Mark Reviews Movies: THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Lionsgate

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Review by Mark Dujsik | April 21, 2022

Nicolas Cage plays himself or, at least, some version of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Who else possibly could? While it's obvious that screenwriters Tom Gormican (who also directed) and Kevin Etten admire and probably even adore the actor, they're not so overwhelmed with affection that they present Cage or, again, this version of him in a completely flattering matter.

No one else could have played Cage in this film. The fact that the actor does play himself more or less as himself—without much of a veneer of dramatization or fictionalization—shows what a good, self-aware sport he is.

The plot, of course, is total fiction. Well, it's fiction in that the real Cage almost certainly has never become accidentally involved in a kidnapping scheme, in which the actor took an unofficial position within the CIA to expose and bring down an international arms dealer. That sounds more like one of the movies Cage would have made at the height of his fame, when he put aside his expertise at playing eccentric and unpredictable characters to play slightly eccentric and far-less unpredictable leading men in Hollywood action fare.

Cage never quite seemed suited to the role of action hero. This film basically admits that, while also acknowledging that the only reason a good number of people know of or care about Cage as an actor is on account of those movies from the 1990s and early 2000s. Here, for example, the teenage girl whose abduction sets one plot in this film in motion is kidnapped while she's watching Cage in Con Air. When we meet the version of Cage—whom we'll call "Nick" for at least a little bit of clarity—in this film, he's far, far removed from the ordinary guy who saves the day and is reunited with his family.

Nick is desperate and starving for a "role of a lifetime"—one that will remind people of his real acting chops. He has done the character actor thing and the movie star business, and Nick essentially wants both: the fame, as well as the payday, of stardom and the self-fulfillment, as well as the public recognition, of doing his job as an actor to the best of his considerable skill.

He's a man at odds with himself, not only in trying to balance his work with his relationships with his teenage daughter Addy (Lily Mo Sheen) and her mother/his ex-wife Olivia (Sharon Horgan), but also in figuring out what his career should be now. Occasionally, Nick imagines debating with his younger self (brought to life with some amusingly eerie visual effects) about just that—to be a movie star or to be a legitimate actor. The younger Nick passionately wants the former, and the current Nick kind of, maybe wants the latter a bit more, perhaps. Whatever he's doing now, obviously, isn't working.

Cage's portrayal of himself, as well as the ways Gormican and Etten blatantly raise the questions about the actor's career trajectory as of late and a bit bluntly bring up the financial reasons for that path, is the best thing about this film, which, admittedly, does try to do a bit too much with its simple premise. The actor is honest and self-deprecating here in a manner that cuts through the hero-worship surrounding him. Even though this character technically isn't the real Cage, there's such sincerity to the undercutting jokes and uncertain malaise in Cage's performance that maybe there's a bit—or a lot—of truth to the filmmakers' interpretation.

The rest of the story is quite busy but generally enjoyable. Nick, strapped for cash, takes a gig to attend a fan's birthday party on the coast of Spain. The fan is Javi (Pedro Pascal), who may or may not also be the international gun runner who kidnapped the girl, who's the daughter of a politician, from the opening scene. Nick is eventually enlisted by two CIA agents (played by Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz) to investigate his host and the palatial manor where the actor is a guest.

Before and through all of that, though, the real core of the story comes into focus. It's about Nick and his internal doubts, yes, but it's also about the growing, deepening friendship between the actor and his fan. They talk about movies (and not just Cage's), naturally, but also about life, family, and, at a most inopportune but quite funny moment, shoes. Pascal is a hoot as the playful foil to Nick's weariness, and as the two characters talk and cut through the star/fan barrier between them, the bond becomes warm, tender, and genuine.

That's kind of the joke of the screenplay, too—not the friendship, but that a movie can't simply be about two characters talking and bonding anymore. If the film is self-referential about Cage, it's also the same way about itself, turning a sincere, character-based comedy into a spy tale and, by the third act, an action extravaganza. The former is the kind of the movie Javi and Nick decide to write together, but since Nick is also involved in a spy game against his new buddy, the actor tries to sneak some ideas about a kidnapping into it. That kind of plot and the resulting action, obviously, is what audiences expect and want from movies these days.

Of course, this film falls into its own trap, as its third act transforms into a series of fights, shootouts, and car chases, but since that's the gag, we accept the gimmick, at least. Besides, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is and consistently remains an examination of the question and allure of Cage as an actor, a screen presence, and a cultural icon. It's smart, critical, and good-natured fun, and Cage has the same kind of fun playing the role he literally was born to play.

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