When it was announced that the programmers of this year’s SXSW had selected this new action-comedy starring Nicolas Cage, I was beyond excited. Since I first heard about this film, I simply could not wait to watch it, and seeing it at Austin’s Paramount Theater at the film festival, with the filmmakers and lead actors in attendance, did not at all disappoint. The movie is definitely a love letter to the idiosyncratic and enigmatic actor and his impact on pop culture, and is a guaranteed great time for fans of all things “Caged.”
Starring as a fictionalized version of himself and his life, Nicolas Cage commands this movie, but also allows his co-star Pedro Pascal to stellarly portray one of his biggest fans. At the beginning of the film, actor Nick Cage has been struggling to retain some relevance and impact on cinema, but has also struggled to maintain a connection with his ex-wife Olivia Henson (Sharon Horgan) and their teenage daughter Addy (Lily Sheen). After an opportunity to get cast in David Gordon Green’s latest film falls through, Cage reluctantly accepts a juicy, million dollar offer to appear at European billionaire playboy’s Javier Gutierrez’s (Pedro Pascal) birthday party. At first, Nick hates that he has agreed to such a lowly job, but quickly realizes that Javi is lovalble kindred spirit, who has nearly as much love for cinema as he does.
After spending what is the best time he has had in a long time, Cage gets absolutely stunned by C.I.A. agents Vivian (Tiffany Haddish) and Martin (Ike Barinholtz) who inform the actor that Javi Gutierrez is the head of a weapons-dealing crime family under their investigation. Concerned with his own safety, Nick very warily agrees to assist with their investigation when he finds out that Javi’s organization is behind the kidnapping of politician’s daughter (Alessandra Mastronardi).
Written and directed by Tom Gormican, who co-wrote the script with Kevin Etten, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is an absolute riot that has so much fun with the pop cultural phenomenon that is Nicolas Cage. The mixture of comedy and action is absolute blast and is sure to please even the more casual fans of Cage. The movie mostly plays out like a bromance between Cage and Gutierrez, and the resulting humor and love that shines out of this project is an unadulterated joy.
Sure, some of the proceedings are silly and ridiculous, and the overall tone is totally goofy, but it is hard to not find much pleasure in this celebration of all that Nicolas Cage has to offer this world. The movie finds a comfortably entertaining middle where it can have fun with Cage’s unusual personality and his unique acting stylings, while completely loving all of these aspects. There is a definite predictability to the movie’s plot, but that doesn’t take too much away for the overall experience.
And what makes this film totally engaging and endearing is the wonderful chemistry between Cage and his co-star Pedro Pascal. Their friendship and bromance is one for the ages, and both actors deliver fantastic performances. Cage unabashedly plays along with the more absurd depiction of his character and the troubles that beleaguer his “character.” All the while Pascal puts much love and passion into the things that drive his Javi. The movie also features great contributions by actors Sharon Horgan, Lily Sheen, Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, Jacob Scipio, and Neil Patrick Harris, who portrays Nick’s agent Richard Fink.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is now playing in theaters and is a film I highly recommend for both fans of Nicolas Cage, as well as fans of action-comedies that showcase delight bromances.