“Weather Girl” is a fizzy romantic comedy about a “sassy weather girl” who has a mid-air breakdown. On the Seattle morning TV show, she reveals that the show’s host has set her up. Tricia O’Kelley (“Gilmore Girls”) stars as weather girl Sylvia Miller, and after her career suicide, she finds herself without a job, boyfriend and apartment. With no savings, she is forced to move in with her younger brother, Walt, played by Ryan Devlin. He and her best friend Byron (Patrick J. Adams) suck as a support team and hinder her return to sanity. Trying to cope at age 35, she relies on her friends (Kaitlin Olson and Alex Kapp Horner) for advice. She was put in touch with an accountant (Jon Cryer) who on her first date mapped out her life together down to the number and sex of her children.
After a series of job interviews, which laughingly focus on her breakdown, she has to take a job as a waitress for restaurant owner JD played by Jane Lynch. Desperate, she begins an unlikely romance with a younger man, her brother’s best friend. They promise each other that it is nothing more than a physical relationship, but little by little it turns into a repressed love affair.
While predictable and light-hearted, “Weather Girl” offers a fast-moving setting that’s always fun and entertaining. What makes it likeable is a cast that polarizes the story and gives it emotional definition. Mark Harman (“NCIS”) stars as the sleazy, sleazy anchorman whose persuasive powers seem as hollow as his teleprompter readings. He’s a cardboard character, but a cardboard character well done and even in the comeuppance scene he remains unfeeling and despicable as he tries to rewrite the truth. Tricia O’Kelley is the energetic force in this film. When her world falls apart, she plays the part of her with guts instead of seeking mercy. She could have been much stronger if it weren’t for her facial turns, as she made it difficult to grasp what was going on inside of her.
The brother and his friend provide a disruptive counterpoint to Sylvia’s goals, but are too alike in appearance and attitude to make a strong impact as individuals. Insightful cameos by Jane Lynch, (“Two and a Half Men”) Kaitlin Olson (“Two and a Half Men”) and Alex Kapp Horner (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) bring women’s point of view to the story in a comical and ironic way. They tell us that marriage and a job, any job, any man is more important than a love relationship. Jon Cryer’s (“Two and a Half Men”) brilliant portrayal of the anal thinking counter is the catalyst that steers Sylvia away from any serious relationship to one that is purely physical. Enrico Colantoni deftly plays the show’s television director, someone who knows the potential of confrontational television. You will like their choices in choosing camera angles.
The production values are top notch. Shot on location in Seattle and Los Angeles, the film has a beautiful sense of space, time and direction, a tribute to writer-director Blayne Weaver. With marquee TV stars, the film should do well in theaters, but its best home is probably the small screen, where its primary target audience demographic resides.
CREDITS: “Weather Girl” stars Tricia O’Kelley, Patrick J. Adams, Ryan Devlin, Mark Harmon, Kaitlin Olson, Alex Kapp Horner, Marin Hinkle, Jon Cryer, and Jane Lynch. Written and directed by Blayne Weaver; Produced by Secret Identity in association with Steakhaus Productions and Tricia O’Kelley; Photography by Brandon Trost; Edited by Abe Levy; Production Design by Michael Fitzgerald; Art Direction by Samson Kellman; Production Sound Mixer: George Flores; Costume design by Sarah Trost; Key makeup by Keri Ann Luevano, original music by Andrew Hollander. Duration: 92 minutes. Rated R. Available on DVD.