THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT (15, 107 mins) Comedy/Drama/Action/Romance. Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Lily Sheen, Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, Katrin Vankova. Director: Tom Gormican.
Released: April 22
A WISE man once said, "Some things are true whether you believe in them or not."
That modern philosopher was Nicolas Cage, sermonising on the fragility of life to a cynical Meg Ryan (playing a surgeon) in the 1998 metaphysical romance City Of Angels.
The same Hollywood seer who thwarted a terrorist attack on Alcatraz in The Rock and revealed, "I love pressure. I eat it for breakfast!" then bullishly redefined the art of 1990s courtship in Face/Off by petitioning an air hostess, "If I were to let you suck my tongue, would you be grateful?"
Choice excerpts and memorabilia from the entire Nicolas Cage oeuvre (even the Golden Globe-nominated Guarding Tess) festoon Tom Gormican's delightful black comedy, which invites the Californian star to play a fictionalised version of himself at manic full volume.
From its opening frames – a kidnapping orchestrated during a screening of Con Air – The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent is a love letter to the leading man and his indelible mark on popular culture in the 40 years since his big screen debut in Fast Times At Ridgemont High.
Cage has a blast poking fun at himself in a freewheeling script co-written by Gormican and Kevin Etten, which introduces a potty-mouthed voice of conscience called Nicky: a fresh-faced Wild At Heart-era incarnation of Cage that only the actor can see… and smooch during one memorably deranged pep talk.
The film's exaggerated version of Nick Cage is a Hollywood star with the same resume, who is separated from his ex-wife Olivia (Sharon Horgan), a make-up artist on Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
Unable to connect with his 16-year-old daughter Addy (Lily Sheen), Nick has been staying at the Sunset Tower hotel for over a year, racking up a bill of 600,000 dollars on top of existing debts.
When his agent Fink (Neil Patrick Harris) relays an offer of a million dollars to attend the lavish birthday party of billionaire super fan Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal), Nick reluctantly agrees.
Javi made his fortune peddling olive oil but CIA agents Vivian (Tiffany Haddish) and Martin (Ike Barinholtz) suspect he is an international weapons dealer with ties to the recent abduction of a Catalonian presidential candidate's daughter (Katrin Vankova).
When Vivian and Martin learn Nick is guest of honour at Javi's celebrations in Mallorca, they pressgang the actor into the service of his country to spy on his host.
The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent is a trip – literally when Nick and Javi take a chaotic LSD-fuelled road trip to spark their creativity.
Pascal catalyses an affectionate screen bromance with Cage, the two actors bouncing off each other smartly as the script contemplates the regrets of an artist, who worked to live, at the expense of personal relationships.
In Gone In 60 Seconds, Cage's car thief bellows, "I'm a little tired, I'm little wired and I think I deserve a little appreciation!"
Gormican's picture answers his cry, with scenery-chewing gusto.
Rating: 4/5
