Film Review: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Written by Grady Fiorio Original Publishing Date: April 12th, 2022 Rating 3.5/5

Exactly what you’re expecting in the best way possible

Director Tom Gormican Runtime 1 Hr 45 Min Format Digital (DCP) Release Date 2022

The Nick Cage renaissance is finally here and in full swing. Once considered one of the greatest actors in cinema, however, his career was met with a fall from grace. His films stopped performing both critically and financially, plus with increasing financial debt, it seemed that Cage had been banished to the actor's hell, known only as the "Straight to Video Market". I know pretty spooky right. However, there was a bright light at the end of the Tubi tunnel. Cage now had a lot more room to experiment and work on projects that may have gone by the wayside 15 years ago. In 2018 everything changed. On January 19th, 2018, Mandy premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This bloody horror film became an instant cult classic, With an exceptional performance from Cage, it kickstarted the revival of his career in the public eye.

He would go on to see continued success in the indie crowd with films such as Color Out of Space and Pig. He even made a return to bigger budget films such as Into the Spiderverse and The Croods 2. Cage strikes again with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

It's nice that this film came out post-renaissance because as enjoyable as this film is, it does walk a tightrope balance. Massive Talent feels like something that could have come out ten years ago, back when Cage was seen solely as a "crazy guy" meme. With the newfound hindsight and respect for his talent, this film serves more as a tribute to his contribution to cinema while also poking fun at the eccentric oddities that embody Cage's acting style.

So what exactly is The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent? Besides serving as an homage to the career of Cage, at its heart, it's an action-buddy comedy. A little bit of 21 Jump Street, The Nice Guys, and Bad Boys, with just a dash of the absurd humor you'd find on The Eric Andre Show. The film follows Nick Cage as... well Nick Cage. Playing a fictionalized version of himself, Cage is a struggling, aging, actor who just can't catch a break. After a downfall in his career, he decides that he'll take one last gig and then call quits. And what is that last gig? Spanish millionaire and super Nick Cage fan, Javi Gutierez, wants Cage to join him on his birthday to celebrate, and maybe also pitch a project in the process. Nick Cage reluctantly agrees to the invite, only to find out after arriving that Javi is not only a massive fan of Cage but also wanted by the CIA as a worldwide criminal. This sends Cage into a whirlwind as he develops a newfound friendship with Javi, while also working with the U.S. government to take him down. Hilarity and violence abound in a fun absurd comedy, that will please both fans of Cage and those unknown to his career.

The glue to Massive Talent is the core friendship between Cage and Javi, played by the always excellent, Pedro Pascal. Their chemistry together is great while also feeling just enough on edge that everything could snap at any minute. In both the funniest and most dramatic moments, whether it's taking LSD on a joy ride through Spain or pleading for their lives, Cage and Pascal feel like they'd be the best of friends in real life. It's also where most of the humor comes from. Cage presents as the cool guy while Javi is just overtly awkward, constantly fangirling over Cage with a literal treasure trove of memorabilia. For the most part, the humor hits more than it misses. The film boasts hilarious scenes with a young Cage, that also features some impressive CGI and makeup work. Massive Talent finds a balance between the raunchy and absurd, with just a little bit of reality that can be oh-so cruel.

That being said not everything is a hit for Massive Talent. Namely, the film finds some conflict with its real-world parallels. Having the story take place in the "real world" certainly adds to the humor and heightens the storytelling, but can be distracting when things don't always match up. The film packs a star-studded cast with the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Haddish, and of course the aforementioned Pedro Pascal. This can cause issues when Nick Cage plays himself but all these other stars play fictional characters in the world of the film. Pedro mostly gets away with it because of his over-the-top on-screen persona, but all the other actors I had a hard time separating from their real-life counterparts. It's not a deal-breaker but it certainly did catch me off guard. Excluding Pascal, I would have rather had unknowns play these parts and have the celebrities act either as cameos or not at all.

Besides the occasionally distracting casting choices, the film's action scenes definitely leave something to be desired, Without getting into spoilers, the last act of the film has a fair amount of gunfights and action sequences. They are fun for sure but aren't very well shot or edited. Some of these scenes also seemingly are missing VFX such as muzzle flashes and blood. It doesn't need to be Die Hard, but it really took me out of the moment when the guns don't look like they're shooting and people don't look like they're getting shot. These scenes also seem to cut away from wides and masters, leaving some of the best-choreographed fights obscured or on the cutting room floor. It's important to note that these scenes are fun but do lack the punch that they should have. Maybe it was a budget or time issue, but the absence is still felt.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent sees another solid return to form for Nicolas Cage. Humor, solid performances, and a good amount of heart tie Massive Talent into a great nostalgic ride for Cage fans and newcomers alike. Through his solid performance Cage once again proves that he never left. He's always been here, we may have just not realized it.