The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent review

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT: 

NICOLAS CAGE BECOMES THE MOST UNLIKELY AND UNEXPECTED ACTION HERO IN THIS WILDLY ENTERTAINING LOVE LETTER TO HIS ACTING CAREER! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

LIONSGATE

Nicolas Cage is Nick Cage in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

 

            Nicolas Cage (Face/Off, Con Air, Kick-Ass) goes from iconic Hollywood actor to the most unexpected real-life action hero in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the new action-comedy film produced by Cage and starring him as a fictionalized version of himself, very much like what Seth Rogen and Co. did in 2013’s This is the End. I’m a huge fan of Nick Cage as an actor, whether he’s hamming it up in films like Face/Off, Raising Arizona, or Vampire’s Kiss, giving powerhouse performances in Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation, and Pig, or getting his face swarmed by bees like in The Wicker Man, this man is a talent and even if the movie surrounding him isn’t always 100% good, there’s a good chance he’ll be extremely entertaining in it and the highlight of the film, a “National Treasure” if you will. 

            So, a movie starring him as himself that openly satirizes and pays homage to several of his films is a no brainer, of course I’m going to watch it. Upon leaving the theater I can gladly say that…I freaking love the Hell out of this movie! 

            This is some of the most fun I’ve had at a movie theater recently, yeah, I had a blast with Spider-Man: No Way Home, but I kind of came into it with that expectation, whereas with this, I was excited for it and I would love the absurdity of the premise and all the callbacks to Cage’s movies, but I ended up having such a ball with the film as a whole. 

            The film follows Cage at a low point in his career, who begrudgingly accepts a $1 million to travel to Spain and attend a birthday party for his #1 fan. That fan is billionaire, Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal-Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, Wonder Woman 1984) and at first the two of them seem to get along and become best pals as they ask each other what their favorite movies are and Javi showing Cage his shrine to the actor (Including the golden guns from Face/Off and the bunny from Con Air). 

            However, when Cage is recruited by CIA agent, Vivian (Tiffany Haddish-Keanu, Girls Trip, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) and learns that Javi is actually a notorious drug lord, he is forced to live up to his own legend by channeling his most iconic on-screen characters and become a real-life action hero in order to save himself and his loved ones from the ruthless criminal…but maybe Javi’s got a few surprises of his own unbeknownst to Cage. 

            The film also stars Neil Patrick Harris (Harold & Kumar trilogy, How I Met Your Mother, A Series of Unfortunate Events) as Cage’s agent, Richard Fink, Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors 1 and 2, Suicide Squad, Blockers) as Martin, Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Game Night, Together) as Cage’s ex-wife, Olivia Henson, Jacob Scipio (Bad Boys for Life, Without Remorse, Batgirl) as Carlos, and Alessandra Mastronardi (To Rome with Love, Master of None, Life (2015)) as Gabriela. 

            Overall, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent celebrates Nicolas Cage’s career in the most entertaining way possible. The plot is gleefully silly, and the situations Cage and Pascal get into are overwhelmingly wacky and are best described as like the chase scene from Raising Arizona on steroids, but the film still manages to work in some effective drama and heart within its own insanity. 

            Even though the film is ridiculous and goofy, Nick Cage does go through an arc and by the end he learns to be more responsible for his loved ones and not feel overwhelmed by his career. I also really enjoy the scenes where Cage and Pascal are just hanging out with one another and making jokes and references to Cage’s movies, as a person who has met various celebrities before, I can relate to this and their conversations sound very natural as if a fan is talking to one of his favorite actors. 

             If you’re a Nicolas Cage fan (Especially a fan of his 90s films) then you will have a ball with this movie and catching all the references. Some of my favorites were the wax sculpture of his Face/Off character holding the two golden guns, the bunny from Con Air that should have been left in the box, and several jokes about behind-the-scenes trivia from his movies like how he did his own driving stunts in Gone in 60 Seconds and that he ran extremely fast in National Treasure and none of it ever feels forced and is one of the funniest aspects of the entire film. 

            The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is what it is, a silly, over-the-top action-comedy that does a marvelous job at being such and a brilliantly crafted tribute to the career and legacy of Nicolas Cage. I had a wonderful time watching this movie and will gladly see Cage’s adventures again.