Is there anyone better suited to play a parody of themselves than Nicolas Cage? The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent would argue no, and I don’t see any choice but agree. From his collection of over the top roles to his very real over the top lifestyle and spending habits, Cage’s life and career seem ripe for the picking. And thankfully he’s more than game to play along, as he doesn’t hold anything back in getting in on the joke.
Massive Talent finds Cage playing aging movie star – not actor, movie star – Nick Cage, who finds himself faced with huge debts, struggling to find his place both creatively and in his personal life. Not much a stretch there, is it? Decades of self-involvement and feeding his own ego have ended his marriage and has him struggling to connect with his teenage daughter. And not to mention he’s on the brink of financial ruin, with a debt of $600 grand owed to the hotel where he’s been living at the front and center. After a director passes him over for what he described as the “role of a lifetime,” Cage begrudgingly accepts a more personal offer: attend a birthday party for a Spanish billionaire who also happens to be a Nick Cage superfan. And the payday? A cool $1 million.
But surprisingly to Nick, he ends up growing to truly enjoy his time with Javi, and the two become close. Even when Cage discovers just how far Javi’s obsession with him goes, their bond just grows stronger. However, the good times are thrown for a loop when Nick is approached by CIA agents Vivian (Tiffany Haddish) and Martin (Ike Barinholtz). They inform Nick that Javi is not the happy-go-lucky nice guy olive baron Nicks thinks he is. Rather, he’s a ruthless drug kingpin who recently ordered the kidnapping of the daughter of the president of Spain. They recruit Nick to help them prove it and rescue the young woman. Sounds like a Nicolas Cage movie, right?
And that’s the whole conceit of Massive Talent. It takes all the roles and nuances and craziness that the real-life Cage is known for and mixes them all together in this hilarious meta action buddy comedy. That was actually one of my biggest worries about this movie: that it would be too meta and too self-referential. That it was only going to be made for the biggest of the biggest Nicolas Cage fans. Don’t know his filmography back to front? Too bad for you.
But thankfully, writer-director Tom Gormican, and co-writer Kevin Etten, keep in check. Yes, there are some jokes that maybe don’t land for those not as familiar with Cage’s movies and personal life. There are some references that you’ll completely miss. But those are more there to add to the experience of those who do know Cage’s career. Not getting a small handful of jokes or missing a few clever references aren’t going to detract from your enjoyment here.
The real draw in Massive Talent is the Cage-Pascal duo. They have absolutely electric chemistry and play off each other perfectly. Cage’s manic energy is balanced out by Javi’s puppy dog-like obsession. The two are hysterical together, and there’s a good chance this finishes as the year’s funniest movie. The humor hits on multiple levels too, and in multiple ways.
There are quippy one liners, there’s physical comedy, there’s Nic Cage doing classic Nic Cage things. Overacting, weird voice inflections, screaming or speaking loudly when there’s absolutely no need to be screaming or speaking loudly. And Pascal matches him at every turn. It’s a prime of example of two top-tier actors understanding the assignment.
There are a couple points, though, that keep Massive Talent from being a truly “great” movie (not that “very good” is anything to sneeze at). A couple moments that are meant to play as big twists or reveals are quite predictable. They still mostly work, and make sense within the story, but you can see them coming from a mile away.
But probably the biggest letdown is the lack of strong supporting characters. With a cast boasting the likes of Haddish and Barinholtz, and Sharon Horgan as Cage’s ex-wife Olivia and Neil Patrick Harris as his agent Fink, you would think these comedy heavyweights would get a chance to do some of the heavy lifting. Nope. Sure, Massive Talent is about Nick Cage first, Nicolas Cage second, and the Nick-Javi friendship third. But in all the best buddy comedies, there are supporting characters who get a chance to shine. Even if it’s just a scene or two. But there are no signature moments for anyone else here. They do get some laughs and have some fun moments, but nothing like you would expect from actors with pedigrees like they have.
But in the end, it all comes back to Cage and Pascal. Their chemistry – and Cage’s full dedication to parodying himself – are what drive the story and the jokes and what carries them through from the opening scene to the end credits. And they make it look so easy. It makes being burdened with massive talent seem not all that unbearable after all.
Score: 92/100
