The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Early Review

There isn’t a single actor working today who has a career trajectory as singular and varying in quality as Nicolas Cage. Ever since his star-making performance in The Coen Brothers’ quirky dark-comedy Raising Arizona, Cage has graced the silver screen with a wide variety of iconic, high energy performances. From romantic comedies with Moonstruck, to Oscar-winning dramas with Leaving Las Vegas, to auteur-driven work with Wild at Heart, to blockbusters with the National Treasure franchise, to B-movie schlock with The Wicker Man, and cult-horror with Mandy, Cage has seemingly done it all. Cage’s enigmatic presence as an actor, meme potential, and the divisiveness of the majority of his recent work, makes him the perfect subject for a meta-comedy.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent stars Cage as a fictional version of himself. Far removed from his days as an A-lister, Cage struggles to find work that both fulfills his artistic sensibilities and pays his bills. He invests all his time and energy into his career and his passion for film, which he fails to connect with his teenage daughter Addy (Lily Mo Sheen) and his wife Olivia (Sharon Hogan). When both his career and marriage seem to be falling apart, Cage begrudgingly accepts a million dollar offer to travel to Spain and attend the birthday party of a billionaire super fan, Javi Gutierrez (Pascal). Javi and Cage quickly form a strong friendship. However, when things take an unexpected turn and it is revealed Javi may be involved in the criminal underworld, Cage is forced to become a version of his iconic characters to help the CIA and save his family.

Those who haven’t been a fan of Nicolas Cage at any point in his storied career surely find it nearly impossible to not be at least charmed by The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The film is a celebration of Cage’s work over the years and is packed to the brim with Easter eggs referencing his most iconic roles. He is obviously aware of his reputation as a manic actor as he plays it up and pokes fun at his questionable career choices.

Cage has not done broad comedy in years, but with this film, he proves he can be a really funny comedic actor without resulting to any over-the-top shenanigans. Thanks in part to the consistently witty and unpredictable screenplay, Cage commands the screen and delivers one of his best performances in years. Meanwhile, he has impeccable comedic chemistry with Pascal, another actor who is not necessarily known for comedy but is also hilarious throughout.

Outside of being a meta-comedy, the film is surprisingly action-packed. Many sequences require Cage to perform stunt work, reminiscent of some of the stunts he performed earlier in his career. The third act in particular has multiple impressive action sequences that are very well shot and choreographed.

What ultimately holds The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent back from being a top notch comedy is its side characters. While Cage and Pascal are fantastic in their roles and elevate the script to new heights, the surrounding actors merely aim for cheap laughs. Haddish as Vivian, Ike Barinholtz as Martin, and Neil Patrick Harris as Richard Fink in particular are completely out of place in the film. Their brand of comedy does not mix with the witty meta-comedy of the majority of the film, creating major tonal issues.

While The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is sometimes inconsistent in its humor, it is still a creative and energetic celebration of one of the most enigmatic actors of all time. The film is certainly worth watching for fans of Nicolas Cage, and may even convert some of his detractors into fans.

still courtesy of Mongrel Media

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Tristan French