The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is Nicholas Cage’s latest movie. And it’s bloody great!
I’ve been a Cage fan for as long as I can remember. From his Oscar-winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas, to his classic American hero in The Rock, he’s shown he’s incredibly versatile.
You have to be when you accept every, single god damn job suggestion from your agent though, don’t you? I think this video sums up that rather nicely…
Jokes aside, Cage is a monster when it comes to churning out movies, probably only surpassed by Bruce Willis. Sadly with Willis, the movies he chooses are generic and dull. Luckily with Cage, that isn’t true.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a meta look at Nic Cage’s life. His relationship with his wife is shit, and it’s worse with his daughter. Namely because he’s so wrapped up in making movies he has no time for anything else. He literally wants his daughter to become him which leads to issues. It also leads to some very funny moments, and heartfelt.
There’s a line that I can’t quite remember 100% in the movie, where Cage explains that he’s an actor. Acting is what he does. Whether the movie is GOOD isn’t the point. He needs to act. And looking at his body of work, that makes sense. He’s been in some superb movies and some crap ones. He’s also been in some movies that are either to be considered superb art, or the fever dreams of someone who has been stung by too many bees. Mandy, go watch it if you haven’t!
It’s a movie
Unbearable Weight is a movie with a story though, and it’s hella fun. Here’s the plot
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.
Joining Cage is Pedro Pascal, and holy shit the chemistry the two have is delightful. The chemistry between the two is so lit that I was wondering when they would get a room. There are real heart-felt moments between the two, and then there are moments when they are both dropping acid and running for their lives! Now I don’t know if this movie is more for us oldies, but I laughed a lot. The two teens sitting next to me, not as much. And I think that’s because you will appreciate this movie more if you’ve seen all of Cage’s movies.
There are laugh till you fart moments when Cage channels his past movies to help him out. One in particular was him attempting to hack some cameras. Another when he’s told he must drive because ‘you did all your own stunts in Gone in 60 Seconds!’.
I liked how they wove the creation of a script, which Cage and Pascal’s characters are working on, with the actual plot. Not subtle, but it made the movie have a direction and allowed for Cage to become a hero.
There are other actors in this movie, of course. Neil Patrick Harris is great as Cage’s agent, and Tiffany Harris and Isaac Barinholtz who play two idiotic CIA agents are loads of fun. His wife and daughter also get a few brilliant lines, but let’s not beat about the bush. This film is about CAGE and he gets plenty of love. Indeed, he even gets love from HIMSELF.
Cage has these interactions with his younger self. Kindda like an imaginary ‘self’. The uncanny valley with the CGI is pretty god damn strong though. But watching an older Cage interact with a younger version is hysterical for reasons I don’t want to spoil. Let’s just say if watching Homelander in The Boys make out with himself was creepy…
I’ll watch this movie again. It’s funny, heart warming and stands as a good celebration of the awesomeness that Nicholas Cage is.
I give The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent a solid…
8.5/10
All the series and all the movies couldn't put society back together again.