The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Director: Tom Gormican
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish

Synopsis:
An actor whose career is on the rocks finds himself entangled with an arms dealer who is a big fan of his.

Impressions:
Nic Cage plays the role he was born to play: Nic Cage. Once he managed to sort out his situation with the IRS, Cage was free to take roles more for love of the game and not just to pay off the taxman. Here he plays a fictionalized version of himself, which reminds me a bit of what he did for Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation, but perhaps more akin to what Jean-Claude Van Damme did for himself in JCVD. Cage plays off his real-life troubles and uses that to craft a compelling character who usually means well but is consumed by his ego (portrayed here as a younger, amped-up version of Cage billed under Cage's real name). Pedro Pascal plays a charming dork of a fan as Javi, which is much at odds with the man's reputation as a notorious arms dealer. (I'm surprised there were no Lord of War references.) The comedy is great as Cage fumbles through his attempts to serve as a CIA asset to find a kidnapped girl. It's a fun movie and must-see for all Nic Cage fans.

Rating:
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