The Weather Man Trivia Quiz

Answer: expired tags

David has let his tags expire and must make a trip to the DMV. While waiting in line, a fan asks him for an autograph. David refuses, claiming that he is not who the fan thinks he is. This results in an unpleasant encounter with the fan and perhaps the first time that we see David's difficulty in recognizing his own celebrity status.

Answer: Chicago

David is a weatherman in Chicago for WCH6. He seems to adopt a completely different persona when presenting the weather news, even though he doesn't have a degree in meteorology. He gets his weather information from the wire services. He performs his job very well though.

Answer: cigarettes

They stop at the Evanston Mini Mart and David lets Shelly out of the car. She buys a pack of cigarettes. She is an unhappy 12-year-old girl, somewhat overweight and teased by her classmates. David is totally unaware of Shelly's problems.

Answer: Pulitzer Prize

Robert King Spritzel won the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He won the National Book Award when he was 28. David labors under the disappointment his father expresses for David's underachievement. During the drive, David tries to get his father to notice the letter he has received from "Hello America." Unfortunately, his father never takes notice of the letter.

Answer: archery

Shelly picks archery. They travel 90 minutes to an archery range, buy a bow, a leather wrist/forearm guard, and private lessons for $170. They purchase a 5-pack lesson plan, but the first lesson turns out to be a fiasco and they never return together.

They do give archery another try later in the film, but she's simply not interested. David does return on his own for private lessons some time later. It turns out to be quite rewarding for him.

Answer: They throw fast food at him.

It seems strange, but every so often, during the course of the film, David is pelted with varieties of fast food. The first time we see this is when David is hit with a Frosty, a milkshake from Wendy's. In a flashback, David conjectures that the reason people throw things at him is because of his name.

He changed his name to David Spritz from David Spritzel per a station manager's suggestion. It sounded more refreshing. The other reason lies in the fact that he receives a very good salary for little effort and the fans recognize this fact.

Answer: His father only has a few months to live.

Robert has been diagnosed with lymphoma and given a matter of months to live. David ponders the reasons he has been a disappointment; the breakup of his marriage and family, the fact that he is not a meteorologist yet still a weatherman, and the perceived unpopularity with his fans.

His big hope is to land a position with "Hello America." He says, "Don't die yet, Robert. Give me time to get it together."

Answer: David reads her confidential note.

They attend a therapy session where there are several trust-building exercises. The first one involves facing away from your partner and letting them catch you as you fall backwards. It is called the "Buddy Drop." This goes very well. The other exercise consists of writing down something they had done which affected their partner, and that they were not proud of. Also, it should be something that the partner does not know about. Next, they give it to their partner.

The stipulation is that the partner is never going to read what their partner wrote. David violates this by reading what Noreen had written in the bathroom.

Then, incomprehensibly, he discusses what she had written afterwards. Naturally, Noreen is furious with him for betraying her trust.

There is really no hope for reconciliation after this.

Answer: Bob Seger

David gives thanks to his children and friends. Then he says, "When I think of my dad, I think of Bob Seger's 'Like a Rock.'" At this point, the power goes out. The power comes back on 40 minutes later, but everyone has forgotten about his speech. Naturally, this exacerbates his feelings of inadequacy, having been unable to say something more profound. Later, David and his father have a moment together in the car and candidly discuss family matters.

It's a touching scene and I think it's the only time that Michael Caine's character smiles in the film.

Answer: Yes

David tells his father that he has accepted the job at "Hello America." His father passes away shortly after that. It seems that David has come to terms with who he has become in life and is finally satisfied to the extent that he can be without his family. People don't throw things at him anymore. He suggests that it's because he carries a bow around with him. When a fan asks him for an autograph, he graciously gives it. People recognize him in public and it feels good for a change. "Hello, America."