The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

[MisterGlass]

I didn't see a thread for this movie and thought it deserved one.  Nicholas Cage plays a version of himself that agrees to go to the birthday of a fan for $1 million dollars, and Pedro Pascal plays that enthusiastic but shady fan.

I thought this was going to be a silly movie, but it was actually sweeter and more sincere than I expected.  It was still funny, and Nicholas Cage and Pedro Pascal made a good duo. 

As good as Nicholas Cage was, the essential part of this was Pedro Pascal.  He was so winning and eager to please.

[Spartan Girl]

Oh yes, this deserves its own thread.

I did love the bromance between Nic and Pedro, but I DIED at the scenes of Nic talking to his younger self—and making out with him to boot! I have to respect him for embracing the meme and going full-blown Cage.

[StatisticalOutlier]

This was one of those movie where I sit there marveling, "How did somebody even think this up?"

[krankydoodle]

What a wonderful surprise this was!

On 7/8/2022 at 11:32 PM, MisterGlass said:

As good as Nicholas Cage was, the essential part of this was Pedro Pascal.  He was so winning and eager to please.

I didn't think it was possible for Pedro Pascal to be more delightful, but even though this movie is a loving tribute to Cage and makes great use of him, Pascal was my favorite part.

On 7/9/2022 at 6:19 AM, Spartan Girl said:

I DIED at the scenes of Nic talking to his younger self—and making out with him to boot!

The deleted scene on the DVD has a final confrontation between the two in the style of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari that's worth watching if you haven't already.

It looks like this didn't do great in theaters, so I hope more people discover it now that it's on video/streaming like I did.

Edited August 6, 2022 by krankydoodle

[Spartan Girl]

11 minutes ago, krankydoodle said:

The deleted scene on the DVD has a final confrontation between the two in the style of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari that's worth watching if you haven't already.

Just looked it up, and you’re right, it was gold. 

[paramitch]

I absolutely loved this, and it was a delight especially to watch Cage have so much fun with his reputation, and (especially) Pedro Pascal just be the complex delightful character he was.

My only complaint is that I was so delighted by how weird and wonderful it was, then suddenly halfway through it... turned into a standard Nicolas Cage movie.

Which, I mean, I get it. But it was SO much more fun when I had no idea where it was going.

I really kind of feel like it wimped out. It starts out so absolutely creative and bonkers and awesome, and then by the end, the beats were all super predictable because, well, anyone who watches this movie has seen a Nicholas Cage movie or two...

But the two leads were just so wonderful, regardless. I had a smile on my face the entire time.

(Bonus points to the movie for Pascal's emotional monologue about Guarding Tess, one of my favorite little unsung treasures and movie comfort food picks in the Cage oeuvre.)