If there was ever a movie made for staunch fans, then, of course, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is it.
The action-comedy meta caper stars Nicolas, 58, taking on the role of a fictionalised narcissistic washed-up version of himself as he faces up to financial ruin fuelled by a lack of roles and a divorce with his long-suffering make-up artist ex-wife Olivia (played by ).
After a series of near-misses and failures to clinch acting gigs, Nicolas’s morally-dubious agent, played by a delightfully unctuous , offers him a route out: a Spanish billionaire olive oil merchant Javi () will pay him the princely sum of $1million (£795,000) to appear at his birthday party in Mallorca.
Incidentally, Javi has also written a screenplay – because, you know, who hasn’t written a screenplay? Nicolas shows up on the island, hoping to do his bit and make a quick exit, however, he ends up in a kind of bromance with Javi in what becomes a pivotal relationship in the film, consolidated by an LSD trip, jumping into the sea, a mutual appreciation for Paddington 2 (you’ll have to watch it) and an obsession with the work of, well, Nicolas Cage.
Things take a turn toward the surreal when a couple of CIA agents get involved (Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz), embodying the classic movie device of a buddy-cop duo, who believe that Javi is behind a high-profile kidnapping. Nicolas is loath to accept his new chum is actually a deranged metaphorical James Bond villain, and, as things turn out, the truth is somewhat more complex.
As billed, the movie celebrates Nicolas’ long, genre-hopping career, and the references to his oeuvre are rife and satisfying. His 90s action-movie phase? Check. Fan of Face/Off? Check! Floppy-haired Wild At Heart-era Nicolas close to your heart? No worries, this movie’s got you.
There are also references to National Treasure and Gone in 60 Seconds just for good measure.
It also doesn’t skirt around the fact that the media has made a case for Nicolas Cage being back in business, after taking on a series of roles deemed not-so-hot just for the paycheque (not counting Nicolas’s fine-grained performance in last year’s critically-acclaimed small-budget Pig from director Michael Sarnoski).
, who’re long-term collaborators and have worked together on the TV series Ghosted (2017) and the movie That Awkward Moment (2014), are just as fond of our protagonist as Javi is, and this generous spirit shines through this fun-ride of a movie.
Part of the movie’s charm is the strength of Nicolas’ co-stars, who give as good as they get – especially Pedro, who matches Nicolas’ game wry-eyed inescapably self-referential performance.
It has to be said that the script can veer into the realms of formulaic, with some of the action scenes losing momentum in act three. Also, the way the writers shoe-horn in a teenage girl in danger, in the form of Nicolas’ unimpressed 16-year-old daughter Addy (Lily Mo Sheen), is a bit of a generic coup.
However, this absurdly enjoyable postmodern movie is wonderfully silly and inventive, and it raises a glass to the screen icon and one-of-a-kind performer Nicolas, as an actor who always gives it his all.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is in cinemas today.
