Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ on VOD, a Meta-Comedy in Which Nicolas Cage Cleverly Spoofs Himself

Nicolas Cage is a gem and we should be lucky to have him in this world, entertaining us with stuff like The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (now on VOD). He’s played action heroes, skeevy bad guys, magnetic bad boys, sad sacks, twins, drug-addled detectives, superheroes, hopeless drunks, recluses, first responders, family men, and weirdos and maniacs of all types, although most all of the above have at least a smidgen of weirdo and/or maniac energy to them. But never before has he played Nicolas Cage, or in this case, “Nick Cage,” a version of himself that good-naturedly toys with outside perceptions of his persona in the pursuit of our amusement. So let’s whip out our cinephile ball gloves and get ready to catch those Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Mandy references – and see if this movie has some crossover appeal, or just exists for those of us who know why there’s a package of Huggies lurking in the background of one of the movie’s shots.

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: The movie does not open with a scene featuring Nicolas Cage, which seems odd, but it does have to set up a plot similar to one from a 1990s Nicolas Cage action movie, so I guess that sort of makes sense. Anyway, a girl is kidnapped, and eventually, after lots of Nicolas Cage screentime, we’ll get back to it, because our concern here is not with this character’s well-being, but rather, seeing what Nicolas Cage will do in this movie. So we catch up with “Nick Cage” – heretofore referred to as simply Nick – as he lunches with David Gordon Green Playing Himself in hopes of landing a juicy lead role in his movie; he’s even been working on his Boston accent! After the meeting, he hops in his car and chats with Nicky, a younger version of himself who’s brash and handsome like Sailor Ripley in Wild at Heart, who, you surely remember, was all about expressing his individuality and belief in personal freedom.

Then he sees his therapist (Joanna Bobin) and agent (Neil Patrick Harris) for scenes in which we learn that he really needs the gig. His career is floundering, and he’s in debt. His ex-wife Olivia (Sharon Hogan) and daughter Addy (Lily Sheen) have had enough of his ego and selfishness – everything is always about him and his career. His career, which takes another hit when he doesn’t get the part. His response is to get drunk and just quit acting forever. But opportunity knocks when he learns a megarich superfan wants to pay him a million bucks for Nick Cage to attend his birthday party. It sure seems like a personal nadir, but it’d pay off the $600,000 he owes the hotel where he’s been living for a year. And besides, being around someone who loves Nick Cage as much as Nick Cage loves Nick Cage might be a good thing?

The rich fella is a Spaniard named Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal), an olive magnate or something, who knows, Nick Cage sure doesn’t. He also doesn’t know that Javi is the object of an investigation for allegedly running an international arms cartel that’s involved in the kidnapping we saw early in the movie – told you we’d get back to it – and has the eyes of two CIA agents (Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz) on him at all times. Nick not only feels obligated to read Javi’s screenplay, but he’s soon recruited to be a CIA spy, and isn’t sure which predicament is worse. The plot thicks even more when Nick and Javi really hit it off; there’s not only potential for them to engage in a fruitful scriptwriting endeavor, but they also become tight bros when they both weep while watching Paddington 2. That f—ing movie. It’ll get ya every time.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Bill Murray was so incredibly “Bill Murray” in Zombieland, the whole cast was so incredibly the “whole cast” of This is the End and John Malkovich was so incredibly “John Malkovich” in Being John Malkovich.

Performance Worth Watching: Nobody, not even a gibbering ultraidiot, would think anyone would steal a Nicolas Cage-playing-Nicolas Cage movie from Nicolas Cage. Yet there are times when one believes TUWOMT might not be as watchable without Pascal’s witty, understated performance. It’s not terrible being in second place behind Nicolas Cage, Pedro. Not terrible at all.

Memorable Dialogue: Two all-timers here:

“Nick Cage smooches good!” – Nicky

“IT’S NICK MOTHERF—ING CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!” – Nick Cage

Sex and Skin: None. A more daring movie might feature a scene in which Nick Cage has sex with himself, but alas.

Our Take: Good news, everyone! The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is not an exercise in aloof quasi-ironic post-sarcastic meta-metaphorical indulgence – or whatever – and we should be grateful for that. It’s a surprisingly tender movie that doesn’t sacrifice comedy for heart, or vice versa, and finds Cage The Actor From Our Reality exploring some nuance in his “Nick Cage” character without nudge-winking the audience until our ribs are bruised. His performance is smart, funny and not the OTT nuttiness we might expect from him; it’s an act of ouroborosian ballet, two words I paired together thinking Cage might appreciate them were he ever to read this. Tongues are firmly in cheeks, for sure, but director and co-writer Tom Gormican strikes a playful tone that pokes a little fun at his willing (and able, as ever) star without sinking to cynical self-deprecation or boastful self-importance. The movie is more apt to reference The Croods 2 or Guarding Tess than Leaving Las Vegas or Adaptation, and is all the better for it.

Pascal is the secret weapon here, and the film finds its heart in the goofy chemistry he and Cage cultivate as two goofballs who become unlikely pals. There are times when Gormican and Kevin Etten’s screenplay feels a little tepid when it should take a risk and go full-hog gonzo-guts and glory glory, and the inevitable, eventual spoof of Cage-style ’90s action movies plays more like generic facsimile than anything too inventive or high-stakes, but such conservative choices don’t break the deal. The film is a largely agreeable 108 minutes of silliness that should tickle the many fans of a love-him-or-hate-him star – and I refuse to believe we live in a world where there are more people who dislike Cage than appreciate him in all his ever-loving eccentricity.

Our Call: STREAM IT. It’s easy to appreciate how amusingly lightweight The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is, in light of that title. It isn’t a meta-masterpiece, but it’s enjoyable in both obvious and unexpected ways.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com.