El peso del talento

Over the course of the last decade, Nicolas Cage's career has taken a weird turn. The former Oscar winner seemed to be back on top, making the National Treasure movies and seemingly on his way to movie star status. And then all of the drama. Money was tight, he had terrible spending habits and had to keep the bread baking. Questionable choices on top of questionable choices. The only thing that seemed to be consistent was every few films, we get a pretty good performance. And then the revolution on social media of commenting on terrible films and appreciating there awfulness became a trend, and people started noticing that even Cage's "bad" films exuded a certain energy. People rightfully gave him credit for giving it his all even for the straight to video fare he did because he had a couple weeks off between other projects. The summation of this bizarre trajectory comes to a peak in this role.

Needless to say, this was the role Cage was meant to play...that being himself. It's always brilliant to see just how far someone will take their art and even lampoon themselves in the process. In the past, we saw Jean-Claude Van Damme do it with JCVD, which caused a bit of an eruption because it was a film about him, but the film was openly mocking him. If not for the heartfelt scene where Van Damme laid everything out and gave insight into his motivations, we understand just how difficult such self reflection can be. Michael Keaton also did this in Birdman, taking a swipe at his most famous character in an attempt to rid himself of his past and take on a new persona for his future. It worked, for he is back in big productions again and even won an Oscar. With Nicolas Cage, what is the commentary going to be?

For a Nicolas Cage super fan like me, this movie was a joy to watch. They whipped out some deep references in this film, and Cage seemed to take joy in lampooning his own performances. I forgot how much Cage goes "full Cage" in Guarding Tess, which is a helpful reminder that he was pretty much the guy that was in offbeat comedies for the longest time. And of course, Cage's inability to handle accents is lampooned hilariously, especially when the characters openly love Captain Corelli's Mandolin, an absolute train wreck of bad accents and over the top mannerisms.

What I especially love is how well Pedro Pascal and Cage interact with each other. You can tell they enjoyed the experience and had a boatload of fun with the material. Also, the bizarre interactions that Cage has with himself (you heard that correctly) are amazing.

Many will say his was a just an ego trip for Cage, but when you see his recent body of work you get the feeling that was the intent. The man loves to perform, regardless of the project. As long as he gets some top billing and as long as people keep watching, why wouldn't he get a little big headed? Cage has definitely walked a strange route and seems fully committed to that journey, and as long as he has the chance to keep making unique projects and bring his "nouveau shamanic" acting method to the forefront, I will continue to enjoy many of the strange outings he participates in.

At more than one stage appearing destined for a sad demise in the lands of direct to video releases that ranged from the tolerable to the diabolical, the recent career revival and public adoration towards Oscar winner and walking meme Nicolas Cage has been a sight to behold and easily one of feel good stories of modern Hollywood history.

It's hard to nail down an exact time and place where Cage reminded us all that he is in fact some form of national treasure but with the likes of recent releases such as Mandy, Joe, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and last years wonderful surprise Pig, Cage has started to deliver products that are not only on par with his early to mid-90's output but arguably career best with new meta-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent taking Cage's new found place in the adoring world to all new levels of goodness.

Teaming up with sophomore feature director Tom Gormican to bring his real-life persona into a wild mix of his Hollywood self, Cage is here playing himself in a wild adventure that see's the committed performer a guest at Pedro Pascal's Javi Gutierrez's Spanish villa as the long-time Cage fanboy invites him to his home in an event that quickly turns dangerous as Cage is called upon help the US government stop a group of deadly arms dealers.

Narratively there's nothing to get overly excited about here but the glue that holds this romp all together is the fact Gormican brings out the absolute best of Cage that is sure to be a treat to anyone that has watched his career blossom from bit parts in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, to Oscar glory in Leaving Las Vegas then sad appearances in the likes of The Wicker Man or Left Behind, with Cage here having the time of his life reflecting on his up and down career, riffing of his imaginary younger self and creating comedic gold chemistry with his co-star who proves his just as at home in a film such as this as he is in Mexican cartels and battling evil in a galaxy far far away.

