The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

"Nicolas Cage is Nick Cage."

2022 1h 47m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

87%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 2,643🍅87%Rotten Tomatoes●68Metacritic★7IMDB · 173,107

ActionComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, Nick Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones.

“Nicolas Cage is Nick Cage.”

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Cast

Nicolas Cage
Nick Cage / Nicky
Pedro Pascal
Javi Gutierrez
Sharon Horgan
Olivia
Ike Barinholtz
Martin
Alessandra Mastronardi
Gabriela
Jacob Scipio
Carlos
Lily Mo Sheen
Addy Cage
Neil Patrick Harris
Richard Fink

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tom Gormican
Writers: Kevin Etten, Tom Gormican
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 97% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tom Gormican, shot by Nigel Bluck. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Isham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Melissa Bretherton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal and Sharon Horgan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Nicolas Cage is Nick Cage.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tom Gormican directs. Nigel Bluck behind the camera. Mark Isham scores. Melissa Bretherton cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 97% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 4 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Directed by Tom Gormican, shot by Nigel Bluck. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mark Isham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Melissa Bretherton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal and Sharon Horgan carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Nicolas Cage is Nick Cage.".
9IMDB entry: tt11291274 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "central intelligence agency (cia)", "undercover", "screenplay", "satire".
11Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Nigel Bluck
Original score: Mark Isham
Editing: Melissa Bretherton
Production design: Kevin Kavanaugh
Costume design: Paco Delgado
Makeup / hair: Dionne Wynn
VFX supervisor: Adam Rowland
Sound: Nick Offord
Stunt coordinator: Balázs Farkas
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $29,116,320
Return: 97% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 68/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 173,107 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 wins & 23 nominations total

Also by

Tom Gormican

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Chris Sawin2022-04-24
★ 8/10
It certainly seems like The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent will have a deeper impact on you if you’re at least somewhat of a fan of Nicolas Cage’s work, but could also be amusing for fans of absurd adult comedies. Pedro Pascal is the humorous wingman we all wish we could have; soft-spoken and yet a priceless factor in the overall ludicrous nature of the film. Meanwhile, Nicolas Cage continues to reign supreme as a talented lunatic at the top of his game. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is an outrageous and uproarious expedition into hilarity and absurdity. Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal are an unlikely yet brilliant comical duo that will have you rolling on the sticky movie theater floor with laughter. Full review: https://hubpages.com/entertainment/The-Unbearable-Weight-of-Massive-Talent-2022-Review-The-R-Rated-Action-Comedy-of-a-Lifetime
CinemaSerf2022-04-26
★ 7/10
No-one could ever accuse Nicolas Cage of not having a sense of humour. He plays himself for most of this, depicting a somewhat fallen star whose agent (Neil Patrick Harris) finds him a gig for $1m to go to the birthday party of his wealthy Mallorcan superman "Javi" (Pedro Pascal). Lack of options force him to travel and he quite quickly befriends his adulatory, spring screenplay writer, amigo. Snag - well Tiffany Haddish ("Vivan") is the CIA on the island, and she tries to co-opt him onto a cunning plan to trap "Javi" - whom she believes to be a criminal kingpin behind the kidnap of the daughter of a politician. What now ensue are some quite fun escapades as the actor has to turn his hand to skills he would do off pat if he were in front of a camera, but not so readily in "real life" - and it turns out that he isn't half bad, either. Is "Javi" really the baddie? Will Cage rise to the challenge? All is revealed in this amiable parody of not just many of his own films, but of espionage and action drama in general. It's got some car chases, fancy locations, power boats and a room with a waxwork that would not have looked out of place with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. A bit ripe at times, the dialogue is peppered with plenty of wittiness and Cage plays the exasperated, then terrified, then motivated actor with aplomb and with his tongue in his cheek. Pascal makes for a fun foil keeping the bromance bubbling along nicely, and with Sharon Horgan delivering well as his long-suffering ex-wife ("Olivia") this is a well paced and enjoyable adventure romp.
Manuel São Bento2022-04-28
★ 8/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/unbearable-weight-massive-talent-spoiler-free-review "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is an admirable tribute to one of the most iconic actors of his generation: Nicolas Cage. A hilariously insane, absurd journey through a career filled with unforgettable gems, equally ridiculous and without any creative constraints. From the hundreds of delicious references to past works and characters to the phenomenal chemistry between Pedro Pascal and Cage, it will be more complicated for viewers unfamiliar with the latter's life and filmography to get carried away by the chaotic, naturally exaggerated atmosphere. Regardless, witnessing Cage play himself is worth any ticket. Endless entertainment for fans of a pure talent that deserves much, much more acclaim." Rating: B+