The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) Review

 "Paddington 2 is incredible."
-Nicolas Cage


Nicolas Cage is passed over for a role he really wanted.  In lots of debt, Cage agrees to make an appearance at the birthday party of a billionaire, Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal), and they quickly become close friends.  Cage is approached by CIA agents who tell him that Javi is actually an arms dealer and behind a recent kidnapping.  They convince Cage to help find the kidnapped girl and act his way through this incredibly dangerous situation.


What Works:

I love Nicolas Cage and always enjoy his performances no matter how good or bad the rest of the film around him is.  I'm definitely a person who enjoys the memes and the legend surrounding Cage.  When I first heard about this movie, I was beyond excited and when I saw the trailer, I was even more excited.  This movie lives up to that hype.  It is a celebration of Nicolas Cage, all of of Nicolas Cage, and if you're into that, you will love this movie.

As always, Nicolas Cage gives a great performance.  He really commits to the bit and makes himself just as interesting as the many characters he has played.  He's always fantastic and I love the wide variety of stuff he gets to do.  We even get a 2nd Cage character in Nicky, a younger version of himself that is pretty much insane and lives in Nicolas' head.  It's awesome.

Pedro Pascal is just as good, if not better than Cage.  He is presented as the film's antagonist and as the two men bond, I found myself hoping and praying that wasn't the case.  The two have such wonderful chemistry that I didn't want anything to get in the way of their friendship.  Javi is one of the most likable characters I've seen in a long time, with his passion for Nicolas Cage movies and for Paddington 2 being extremely relatable. 

This movie is mainly a comedy, but it's also an action movie.  Both elements work really well.  We get tons of laugh out loud moments and a few solid action beats.  My favorite parts are when the movie gets extremely dramatic only to be brought back to reality.  It's wonderful.


What Sucks:

My only problem with the movie comes from the 3rd act.  Parts of it I found rushed, with the CIA agents' storyline and Cage getting into a compound being the biggest offenders.  The movie gets back on the rails quickly enough, but the start of the 3rd act could definitely have been stronger.


Verdict:

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is exactly what I hoped it would be.  It's a celebration of Nicolas Cage with great performances from him and Pascal, awesome humor, and decent action.  The 3rd act is rushed, but this movie has still got it going on.

 9/10: Great 

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