MOVIE REVIEW: THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT

 

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.

Director: Tom Gormican

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Haddish

Release Date: April 15, 2022 

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller

Rated R for language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and violence.

Runtime: 1h 45m

Review:

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a treasure trove of Nicolas Cage career Easter Eggs and meta humor, packaged in fun self aware film.  Tom Gormican's film has a light tongue in cheek vibe to it from the start.  He takes a hands off approach by simply moving along the plot with very few visual flourish to distract from the performances on display.  He knows that Nicolas Cage is the central attraction who is more than game poking fun at his persona and career.  There are plenty of references to a bevy of his film's with some references being more overt while more subtle are peppered throughout the film.  Cage playing an outsized version of himself might sound like a lot but he plays it with a measured hand, a de-aged imaginary version of a Wild At Heart era Cage lets him really let loose, for the better part of the film.  The real treat here though is his chemistry with Pedro Pascal who steals multiple scenes throughout the film. Pascal is incredibly versatile actor and with this role he shows off another side of himself by playing a nebbish Cage fanboy who might also be a huge arms dealer. The bromance that grows between Cage and Pascal's characters make up the backbone of the film with both clearly having a ball playing off each other.  The script occasionally veers into super meta territory, you might be left wondering if any of the events in the film actually happened by the end, while never fully embracing it with more inspired flourishes like Cage's imaginary Cage.  As is, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is the kind of film that's easy to enjoy due to its stars and meta concept.

B+