Nicolas Cage Plays a parody – and a tribute to himself in Tom Gormicans The unbearable weight of talent, the latest entry in the current trend of definition films. The comedy premiered at the SXSW Film Festival this week, receiving unanimous positive reviews.
Even with some acknowledged screenplay issues and limited appeal potential, the film is said to be a hilarious effort at imitating self-referential Hollywood satire such as Adaptation And the The last action herowith a scene-stealing performance by Pedro Pascal And the heart is more than you expect.
This is what the critics say The unbearable weight of talent:
This is it The A movie for Nicolas Cage fans?
If you love Nicolas Cage, this movie is the Bellagio Buffet for Nicolas Cage films. – Neil Pollack, Book and Film Globe
[It’s] A true love letter to every aspect of Cage’s past and a tantalizing roadmap to his future. – Robert Daniels, playlist
The quick descriptive comedy plays a fan letter to Cage from someone who has not only watched a lot of movies, but has good taste. – Good Dry, Indiewire
The filmmakers do not judge which of his films has more value, realizing that the favorite is intimate and personal. – Maria E. Gates, Roger Ebert
It’s reasonable and fun Cause of existence – Huge talent This is a real person fan story. – Addie Robertson, The Verg
What if you’re not fully into Cage?
Not just for discerning fans, it plays best for those who appreciate complexes of realism, deception, vanity, art, self-suspension, and pure comedy that are hard to decipher. – John Devore, The Hollywood Reporter
[It’s] Most fun I’ve had in a movie in years…even the most ambivalent people in a cage have to admit it. – Good Dry, Indiewire
Gormican assumes you’ve seen Cage’s biggest hits and even his little-known cult classics. And if you haven’t, you will soon adore them as much as he clearly loves them. – Robert Daniels, playlist
The actual end product feels inside a baseball; It takes a real Cage fan to be all over the joke. – Martin Tsai, TheWrap
The film glosses over what makes him shine as an actor, seemingly anticipating that you’ll emerge with a solid understanding of Cage’s prolific career and its odd mixture of high-profile and low-key roles. – Addie Robertson, The Verg
(Photo by Catalin Vermes / © Lionsgate)
Is there more to Nick Cage’s love interest?
is similar to The Matrix: ResurrectionsGormican makes light-hearted action sequences and anticlimatic car chases as commentaries on the current visually inactive Blockbuster movie industry. – Robert Daniels, playlist
It is also somewhat reminiscent of The last action hero, in terms of its ability to create descriptive comments on the better, or at least the most famous, movies. – Neil Pollack, Book and Film Globe
Its real theme is the magic of movies. – Owen Gilberman, Variety
And how is the cage … the cage?
One of his best shows. – Drew Tennen, Middle Dread
[He] He gives one of the most complex shows, but the most crowd-pleasing in his career. – Maria E. Gates, Roger Ebert
Cage, coming out of what some consider to be the best work of his career pigHe takes this turn and takes him out of the garden again. – Ryan McQuaid, Overwatch Award
Throwback Shows … Cage delivers a crowd-pleasing triumph. – Robert Daniels, playlist
This is just a show for Cage, who surprises by revealing as much vulnerability as his willingness to join in on copious humor. – Megan Navarro, bloody disgusting
Cage’s truly obsessive timing does Gormican’s best fonts and co-writer Kevin Etten. – Pete Hammond, Deadline
What about Pedro Pascal?
What could be a fan-service cipher in fewer hands, is underpinned by Pascal’s multi-layered emotional performance. – Maria E. Gates, Roger Ebert
Pascal gives the best performance of his career… His feelings are so close to the surface that they would catch fire if they were lit up. – Robert Daniels, playlist
Pascal Delight. – Alex Bogalad, Dean Geek
It’s a bit amazing to watch [Cage’s] Co-starring rising star Pedro Pascal, he grabbed the movie and went off with him. – Jacob Hall, Slash Film
Pascal is fine, although this screen duo is never intended to be an equal partnership. – Martin Tsai, TheWrap
(Photo by Catalin Vermes / © Lionsgate)
Do they make a perfect pair?
