The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Review

Directed By: Tom Gormican
Written By: Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten
Runtime: 106 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated R for language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and violence.

Nicolas Cage – Nick Cage
Pedro Pascal – Javi Gutierrez
Ike Barinholtz – Martin
Sharon Horgan – Olivia
Lily Sheen – Addy
Paco León – Lucas Gutierrez
Tiffany Haddish – Vivan
Jacob Scipio – Carlos
Neil Patrick Harris – Richard Fink
Alessandra Mastronardi – Gabriela

Nicolas Cage stars as himself in the metatextual, yet surprisingly lighthearted, comedic romp, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. The new film is a zenith of wacky Cage memes and performances. In an obviously difficult role, Cage embraces his status as a meme and movie star with a wacky, eccentric reputation. Director Tom Gormican succeeds in not making the film a one-note gimmick that wears itself out about 15 minutes into the experience.

In The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the actor is experiencing a rough patch. He is in massive debt, and his once illustrious career is in decline. Cage is struggling to connect emotionally to his teen daughter, Addy (Sheen), much to the chagrin of his estranged ex-wife, Olivia (Horgan). After losing out on a much-desired role that could have signaled his comeback as an acting powerhouse, Cage accepts a lucrative offer to attend the birthday of a wealthy superfan, Javi Gutierrez (Pascal).

Cage and Javi meet and quickly bond and form an unlikely friendship. Soon Cage is informed by CIA operatives Vivan (Haddish) and Martin (Bartinholtz) that Javi is the figurehead for a dangerous drug cartel. The operatives want Cage’s assistance to uncover the whereabouts of a kidnap victim whom Javi’s organization abducted for political influence. Cage is quickly forced to channel his skills to save the day.

While this is a film where Cage makes fun of himself at his own expense, it is later clear why he would want the role. In all its goofiness, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent still allows Cage to have a redemptive arc and gives him a chance to portray an unconventional hero. That is ironically the story of large swaths of his career.

A comedy such as this could have easily resorted to being a one-note gimmick and worn out its welcome. What helps the story along is the surprising level of emotional sincerity in the subplot involving Cage’s estranged family. Cage loves his daughter and wants to have a relationship with her, but he struggles with his self-centered ego and the desire to be the center of attention.

Cage and Gormican deliver by providing wacky Cage high jinks in the form of “Nicky.” Nicky is the visual personification of Cage’s id and the devil on his shoulder. The film plays the Nicky gimmick sparingly. The Nicky persona is utilized enough to be funny and not overplayed to a ridiculous degree. Nicky’s presence enables Cage to have fun with the notion of his career often being a punchline. Nicky also serves as an interesting commentary on the dilemma that many movie stars likely face — that ego and drive can push an actor to new heights and superstardom, but it can also hinder their personal lives.

What also helps The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is the presence of a talented actor such as Pedro Pascal playing Javi opposite Cage. The pair exhibits excellent chemistry, and the actors play off one another in an amusing fashion. While Cage ultimately finds himself in a situation where he is spying on Javi, he has oddly found another kindred spirit who thinks on a very similar wavelength. This is despite Javi’s penchant for idolizing Cage, even building a secret shrine to the actor’s career.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is an R-rated, fairly adult comedy, but it never gets too heavy. The edgiest thing that happens involves some psychedelics. To the movie’s benefit, it never attempts truly dark, more risqué comedic fare. It would not have worked for this type of story.

The biggest problem with Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten’s script is that it becomes derivative, especially in the second half. There is one decent plot twist thrown into the mix, but that plot twist results in the rest of the film playing out predictably.

While Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz are both talented comedians and performers, their roles are more or less plot devices. Haddish’s Vivan seems to have a fairly prominent role in the first half that later gets unceremoniously sidelined. More could have been done with their characters and the CIA’s involvement.

Despite the story’s more overused elements, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a fun, highly entertaining comedy. Nicolas Cage benefits from a good sense of humor about his career, but the film still makes sure that he is the star.

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Nicolas Cage has fun with the wacky Cage persona in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. While Tom Gormican's film does play around with the ideas of movie star ego, the film is a lighthearted affair due to Cage's relationship with his family and his bond with Javi. The film owes a lot to past cinematic efforts, and the script's derivative aspects hinder the feature from achieving loftier heights. Nonetheless, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is the most enjoyable, entertaining comedy released in a good while.