Film Review: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Images courtesy of STUDIOCANAL.
Nicolas Cage has always been one of my favourite actors, I’m a huge fan and I’ve seen over 40 of his 100+ films. He has had a staggering career over the last four decades and played many iconic characters. He describes his acting method as “nouveau shamanic”, embracing the ancient human tradition of storytelling through acting as a modern day “shaman”. His techniques allow him to go to the furthest depths of his characters, and he will be the first to admit he never phones in a performance, whether it’s the classic masterworks he’s most famous for, or the low-budget direct-to-video schlock he’s become infamous for, he always gives it his all. But now comes a unique challenge for him to face as a thespian, playing the role of Nick Cage.
In The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Cage performs a fictionalised version of himself, a down-on-his-luck actor dealing with the divorce of his first (and seemingly only) wife, and trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter. Right away, he’s clearly not playing himself, a successful movie star on his 5th marriage and close to his two sons. After being rejected for a “game changer” role, Nick Cage takes the job of entertaining eccentric millionaire superfan Javi (Pedro Pascal) at his birthday party in Spain. Things take an action-movie turn when the CIA recruits Nick to spy on Javi as they believe him to be an extremely dangerous cartel kingpin.
You can tell this film was made by a huge Cagehead, as the references to his films not only feel like genuine appreciation, but the meta-comedy also informs the story. Cage relies on many things he’s learned throughout his years as an actor, and luckily these things also inform his character’s development in the script, using skills he picked up on - such as stunt driving, martial arts, and how to use a firearm - to become like the action heroes he plays on screen. But the meta aspects also bleed into the structure of the story, as similarly to another Nic Cage film Adaptation, the two lead characters begin writing the events of the film into a screenplay, which culminates in a hilarious film-within-a-film climax that parodies the Jerry Bruckheimer style of action films Cage was a huge part of. Pedro Pascal delivers a hilarious performance as millionaire superfan Javi, and the chemistry between the two actors is infectious and makes the central bromance all the more inviting to watch.
Unfortunately the film doesn’t go as “bonkers” or off-the-wall as one would hope and expect considering the numerous crazed performances and surreal films Cage is known for, but in avoiding that outright absurdity, the film grounds itself in getting to know its characters more, and building a genuinely compelling friendship between Nick and Javi, which is a refreshing deviation from the usual love-hate relationship in many buddy action comedies.
While the film was made by and for fans of Nicolas Cage, either as a meme or as a genuinely talented actor, those unfamiliar with his work should still have a blast with this energetic action comedy.
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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is screening in cinemas from Thursday the 24th of April. For tickets and more info, click here.