Cage and Pascal are really great together. – Good Dry, Indiewire
Cage and Pascal’s chemistry is impeccable as the actors are very clearly in each other’s presence. – Alex Bogalad, Dean Geek
The unbearable weight of talent It wouldn’t work at all without the constant chemistry that Cage and Pascal share. – Robert Daniels, playlist
Their chemistry…makes it one of the most beloved cinematic performances in recent memory. – Megan Navarro, bloody disgusting
Director Pedro Pascal’s Javi serves as a perfect counterbalance to Cage’s Nouveau Shamanic way of acting… It’s a pleasure to watch them revolve around each other. – Drew Tennen, Middle Dread
[Cage’s] The chemistry with Pascal, as the two begin working on a script together, the film keeps the basis of character over plot, real emotions over stunt. – Maria E. Gates, Roger Ebert
The real joy comes when Cage and Pascal share the screen. – Jacob Hall, Slash Film
What about the rest of the cast?
It’s a shame the movie doesn’t properly use his other huge talents – specifically Haddish and Barinholtz. – John Fink, movie theater
At some point we have to stop saying “this movie is wasting Tiffany Haddish” and think, maybe that’s all Tiffany Haddish has to offer. – Neil Pollack, Book and Film Globe
Is the movie funny?
The unbearable weight of talent Really funny… When crafting his big comedic sets, you really shine. – Alex Bogalad, Dean Geek
[It’s] One of the funniest movies of the year. – Good Dry, Indiewire
From entertaining to hilarious…lots of laughs. – Ed Travis, Synapse
There are a number of lol moments to keep throughout. – Pete Hammond, Deadline
(Photo by Catalin Vermes / © Lionsgate)
How is an action movie?
The first scene of the movie is undoubtedly the best… The subsequent action sequences aren’t nail-biting or fun. – Martin Tsai, TheWrap
The action part of the movie really lags behind the comedy. A couple of mostly idle car chases is all the mediocre budget feature can muster, and they mostly only serve to slow the jokes down. – Alex Bogalad, Dean Geek
The action tricks are perhaps the least interesting part of the movie… The static pieces are nice, but it’s the performances that hold them together. – J. Hurtado, ScreenAnarchy
Nicolas Cage is forced to live through the plot we’ve come to expect from a Nicolas Cage movie, with car chases, heavily armed confrontations and macho monologues. – John Devore, The Hollywood Reporter
So we’ll enjoy the plot if we like the “typical” action films of Nicolas Cage?
At one point, the movie cleverly pivots from being a commentary on a slick Nic Cage action movie to actually becoming one, with a reasonably satisfying bonus. – Neil Pollack, Book and Film Globe
In the end, Nicolas Cage’s movie actually became…a cheesy thing and something special at the same time. – Owen Gilberman, Variety
[The conclusion] Much like the lousy B movies Cage made in recent years to live up to the raucous joys of the first hour and change. – Jacob Hall, Slash Film
(Photo by Catalin Vermes / © Lionsgate)
Does the script stick to the landing?
Chapter 3 loses some of that magic because it’s forced to bring everything to a head overburdened with fire. – Megan Navarro, bloody disgusting
Huge talent Eventually he becomes exhausted, entangled due to his unbearable weight. – Martin Tsai, TheWrap
The structure of the film within the film does not burden the film. – Drew Tennen, Middle Dread
It sure beats being welcomed at times with a lot of frantic energy. – Pete Hammond, Deadline
The movie loses some of its unbridled flavor as it nears the end… clever, but not enough to make the next action’s hits less general. – John Devore, The Hollywood Reporter
It’s a shame that [the] The plot is on the way. – John Fink, movie theater
Unfortunately, the overall experience is still somewhat scattered. – Addie Robertson, The Verge
The success of the movie really depends on the writing, and this script really delivers exactly what he needs, when he needs to do it. – J. Hurtado, ScreenAnarchy
The unbearable weight of talent It premiered on South by Southwest on March 12, 2022 and opens in theaters on April 22, 2022.