'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' Review: It's a Nic Cage World and We're Just Living in it

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent opens in theaters April 22, 2022.

Lionsgate’s new film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent hits theaters this week. Now, we know this isn’t the type of film we usually write about, but that is because it not a type of film you can nail down to just one genre. Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal pull off one hell of a buddy comedy that is also packed full of action, hallucinations and references to the many films of Cage‘s career. (Yes horror fans there is a Mandy reference!)

We were lucky enough to see this film during its premiere at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival with, Cage, Pascal and a few of the other stars in attendance. During a post screening Q&A session, Cage revealed that he and Pascal bonded over their love of Spanish and Japanese horror films. A bond, which you see carry over into their roles on screen.

In the film Nicolas Cage portrays a fictionalized version of himself, who is in need of a career comeback. Estranged from his ex-wife (Sharon Horgan), teen daughter (Lily Mo Sheen) and living out of hotel, he is skirting rock bottom. After getting turned down for a role and realizing he’s utterly broke, Cage agrees to make a paid appearance at a billionaire super fan’s (Pascal) birthday party. However, he gets recruited by two CIA agents (Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz) as an informant because they suspect the billionaire fan is actually a drug kingpin.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent was directed by Tom Gormican (“Ghosted”) based on a script he co-wrote with Kevin Etten (“Kevin Can F**k Himself”). The CIA story is one we’ve seen before, but its simplicity allows it to be meta without getting into supernatural territory, like Being John Malkovich. An uncomplicated set up, chemistry between the two leads and a vast collection of Nic Cage films to reference, all come together to make one of the best buddy comedies I’ve seen in recent history.

If you have ever been a fan of Cage, there is something in here for you. However, you don’t have to be a fan of his to enjoy this film. I won’t spoil any more of the references, but like many people I had a list of films that was hoping to see mentioned in Unbearable Weight, and was not disappointed. This meta comedy takes shots at many parts of the real Cage, while allowing fake Cage his own commentary on the situation.

Throughout the film we see Cage trying to figure out what to do next, often times he is joined by his alter ego Nicky. Much like the rest of us humans, his alter ego is there to hype him up when needed but, is bad at pointing him in the right directions in life. The younger, leather clad Nicky was actually crafted by Cage to resemble his Wild at Heart days.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent works so well because Cage has never taken himself very seriously. It’s clear from much of the dialog that he really enjoys getting to remark on things (true or not) that have been said about him over the years. Pedro Pascal is wildly hilarious as Javi, the billionaire. Pascal really gets to stretch his comedic legs in this film and even dabbles into physical comedy.

The pair ultimately become friends and their adventure is where the fun lies. After finally getting up the courage to ask Cage to read his script, Javi decides they should make a movie together. They bond over their love of films and life’s pressures as they try to develop a story for their movie. The buddy tropes are all there, the pair take day trips together, nerd out about films they love and crying over the beauty of Paddington 2.

The story has a simple set up with a glorious, and ridiculous pay off. Every shot of this film gives viewers something to look for or to laugh at. It’s a quite a skill to play a caricature of yourself, skills which Cage seems to have acquired over the years. Not just for Cage fans, this is also a film for people who love movies, Hollywood, and storytelling. It never takes itself seriously and gives you a fun film to relive the works of Nicolas Cage in all their glory.

The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent is a film that takes a meta approach to the life a movie star, and highlights the highs & lows of life, relationships and even fandoms. Giving viewers an exceptionally fun buddy comedy. Unbearable Weight is just what you want it to be. Which is a hilarious film that honors a decades spanning career with care, comedy and a little LSD for good measure. 5/5

★★★★★

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent heads to theaters Friday April 22, 2022. You can check out the trailer and poster for the film below. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for more of all things horror, sci-fi, fantasy and everything in between.