There are a number of ways to relate to The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. As a concept, it opens the door to some quirky fun. For fans of Nicolas Cage, it provides a golden opportunity to immerse oneself in all things, Nic Cage.
For hardcore fans of his complete movie catalogue, there are too many easter eggs to count. For the less obsessive it references enough of his mainstream fare to still make you a co-conspirator in the mirth. It definitely relies on you finding the actor’s core character amusing.
Cage plays a version of Cage that is in need of a career (and financial) bump after losing out on a work-defining role. He accepts a lucrative invitation to attend a birthday party for Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal) who may or may not be a criminal. The film relies heavily on the chemistry between the two.
Building such a reliance on Cage and Pascal to sell the friend angle is a slight misstep and the two don’t really shine together. The jokes are also a bit more amusing than laugh out loud funny. If you are a fan of the Cagester you will love almost every moment of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent for the rest of us it’s merely convivial.
Rob Hudson
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