The Unbearable Weight of Talent: Nicolas Cage shines as Nicolas Cage
In recent years, Nicolas Cage has joined that exclusive club of beloved cult stars. Like William Shatner, Christopher Walken, and Jeff Goldblum before him, the actor has a balance of craft and eccentricity that makes him a fascinating pop culture figure. Also like those stars, Cage is embracing his oddball reputation. He turned heads with last year’s series The History of Swear Words, and now in new comedy The Unbearable Weight of Talent.
The Oscar winner plays a fictional version of himself – an egotistical actor obsessed with his own career trajectory, to the point where he has alienated himself from his family and most of Hollywood. Desperate for cash, he accepts a highly paid gig as the celebrity guest at the wedding of a rich super fan named Javi (Pedro Pascal). Once he arrives, Cage learns that Javi is the leader of an international drug cartel, and is enlisted by the CIA to help rescue a kidnapped woman.
To misquote Con Air, “for any other actor, that might seem strange”. While the plot is a wild one, it’s positively mainstream compared to some of Cage’s recent work. In one project, he delivered a monologue about milking llamas, in another, he fought possessed animatronic rabbits, and in another, had his testicles blown off.
The film’s secret weapon is co-star Pedro Pascal, who matches Cage’s energy. The Mandalorian actor giddily tears across a Spanish island with his new BFF devising a plan for a movie, filled with meta moments such as the pair discussing their loathing of talky comedies.
There’s some solid support from Tiffany Haddish as Cage’s CIA contact, and Irish comedian Sharon Horgan as his beleaguered ex. But there’s only one star here. As cinema’s National Treasure kisses an imaginary version of himself before declaring “Nic Cage smooches good!”, this is a movie for fans of his legendary oddness.