Rarely stopping for a moments pause, once Cage arrives as Javi's picturesque villa and strikes up a budding friendship with the film loving screenwriting fan, Weight just goes for broke as it throws Cage in a series of over the top and crazy situations with highlights coming thick and fast in the form of cliff jumps and acid trips and while it does start to lose steam once Cage's ex-wife and daughter arrive on the scene around the three quarters mark, there's a lot of good will built up from the film that ensures its never far from providing a fun time for all who signed up for the adventure to Cage's world that we are just living in.

A film that for all intents and purposes should never have existed if we were to rewind mere years ago, Weight is a memorable addition to the totally unique and once in a lifetime career of one of Hollywood's most engaging icons, Weight has no right being as entertaining as it is as it gives us an insight into the world of Nic Cage, the man, the myth and the legend.

Final Say -

Likely to be a new favourite for any of Nic Cage's long-term fans or new bandwagoners, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a hugely entertaining film that doesn't unleash anything spectacular but does a fine job of allowing its leading men to have an absolute blast in a meta-comedy that will be one of 2022's most genuinely surprising outings.

3 1/2 Donnie Brasco situations out of 5

For more reviews check out Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

Caught an advance screening tonight and I thought it was super fun. I'm a huge Nicolas Cage fan, and it was over the top and crazy and chaotic and heartwarming. And there's definitely some cuckoo stuff mixed in, I'm actually a little surprised he didn't take the weirdness even further. And he yelled a lot but I would've taken even more. Haha Definitely a light silly night at the movies :) LONG LIVE CAGE.

Nic Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself in an enjoyable action-comedy that also stars a brilliant Pedro Pascal. Writers Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten strike a solid balance between fanboy moments and telling a fairly engaging story. While Cage excels in his dialogue-based humor, Pedro Pascal (who gets nearly equal emotional footing in the story) plays perfect foil to him. The underlying kidnapping plot is something that typically works in a Nic Cage action film, though Cage playing (a version of) himself makes all the difference here. The Easter eggs are organically placed, and the beautiful Spanish locales and production design present themselves as positives. The supporting cast also pitch in when needed, but Cage and Pascal do most of the heavy-lifting from a dramatic and comedic standpoint.

To give you insight into my relationship with Nicolas Cage, I will quote the end of my review for his movie Jiu Jitsu, which I gave 1 star:

"This is just a straight-garbage movie. Damn you Nick Cage!

... I wonder what movie of his I'll watch next."

I've been a fan of his for so long. I think he's very talented and has a certain crazy appeal that you don't see from other actors. And I keep watching most of his movies even as they plummet in quality and rarely make it to cinemas. He still makes them entertaining, even if they are awful. This is a huge contrast to other former A-list actors who have gone down the same path but with unwatchable movies. Like fellow Face/Off star John Travolta or Bruce Willis (we will miss you!).

So when they decide to make a movie that's essentially all about Nick Cage, of course I'm 100% in. And I have to say, this is his best movie in years. It's levels above the quality of his recent direct-to-video movies and is definitely cinema-worthy.

I laughed a lot. A couple parts had me crying from laughter. And when I wasn't laughing I was generally amused. It felt so refreshing to laugh with his movie rather than at it. And with the lack of comedy movies lately, this came at a perfect time.

Other than the comedy, this is a mostly well-made movie with a story and characters that kept me invested. I love the meta aspect. Nick Cage's performance in this role is perfect. It has a good supporting cast with the standout being Pedro Pascal. He's so likeable and has great chemistry with Nick Cage. Their relationship drives the movie. Pedro Pascal is a star.

I had a great time with this movie. I think most will enjoy it, but the ones who will appreciate it the most are the fans who are familiar with his work. (2 viewings, early screening 4/13/2022, 3/26/2023)

My favorite Nick Cage movies:

(1) Face/Off

(2) Kick-Ass

(3) Matchstick Men

(4) The Rock

(5) The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

(6) Con Air

(7) National Treasure

(8) Next

(9) Knowing

(10) Lord of War

I didn't know if I should count Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse since his role is so small.