Nicholas Cage as Nic Cage, Featuring Nicky Cage: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Review
In what is perhaps one of the most meta-movies that has ever come out, Nicholas Cage plays himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. (For clarity’s sake, I will be refer to him as Actor-Cage when not referring to the movie character going forward.) Cage is an actor with seemingly endless movies to his name, but is still chasing “the role of a lifetime.” Self-absorbed and obsessed with his own celebrity, Cage is divorced, struggling to connect to his daughter, and racking up debt due to his expensive spending habits. His agent, played by Neil Patrick Harris, sets up a job for him that involves a $1 million paycheck for a birthday weekend with a major fan, Javi Gutierrez (played by Pedro Pascal). While there, Cage is approached by CIA operatives for an unexpected mission that requires him to channel his past action roles.
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, which was not on my watch list at all. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the movie makes clear, Cage is, at best, a decent actor. This applies to Actor-Cage as well, but in this movie it works. It was funnier than I thought it would be and the plot managed to get even more meta within the movie itself. Actor-Cage and Pascal’s bromance is a winning combination that helps carry even the most ridiculous moments. The frustration and disappointment Cage’s teenage daughter Addy feels when everything becomes about him is palpable, as is his dismay that she thought Humphrey Bogart was a porn star and she doesn’t relate to the old movies he shows her. This isn’t the kind of movie you’ll be disappointed in missing but you won’t be sorry for seeing it either.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
Official Synopsis: Nicolas Cage stars as… Nick Cage in the action-comedy “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.” Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan (Pedro Pascal). Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative (Tiffany Haddish) and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones. With a career built for this very moment, the seminal award-winning actor must take on the role of a lifetime: Nicolas Cage.
Rated: R
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Neil Patrick Harris, and Tiffany Haddish
Directed By: Tom Gormican
Written By: Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten
Produced By: Nicolas Cage, Mike Nilon, Kristin Burr, and Kevin Turen
Executive Producers: Samson Mücke and Kevin Etten
In Theaters Internationally: March 12, 2022
In North American Theaters: April 22, 2022
Runtime: 1 hr 46min
Watch the trailer:
Photo: Nicholas Cage and Pedro Pascal in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Courtesy of Lionsgate.
