Rating: 8.4
I’m not normally a fan of Nicolas Cage… and yet I loved “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”! It’s just so likeable, so much fun and felt like something I hadn’t seen quite like this before! The script is smart, funny and wildly creative. The premise alone is amazing: Nick Cage playing a parody version of himself in a film that’s a celebration of his career… its too good to be true! And I’m so happy to report that this film delivered on the promise of its premise! It’s so much fun, I never expected it to be this great! There are so many scenes that are just pure gold, from the long-running “Paddington 2” joke (which I loved), to the discussions about finding an audience for a movie and how Marvel and Star Wars steal it, to the phenomenal Nicolas Cage movie references! It so cleverly uses its ability to be self-aware to deliver some great meta-narrative elements, from exploring the nature of how we explore filmography today, to the perception of films from the perspectives of the audience vs the actors in them, as well as all the Cage stuff! Cinephiles will love this!
The movie uses the actor playing himself premise in the best way I’ve ever seen it done! And while the script does a lot of the work to help with that, much of it comes down to Nicolas Cage’s performance. Not many actors can play a caricatured version of themselves and take it as seriously as Cage does here! He’s quite sincere in it, and yet also gives us some classic Cage moments! He gave it 110%, his performance was just phenomenal. I loved this more exaggerated, parodied version of himself that he played too. Another huge strength the film has going for it is the amazing dynamic and chemistry between Cage and Pedro Pascal’s character; it truly makes the movie! They just seem to be having so much fun together, and their chemistry alone makes it a must see! Truly, their dynamic makes up for any weak points the film may have, and just makes you want more of it. I didn’t think the movie needed a lot of the spy stuff and wasn’t a huge fan of the third act compared to the rest, mostly because it had less of the Cage/Pascal dynamic. But, on the upside for the 3rd act, it also had a lot of classic Nic Cage action movie tropes and numerous references.
The story also had a lot of heart, and can be quite playful and funny. Sure, its not anything overly special, and it sure isn’t too stylistic from a directorial perspective, but it just worked for me! We haven’t gotten a movie quite like this since “Tropic Thunder” a movie I love. If you liked that, I’m sure you’ll like this! The film is a great celebration of Nicolas Cage, and I just had so much fun with it! And while the movie was good, it is the scenes between Cage and Pascal that really stick out and are what make it as enjoyable as it is!
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IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
RT Audience Score: 87%
Metacritic Score: 67
CinemaScore: B+
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Lionsgate
Directed by Tom Gormican
Written by Tom Gormican & Kevin Etten
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Tiffany Haddish, Paco León, Neil Patrick Harris, Lily Mo Sheen, Alessandra Mastronardi, Ike Barinholtz
Runtime: 1hr 47min
Rating: 14A
Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
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Unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, actor Nick Cage accepts a $1 million offer to attend a wealthy fan's birthday party. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when a CIA operative recruits Cage for an unusual mission. Taking on the role of a lifetime, he soon finds himself channeling his most iconic and beloved characters to save himself and his loved ones.
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Fun Fact: Nicolas Cage was against the idea of playing himself, turning down several offers, but changed his mind after reading a letter from Tom Gormican that was attached to the script.
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