Review: ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ Is a Hilarious Bromance Adventure Worth Seeing
Absurd in the absolutely best possible way, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent sends you for a wonderful ride.
Following Nicolas Cage (Nicolas Cage) we peel back the curtain into the actor’s currently troubled state. He has been turned down for the role that was supposed to bring him back (not that he went anywhere), is divorced and broke, and has a tenuous relationship with his teenage daughter. Cage combats this by retiring from acting altogether and takes one last trip to settle his debts and collect one last score before calling it quits. The final job is to simply appear at the birthday party of Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal). Simple enough, right? That is until the CIA calls on Cage to discover what might really be happening inside Javi’s compound.
Javi himself has ulterior motives for Cage being at his party. He has written a screenplay and more than anything wants his favorite actor to star in it. However, these two unlikely companions begin to carve out the buddy friendship of a lifetime. As the two of them share laughs over some hilarious hijinks and tears over Paddington 2 — yes, I said Paddington 2 — and develop a growing sense of brotherhood, life gets in the way. In a movie that, as these two gentlemen might put it, wants to be a simple character-driven adult drama, we receive kidnappings, CIA agents, drug cartels, and a comedic bromance you will surely adore.
Fans of Cage’s work, or those at least those with prior knowledge of past Cage films, will thrive during Massive Talent. There are references galore to his previous work, and one might not fully appreciate many of the film’s harder-to-catch quips without it, especially when good ol’ “Nicky” joins the party. Rest assured however; you don’t have to be the ultimate Cage superfan to enjoy this one. There’s plenty to go around for everyone, and the only prerequisite film may just be Paddington 2. However you enter this one, I am confident you will leave having had a great time.
In today’s world, few people light up a screen quite like Pedro Pascal. As always, he delivers a masterful performance. Without a doubt, he was the perfect person to cast aside Cage, as Pascal’s candescent personality perfectly fuses with the more enigmatic Cage. Pascal has a way of captivating your attention quite unlike anyone else. And in this one, he absolutely shines. His portrayal of a boyish superfan aspiring to make a movie is absolutely believable and meshes quite well with this version of a Cage ready to leave all that behind.
With all this being said, the movie does have some flaws. While it’s certainly meant to be driven by the buddy-buddy nature of the Pascal/Cage dynamic, there are no standouts from the rest of the cast. The singular focus of the movie is wonderful and leaves you smiling, but outside of our two main stars, no one stands out, and you just want to go back to the bromance. It’s not a bad thing, since it’s not a film that asks for depth in other areas, but it never hurts to have someone other than your stars delivering something special.
Without a doubt, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is going to ring absolutely pure for some while being a bit too absurd for others. Nicolas Cage hits his best note to perfection in this one, and Pascal’s charisma slides in harmoniously. This movie warrants the highest of ratings I can offer up to a comedy. Its mere existence is insane, and the movie takes massive steps forward while embracing the insanity. Worth the price of admission, you won’t leave the cinema without a smile on your face.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is now out exclusively in theaters in the US, with international rollout plans still in development.
Tyler Bradshaw is a Florida social services coordinator with a passion for movies and filmmaking. While The Empire Strikes Back is his favorite movie all time some other favorites include Seven Samurai, Little Women (2019) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He has an always growing list of movies he needs to see with David Lynch being his current favorite director. He loves to engage in thought-provoking conversations about his favorite movies.
