a role worthy of his talent.

I don't know who Patrick Adams is. I guess we're supposed to like him. I do find myself rooting for him but I'm not sure why.

Jane Lynch isn't as evil as her award-winning Sue Sylvester, but she's bad enough. Meaning good enough.

I don't know the names of Sylvia's potential bosses, but several of them really stand out. Great performances, for the material.

It's worth seeing.

Tricia O'Kelley is our sassy weather girl, Sylvia, except she insists she's not sassy, she just has boyfriend problems and now employment problems giving way to the numerous emotional issues which our heroine explores in this romantic comedy.

Sylvia is a fantastic romantic comedy heroine. Sure, she's slightly desperate for a boyfriend but when her job opportunities disappear, she does the responsible thing and finds a temporary solution, as a waitress. She retains just enough optimism peeking out of the many hysterical breakdowns, that watching her is a joyful experience. We have two leading men, both extremely attractive and even better, their many moments of humour are priceless. Walt (Ryan Devlin) is Sylvia's younger brother and he puts up with all her neuroses because of brotherly love. Byron (Patrick J. Adams) is Walt's best friend, he also puts up with Sylvia's many neuroses, but out of a more carnal love.

This film succeeds because young career women can relate to Sylvia's problems unlike the similar "Morning Glory" (2010), and every actor aptly delivers the comedy (unlike most big budget comedies). It's well written and knows its genre well playing up most of the formulaic elements on purpose but without any of the hackneyed details. "Weather Girl" is definitely a great romantic comedy because it's absolutely hilarious from beginning to end with just a hint of self-awareness.