The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Sharon Horgan, Paco Leon, Neil Patrick Harris, Lily Mo Sheen, Jacob Scipio, Demi Moore (cameo), Ike Barinholtz
Directed by: Tom Gormican
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Nicolas Cage (Nicolas Cage) travels to a secluded island to meet a superfan (Pedro Pascal) who may also be involved in a deadly drug cartel.

Review:

Tim: I still haven't fully processed and come to terms with this movie yet. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (super cool title that feels like it has nothing to do with the actual movie) is unfathomable in the same ways a Being John Malkovich is. It's a film about Nicolas Cage, starring Nicolas Cage as himself. It spends a lot of time paying tribute to the actor, while he also manages to laugh at himself. What seems absurd turns into this espionage spy action comedy that subverts expectations as it tells a fairly unique story (in one light. In others, it plays it safer than you'd expect). It's a flawed but fascinating movie. In the end, I enjoyed the film, but maybe not quite as much as I'd hoped.

One aspect of the this movie is showered Cage with love. I actually had a lot of fun with this focus of the film. Cage has made a bunch of movies lately that I haven't and may never see. But, that doesn't take anything away from what he's accomplished in his career. Con Air, Face/Off, Gone in 60 Seconds, National Treasure, The Rock. He's delivered so many unforgettable performances in memorable movies. This movie spends a good deal of time talking about Cage, his work, and the people who love his movies. It's all done tongue-in-cheek and it feels meta, like we're all in on the joke. I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane, praising an actor while he's literally on screen, laughing with us at the over-the-top nature of the whole thing. It's quite fascinating and I had a blast watching these scenes.

This is funny, but it's not a movie. It takes a bit of time, but eventually, the film settles down into its story. This is where I had the most problems with the film. The story is fine. It does elicit a few laughs here and there, but it gets progressively worse as the movie goes on. There's a drug cartel, CIA agents, double-crosses. It's all very comedy-first, but the actual story isn't that good. It never completely lost me, but I was less interested in all the story elements than I should have been. It felt too run-of-the-mill. It feels disjointed with the Cage lovefest that most of the movie is about. I loved the focus on Cage and his career, while the story itself left me a bit cold.

The movie is saved, though, by Pedro Pascal. Pascal is definitely having a moment right now, crushing it in multiple television roles that people (I'm people) love. His short run on Game of Thrones, his excellent work in The Mandalorian, and then absolutely crushing Joel in The Last of Us. He's so hot right now, and for good reason. He's such an entertaining actor and he has incredible range. I loved seeing him ham it up here. Pascal is good-natured enough to make fun of himself and he dives headfirst into this role. He embraces all the ludicrousness of the part and the film and he has a blast with it. His energy is contagious and he works exceptionally well with Cage. There's a reason the gif of Cage looking over at Pascal and his wide-eyed, goofball stare is everywhere right now. When this movie's story let it down, Pascal steps up and the interactions he has with Cage carry the movie past it. These two men work exceptionally well together and it's their interactions that made me like this movie.

Tiffany Haddish was surprisingly solid here. I've often said I'm not a fan of her, but she's always better with a bit of restraint in her performances. She does that here and worked well. I always love seeing Ike Barinholtz and he turns in another effective supporting performance here. Similarly, I automatically like every movie better if it includes Neil Patrick Harris. I wish NPH had more to do, but he was enjoyable here. Demi Moore's quick cameo was fun, too.

In summary, I enjoyed The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. It's a flawed movie, yes. It's absurd and ridiculous, but mostly in a good way. I wish it was better- Tom Gormican might have some talent, but he's not weighed down by it. His directorial debut, That Awkward Moment was pretty bad. This movie is definitely much better, but as only his second film, there's still a lot he needs to learn about directing. This film is good, but it absolutely had the potential to be better than it was. That being said, I love when directors take big swings and this is undoubtedly a big one. Gormican does enough right for this comedy to be worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Being John Malkovich, That Awkward Moment, Gone in 60 Seconds, Face/Off, The Rock