I think the bulk of what I call "good films" tend to fall into one of
two categories: either they're engaging and compelling in the moment
but then quickly fade from my awareness, or they're just
fine
while I'm watching them, but then grow in my consciousness as time
passes. (I guess what I consider "great films" manage to accomplish
both—they're equally compelling during and long after the viewing.)
The Weather Man falls into the second "good film" category for
me. It was a perfectly fine way to spend a couple of hours this past
Friday night, but I wasn't utterly taken by the film as I watched it.
In the couple of days since I've watched it, though, the film and its
characters have taken on a much larger life in my imagination and
thoughts. The characters are so real, both in their brokenness and in
their small, hopeful desires and efforts to pull themselves above their
failings. They simultaneously love and despise each other in such real,
believable ways, and they struggle to make the best of less-than-ideal
realities, accepting that sometimes there are no truly good solutions.
As I think about the characters now, I realize I have compassion and
empathy for each and every one of them. And maybe that's what I'm
carrying with me from this film: a deeper ability to see different
sides and perspectives of a situation, and to generate more than enough
empathy to go around.