Movie Review: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) co-written and directed by Tom Gormican

Nicolas Cage plays Nick Cage, an actor whose career is in a slump. There are no plum roles coming in and he has to beg for an audition. If that wasn't bad enough, his personal life is also in very bad shape--his wife is divorcing him and his teenaged daughter can't stand to be around him. Nick's agent (Neil Patrick Harris) has a million-dollar offer from Mallorca to attend a fan's birthday party. The fan (Pedro Pascal) really loves Nick Cage but also has some dark secrets that have drawn the attention of the CIA. As Nick takes the paycheck, a CIA operative (Tiffany Haddish) approaches Cage and convinces him to work for them to find out about the dark secrets. The story just gets crazier from there.

Cage gives a very interesting and enjoyable performance as himself, or rather as his big screen persona, much like John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich or Bruce Campbell in My Name Is Bruce. The filmmakers know Cage's back catalog well enough to throw in lots of references, both subtle and unsubtle, and add them in creative and entertaining ways. The film does not take itself or Nick Cage too seriously, playing up the comic opportunities. 

The film itself is also self-referential as Nick and the fan start working on a screenplay together that mimics the plot. The idea sounds disastrous but the execution has just the right touch. It bounces back and forth between action movie cliches and Nicolas Cage movie cliches with a sincerity that does not make it credible but does make it enjoyable.

Recommended for a fun time--it's helpful to have seen most of Cage's back catalog but the film is enjoyable even without it.