Nicolas Cage shows off his Talent in latest flick

When I saw Cage’s previous film, Pig, I made some snarky comments about his history, especially lately, of picking questionable roles. Well, after catching his newest, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, you can see the egg on my face. Two solid films in a row definitely makes me rethink those words.

Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself. Everyone he runs into talks about his big hits of the 90s and early 00’s, but that was a long time ago, and he can’t land a good role these days. To make matters worse, his longtime devotion to his career has been to the detriment of his family, and he’s facing divorce and an alienated teen daughter. After his latest attempt to land a promising role in an upcoming exciting film doesn’t pan out, Cage decides it is finally time to retire from acting. To make a little cash, he accepts an offer from a millionaire, superfan Javi Gutierrez, to attend his (Javi’s) birthday party on a private island for a million bucks.

Cage goes to the island and meets Javi (Pedro Pascal), and the two instantly hit it off. Javi has written a screenplay in which he wants Cage to act. That screenplay is shit, but Cage agrees to write a new one with Javi. The one they work on mimics the bromance they are forming on the island. But Cage has a secret: he has been recruited by the CIA to spy on Javi, who is apparently a big time arms dealer, who has recently abducted a politician’s daughter for leverage. The CIA wants Cage to locate the girl. If this convoluted plot sounds like something out of a Nicolas Cage movie….well, it is. But don’t let the superficial-sounding plot turn you away. This film is funny, but also smart, with plenty of references to film history, and not just Cage’s own filmography, as well as a peak into plot elements and devices that get tossed around by someone who knows what he’s talking about. I had a good time, and it looks like the actors had a good time making it too. Cage is fantastic, but it is Pascal who steals most of the scenes he is in, and the movie does a good job of keeping the viewer guessing. How could this goofy millionaire playboy with money to burn, with a private museum devoted to Nicolas Cage’s movies, be an international crime lord? Very entertaining. ★★★½