The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent: An Affectionate And Entertaining Throwaway Cage Vehicle
Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan (Pedro Pascal). Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative (Tiffany Haddish) and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones.
For a film about such “unbearable weight,” Tom Gormican’s kooky parodic meta comedy (co-written with Kevin Etten) is incredibly light, both in terms of weight, heart, and substance. It’s totally carefree, popcorn-munching entertainment that’s designed to amuse you in the moment — and it’s pretty successful in that regard, especially if you’re a fan of Nicolas Cage (which, of course we are) or into gag-heavy humor— but it unfortunately doesn’t leave a very lasting mark — at least not in the ways that the best Nic Cage films do anyways.
It’s not exactly derivative, but The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent certainly uses Seth Rogen as its blueprint. Rogen’s distinct brand of action comedy, which he made into an enormous success with 2008’s Pineapple Express, looms large over the film’s genre beats, and the way in which Rogen fictionalized the personas of the real-life cast in This Is The End seems to have ostensibly informed Gormican and Etten’s persona play here (as well as Charlie Kaufman’s Being John Malkovich, although to a far lesser degree). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Rogen’s action-comedy style is such a major touchstone that much of Unbearable Weight’s thrills and gags (as fun as they are) pale in comparison.
Where the film truly succeeds is in the palpable bromance between its two leads, Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal. The chemistry they share is irresistibly charming, and it’s really the heart and soul of the film. It’s a downright joy watching the two passionately talk about film, debate their favorites of all time, and bond over the greatness of Paddington 2, which we agree is an undeniable masterpiece. For all the bliss that these moments deliver, they’re ultimately too short lived and spread thin. Even the infectious quality of Cage and Pascal’s chemistry gets dampened and stifled by the film’s hamfisted exposition dumps and action plot points.
The film is weakly framed around the fictionalized version of Cage being an over-the-hill has been who’s struggling for work — so much so that he’s willing to degrade himself to being a guest of honor at a super fan’s birthday (for a generous sum of million dollars to boot) — and it's pretty hard to buy into this interpretation, even when you factor in the hefty price tag. Although the quality of the content varies (and despite there being a bunch of stinkers in the bunch), Cage has consistently put out multiple films per year for decades — in fact Unbearable Weight is just one of four Cage film’s he’ll deliver this year alone. Even if you don’t actively follow his career, you have to know he’s never not working, as you’ve likely scrolled past some of the many direct-to-video films he continues to put out when you’re looking for something to watch, so the fictionalized slant Gormican and Etten take here isn’t the strongest.
Another thing that’s hard to buy is Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barenholtz as CIA operatives. They both try their best, but they feel somewhat miscast here. They both have the silly comedic chops to hang in a film as light and carefree as Unbearable Weight, but they’re a little too bumbling and dimwitted to believably play CIA agents. Plus, their plan to have Nic Cage serve as their infiltrator (another Rogenism plucked straight out of The Interview) doesn’t seem like the most thought out or functional idea. Although the action portion of the film leads to some great gags (like Cage accidentally poisoning himself), it’s another one of the film’s weaker areas. Similarly, the family element of the film (Nic’s troubled relationship with his ex-wife and daughter) gums up the film’s wheels and impedes on what makes it enjoyable: Cage and Pascal’s budding friendship.
From a casting perspective, Pedro Pascal is an interesting choice as a counterpart to Cage, given his range and ability to slip in and out of the serious and the silly. He counterbalances Cage’s gonzo intensity with such adorable sweetness, and there are several scenes that he flat out steals. But it’s still very much Cage’s film at the end of the day, and film does an adequate job of honoring him and his career, but it doesn’t exactly capture his breadth or entirety. Cage fully embraces the opportunity though, and he has a good time finger painting with his iconic past. He delivers an expectedly fun and gonzo performance that’s elevated — and sometimes eclipsed — by Pascal’s lovable portrayal of Javi. As leaden as the action aspects are, Paco León does what he can to imbue the film’s villain with venom and personality, and it helps make his scenes more salient than the rest.
At the end of the day, The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent doesn’t have the lasting spark to pierce the upper tier of Cage’s career. It presents mainstream moviegoers with a crude pastiche of Cage’s greatest-hits that’s lightly amusing, but essentially too weighed down by its family drama and action components (as opposed to massive talent). It’s notable for the way in which it twists fact, fiction, and mythology (like Cage buying a dinosaur head) to erect its filmic shrine to cinema and one of its greatest character actions, but in a year or two it will just be “that one movie where Nic Cage played himself.” And that’s a bit of a shame.
Recommendation: It’s worth a watch a watch for Cage and Pascal’s infectious chemistry alone, but it’s a bit more fun if you’re a true fan of Cage and his storied career. Unfortunately, the film isn’t as lasting as Cage or his best work, but it’s a good enough ride.
Craving more Nic Cage?! Check out the links below:
Top 10 Nic Cage Performances
Pig review
Willy’s Wonderland review
Color Out Of Space review
Mandy review
Mom & Dad review
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!