When looking at classic mega stars, few have had a career that's as transformative along with being up-and-down as Nicolas Cage's. With a career spanning the course of 40 years, Cage has experienced a rising stature that includes multiple Oscar nominations, box office bankability that placed him as being one of the top 90's A-list stars who generally delivered high quality work, and a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. However, despite these moments of recognition, his career has experienced a downward spiral over the course of the last decade with it being reduced to a string of direct-to-video fare, along with his off- screen persona developing a devoted cult following online. Taking notice of the latter, Hollywood decided to capitalize on the bizarre legacy of Nicolas Cage with producing an action-comedy that's wildly creative while having the eccentric star playing himself. For Cage fans, The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent serves as a glorification of everything that audiences love about the thespian star while implying that there's a brand new generation of filmgoers ready to discover Nicolas Cage.
Massive Talent's plot revolves around an aging Nicolas Cage (Played by himself), accepting $1 million to attend a wealthy fans (Pedro Pascal) birthday party on a remote island, only to discover that the latter is dangerous after being recruited by the CIA to utilize his most iconic movie characters to rescue both himself and his family. What's most appealing about Massive Talent's plot is not just that it plays off as being a slick action comedy, but seizes the opportunity to glorify it's main star while poking fun at his recent career hurdles. The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent is smart, funny, and aware of what it's target audience desires to see which is Cage in peak crazy made. In that regard, the film doesn't disappoint and reminds audiences that although his career has taken a bizarre turn in the last decade, Cage nonetheless remains a pop culture icon with numerous works to be proud of.
Much of where Massive Talent's entertainment value lies is within the performances of its cast. Both Cage and Pedro Pascal are fantastic and deliver chemistry that's electric. Cage gives an over-the-top performance with all the different layers of his acting chops being displayed. In addition to playing a fictionalized version of himself, he also portrays Nicky Cage, a younger figment of Cage's imagination that's based on his infamous appearances during his promoting of Wild At Heart. Pascal is hilarious and equally brilliant as Cage super-fan and billionaire Javi Guiterrez. He brings everything to his role as Cage's sidekick, along with demonstrating that his character has nothing but profound respect and admiration for him but worries that his undying affection could ultimately undo their friendship. The rest of the cast give noteworthy performances that add to the films fun level of energy including Sharon Horgan as Cage's ex-wife Olivia, Tiffany Haddish as CIA agent Vivian, Ike Barinholtz as Vivian's partner Martin, Alessandra Mastronardi as Gabriela, Jacob Scipio as Carlos, Neil Patrick Harris in a hilarious though brief role as Cage's agent Richard, and Lily Sheen as Cage's daughter Addy. As solid as Massive Talent's cast manages to be, it's the on-screen chemistry between Cage and Pascal that makes the film
As for the films overall look, director and co-writer Tom Gormican surrounds the cast with gorgeous scenery and cinematography which beautifully captures the Spanish island of Majorca along with highlighting the colors. The films use of CGI in showing a young Nicky Cage is convincing and effectively blends in with the rest of the scene. The violence presented in the film falls within the category of being cartoonist though not to the point where the audience is instantly taken out of the plot. With the films pacing, the story is always kept constantly moving for the duration of its 106 minute running time. Gormican excels with keeping the narrative straight-forward along with working off charismatic energy that both Cage and Pascal bring to the screen. He crafts a story that's not only funny but heartfelt with exotic scenery.
The writing for Massive Talent is clever in how it allows its main star to be himself while celebrating his peak movie star status with references to career highlights such as Guarding Tess, Leaving Las Vegas, Con Air, The Rock, and Face/Off. The film thrives on Cage's particular brand of acting with the story operating as being a self-referential action comedy. Although molded by Cage's star persona, the script dives into themes pertaining to divorce, parenting, success, failure, disappointment, and ultimately emphasizing the importance of family. The script explores Cage's character being so consumed by his work that he often sidelines his own daughter. One scene for example includes Cage's obnoxiousness coming to a head at his daughters birthday party in a hilarious fashion. While it doesn't carry the most original plot with many of its elements being lifted from other mega star-themed films like Last Action Hero and Being John Malkovich, Massive Talent makes use of these familiar story beats while presenting a playfully effective new adventure.
While the film doesn't shy away from making fun of Cage's eccentric persona, it does so in a way that always maintains the highest level of respectability and admiration for the star. In order to fully enjoy the experience, one must be thoroughly familiar with Cage's body of work as numerous references to his previous works are thrown around. Some of the films best moments are those in which Cage and Pascal's characters bond over Paddington 2, or discuss writing a screenplay together while on LSD are some of the films funniest moments. Not only will audiences get a kick out of the bromance between the main leads, but they'll be reminded of the reasons they love Nicolas Cage as a movie star. As a film that gives Cage his best look in years, The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent is a hilariously fun and rewarding experience.
Final Verdict: A Must See for Nicolas Cage fans.
Images Courtesy Of Saturn Films Burr!
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