The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

A film where Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage, playing Nicolas Cage in films starring Nicolas Cage. As moronic as that sounds, and as bad movies Cage has been making for the last ten years (and bad is probably an understatement), here he is perhaps a completely different person, and the whole movie scores! I was expecting the usual B-movie dreck, but this one succeeds. The story of a burnt-out actor who accidentally gets caught up in a CIA operation and has to spy on a cartel leader from up close and personal, but becomes too close to him and they gradually hit it off. It couldn’t be more clichéd and the film doesn't exactly reek of originality either, but it’s a feel-good buddy comedy with atypical and rather dry humour, and the whole thing evokes almost a parody of Cage himself (the shrine with his pillow, his memes and posters, references to his films...) and that's what the film reaps all the credit for. It's not afraid to make an ass of itself, it manages to create a slight tension at times, to entertain and to completely lighten the whole viewing experience, until you don’t really care that it has its flaws and just enjoy it and laugh at the occasional absurdity of the situation, and basically the whole film. I was expecting crap, I got a great comedy that defies all the established standards and is its own thing, but manages to captivate. Fun stuff. (07/12/2022)

I'd guess that many of us imagined the film to be a lot crazier from the synopsis than it ended up being. The highlights are, of course, the meta scenes where either Nicolas' filmography and memorabilia from his works are discussed, or where the current Cage bickers with his younger self, which is one truly brilliant and superbly executed idea in an otherwise not entirely imaginative film. In the end, it's a very fine entertaining diversion that has virtually nothing to offend, but after the strong praise that initially accompanied this film, my expectations were a bit higher. (06/27/2022)

Tolerable lightness of wasted potential... It’s a meta that reaches for higher levels of genre clichés but only glances at the fun and cleverness. Rather than a reflection of a faded Hollywood diva, it feels more like a subtle glimpse of her through a fan’s lens. Nicolas Cage, for years facing creative death, tries to prove that the wildness in his heart hasn’t disappeared. I don’t deny him that, but it seems to me that his average decision time on whether to take a role is around 60 seconds. (10/09/2023)

Or when your better half wants to watch a film because of a Facebook menu. Excellent meta silliness, finally a role tailor-made for Nicolas Cage and incredible fun on top of that. The genre progression from human drama to action comedy is quite unexpected, but it works – the film has a bit of everything. Pedro Pascal is excellent and, as Cage's number one fan, totally believable even in the most absurd situations. The line with the daughter hits the right nerve. Will the little one like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as much as I do? (04/02/2023)

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a pleasant diversion with several fine moments and references to other films, but it also has barren moments and numerous clichés – including the most hackneyed ones from Hollywood family movies. Nic Cage enjoys himself (as he should!) and Pedro Pascal’s acting is even more interesting here. (05/06/2022)