Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) Movie Review
Nicolas Cage can be a polarizing figure for most folks. Some people love him and others simply hate him. But his body of work is impressive and he has admittedly been in some cult classics and some out right hits. Moonstruck (1987) and Raising Arizona (1987) were both successful and somewhat put Cage on the map for the average movie-goer. My personal favorites National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets didn’t come until later. Who can forget the iconic, “I’m going to steal the Declaration of Independence” line from that movie? Not me. Fans of Cage are going to want to see the Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, a surprisingly self-aware movie that utilizes Cage’s best qualities and plays to his strengths.
Cage is on a downward slide at the beginning of the movie. He is divorced and struggles to have a relationship with his teenage daughter, Addy (Lily Mo Sheen). On top of that he owes a huge sum of money to the hotel he’s currently living in and is desperate to make a quick slam dunk. His manager Richard Fink (Neil Patrick Harris) finds him an opportunity to make a quick $1 million. All Cage has to do is attend the birthday party of uber fan Javi (Pedro Pascal). Javi is extremely wealthy and extremely obsessed with Cage. He also happens to be an international gun runner.
The CIA is hot on his tail with agents Vivian (Tiffany Haddish) and Martin (Ike Barinholtz) even utilizing Cage to help catch Javi. Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is incredibly fun to watch for two main reasons. The first is the amazing chemistry between Cage and Pascal. They play like two best friends from a buddy comedy as they reminisce about Cage’s career and even start writing a screenplay together. Pascal in particular will win you over with his devotion to movies and his playful antics to become besties with Cage. The other is the amount of times the movie pokes fun at or references one of Cage’s many, many roles. Nothing is off limits as Haddish mentions The Croods at one point. Yeah, they go there.
Not to mention Cage has weird visions of his past self, nicknamed “Nicky,” who pops up occasionally to remind him of his star power. The whole thing is zany and wild and could honestly only be pulled off by Cage himself. He is able to flex his acting abilities while simultaneously poking fun at himself which is a feat not many would be able to accomplish. For any Cage fan, this is a must-see movie. For those who don’t like Cage, this movie might just change your mind.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You are a massive fan of Nicolas Cage
2. You’ve seen a few of Cage’s past movies
3. You like buddy comedies
