SXSW Review: ‘The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent’: Nicolas Cage Is Back In Action In Two Roles As Himself In A Wild And Funny Ride

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Watching the new action comedy  The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent in which Nicolas Cage plays a fictionalized version of , well, Nicolas Cage, I kept thinking that if  director Tom Gormican didn’t get him to agree to do this film which depends on audience recognition of a genuine action star, he could have easily gone to Mel Gibson or Bruce Willis.

They would have been fine fulfilling the amusing premise, but Cage, as he usually does, goes all out, even over the top at times, and gives this the kind of sharp edge only he can.

It also helps, since this is basically a comedy, that Cage’s manic timing (as in Honeymoon In Vegas for one) really works in making the best lines in Gormican and co-writer Kevin Etten’s script work, especially the inside industry jokes peppered throughout.This of course is an exxageration of Cage’s life and career, based primarily on the public and media perception of the Oscar winning star who in recent years ran into serious trouble with back taxes and often took some lesser movies for the money, leading to a string of flops.

Ironically his most recent film, Pig, has once again put him on top with much acclaim and awards buzz (he is nominated for Best Actor at the Critics Choice Awards), so that is definitely not the case for this version of Cage, who occasionally shares the screen with his de-aged self, “Nicky”, (billed as Nicolas Kim Coppola) a circa early 90’s version (think Wild At Heart) from his imagination who keeps giving him pep talks on finding the movie star he used to be at that age. “You have to be more strategic, more of a movie star”, he tells him.