Nick Cage stars as Nick Cage in hilarious action-comedy flick 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Actors of Nicolas Cage’s calibre are sadly a dying breed. In 2022, movies driven by sheer star-power are few and far between, and almost never among the most popular flicks of the year. Thank God, then, for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Tom Gormican’s action-comedy caper is nothing less than a beautiful, much-needed breath of fresh air that works thanks to its unabashed love of cinema and its incredible leading duo of Cage and Pedro Pascal.
Massive Talent follows Cage as a fictionalised version of himself who’s in need of a serious paycheck after missing out on an exciting new movie. Accepting an invitation to a fan’s birthday party, he finds himself embroiled in a CIA operation to bring down his host, who’s believed to be an international drug smuggler working with the Italian mafia. And if that weren’t enough, Cage is also reckoning with his failure as a father and husband, having repeatedly let down his daughter and ex-wife throughout their lives together, as well as his own self-worth as an actor who feels he doesn’t fit in the current Hollywood climate. All in all, it's something of a rollercoaster, and one of the most fun films we’re likely to see all year.
The idea of grappling with legacies is a theme becoming more and more common in western movies. In the last twelve months alone we’ve seen it in Jackass Forever, Top Gun: Maverick, Scream, The Matrix Resurrections, and No Time to Die. In this sense, Massive Talent is the latest in a long line of excellent movies about (whether made explicit or not) purpose and belonging as part of a system that doesn’t necessarily welcome films of their ilk anymore. The film sees Cage grappling with a ‘90s version of himself inside his head, who’s constantly trying to convince him that he needs to get back out there and find his next blockbuster role, but Cage isn’t convinced he can. For everything else the film has going on, it’s this duality that’s at the very heart of it. It’s a legacy sequel that serves as a sequel to an entire career, and it’s absolutely genius.
Outside of its fight with legacy, Massive Talent also works on a more basic level as a throwback bromance movie. The chemistry between Cage and Pascal is off the charts, and as their relationship grows from a superfan nerding out over his hero to something more akin to brotherhood, it’s a genuine delight to watch. The pair are effortlessly charming together, their entire act giving off great ‘guys being dudes’ energy, even in the film’s more action-oriented scenes in the final third.
Also worthy of note are Sharon Horgan and Lily Sheen as Cage’s ex-wife and daughter; when they’re dragged into the mess Nick finds himself in they’re incredulous, but both are more than up for the challenge and sink into their characters effortlessly. Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz are also welcome additions as Nick’s CIA handlers, the only real shame being they don’t get a ton to do after their introduction.
This is a film that knows its audience is out there: as is discussed when Cage and Javi start to brainstorm their own movie, it can be hard to find a place in the market for something that isn’t a Marvel film – a point that was sadly proven right when the film was released in cinemas mid-April, grossing only $28.9m against a $30m budget and joining Ambulance and The Northman as 2022’s best movies that didn’t perform well in cinemas. But don’t let that put you off: not only will Massive Talent age like fine wine on home video, the disc release is worth picking up for the accompanying bonus features alone.
Alongside a commentary from co-writer/director Gormican and co-writer Kevin Etten, the Blu-ray features a smattering of fascinating behind-the-scenes featurettes alongside a pair of excellent deleted scenes that it’s a real shame were left on the cutting room floor. The first is a sweet character-based joke about National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets that goes a long way in humanising Javi as soon as we meet him, while the second is a masterpiece in its own right. Cut from the film’s climax, it details Cage finally dealing with Nicky, his internal, extravagant, annoying self-image in a gorgeous black-and-white showdown in the vein of The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (referenced as one of Cage’s favourite movies). It’s a beautiful scene that was cut at the studio’s request, but it’s more than worth the watch at home.
Taken as a whole, the home release of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is worth any film fan’s time. If you haven’t seen the movie, then take a chance on independent cinema – if you have, pick it up anyway. Much like its leading man, it is sure to only get better with age.
8/10
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD from 11 July.
Images courtesy of Lionsgate. All rights reserved.