In Portland, Doug is moving in with his sister Gail. Doug has recently moved from Chicago, where he was studying forensic science and lived with now ex-girlfriend Rachel. After getting a job at an ice factory, he befriends Carlos, a co-worker who also DJs on the side. Rachel arrives in Portland to train at the home office of the Chicago law firm where she is employed, but she suddenly disappears, leaving a trail of clues. Doug, Gail and Carlos begin investigating her whereabouts. They find Rachel, who tells Doug that she is actually working for people apparently involved in online prostitution or pornography, who told her to deliver a locked briefcase full of money to Portland. The man who sent her followed her from Chicago and stole the briefcase before she could deliver it, and now she is afraid and unsure what to do. Doug and Gail find that man, steal the briefcase back from him, and drive to the empty roof of a downtown parking garage. They listen to an old mixtape while waiting for Carlos and Rachel to join them.
, the film holds a 78% approval rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, based on reviews from 63 critics with an average rating of 6.87/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "For viewers who manage to stay invested in its occasionally aimless story, Cold Weather proves a surprisingly sophisticated blend of mumblecore and indie noir." At Metacritic it has a score of 64 based on reviews from 21 critics Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote, "With no grand speeches or oversized gestures, Mr. Katz creates a specific world that gracefully enlarges with universal meaning." Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun Times wrote, "Cold Weather is good in so many subtle ways, I despair of doing them justice. It's a thriller involving the personalities of its characters, who we get to know surprisingly well. It remains low-key even during its final big chase scene, which only involves one car. The acting is so good, you may not notice it. Although the characters stumble over the plot at least 40 minutes into the film, it's as ingenious as a high-tech Friday night special." He also praised the performances of Lankenau and Castillo. The film received Two Thumbs Up from Christy Lemire and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of Ebert presents At the Movies; it was the only film reviewed that week to receive the rating. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Cold Weather becomes the world's first mumblecore 'thriller' – a good idea for a movie that someone, in the future, should execute a bit less lackadaisically."
